What is the best system to teach a young child to read?

Question

I have a six year old son, who is in preschool. He's not a fast learner, which is fine. However, I would like to give him a head start before he enters kindergarten and first grade so he doesn't fall behind when the time comes. What are some good ways to start teaching him to read? He already knows his alphabet, but doesn't know all his letter sounds yet.

Answer 1

Knowing the names of the letters may end up making it harder, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Remember that spelling comes before reading.  That is where your focus should be.  Now is when you can begin teaching him the letter sounds.  Do not worry about what the person above said - that there are so many letter sounds.  You can teach those exceptions later.  The hard part right now will be making sure you are using the correct sounds when you teach him.  Do not teach him that "b" is "buhhhh"  Be careful because many people put the "uh" at the end of a sound.  If you REALLY *REALLY* cannot help putting a sound at the end of each letter sound, try using just a short "i" sound there.  Otherwise, he will be thinking "buh-ay-buee" for "baby."  

Once he learns a few letter sounds, he can begin forming words.  Choose some 3 letter words from sounds he already knows.  Get a box full of the letters of the alphabet.  

Take three of his fingers and, on each one, say each sound as you lightly grab it with your index finger and thumb.  If you're doing "man," have him hold up three fingers.

Take the first finger and say, "mmmmmmmm"

Take the middle finger and say, "aaaaaaaaaa"

Take the ring finger and say, "nnnnnnnnnn"

Put them together slowly, touching the correct finger again.  

"mmmmmaaaaaaannnnnnn."

Then he can take the letters out of the box and put them in the right order.  If he forgets, he may be able to recall it by grabbing the right finger.  If not, you can help him from there.  Just help him patiently..it's a process.

Pretty soon, he will be able to choose the right sounds on his own.  Note that he may be able to spell out the word, but not necessarily read it.  Remember that these are two seperate processes all together.  Keep making simple words to see if he can read them.  It will "click" one day.

Other ideas:

1)  "I spy."  The game is simple.  "I spy with my little eye something that starts with ssssssssssssssssssss"  (make the sound for now)

After a while, you can write down the letter sounds he knows and pick them out.  Try to find something that starts with that sound and go from there.  

Then you can move into ending sounds.

Then middle sounds.

2)  Have different color strips of paper.  Big enough to write 3 or 4 letter words on, but not really big.  He can make his own word book of words he can spell with the moveable alphabet.

3)  Organizing differnet objects by sounds.  Have different objects, or even pictures, in a box that start with 3 different sounds.  Make sure you have the same amount for each sound.  For example, put 4 objects in a box that start with "mmmmm," 4 that start with "sssssss" and 4 that start with "ccccccc."  See if the child can sort through and put them together.  It might help if you also added the 3 letters "s," "c," and "m" in there.

4)  Remember that this is a process.  It takes time.  You seem like a patient mother, but I want to remind you of that in case he seems stuck on something.  If he is stuck, just try a different aspect of it.

I would also like to recommend this book:

http://astore.amazon.com/monteblog-20/de...

The outline from amazon.com's web site says:

A trip to the supermarket. A drive to the mall. A refrigerator. A telephone. A television. Transform these everyday experiences and household items into a world of words and wonder for your child.

Early childhood education specialist Marlene Barron shows you how to stimulate your child's natural interest in reading and writing by sharing 60 imaginative and entertaining activities. Each one is:

Inspired by the internationally renowned Montessori approach to education

Developed especially for children ages 3 to 7

Aimed at achieving specific objectives, such as increasing vocabulary, letter formation, sequencing, listening and motor skills, and more

Readily upgraded to keep pace with your child's progress

Easy to do and loads of fun!

The Ready, Set, Learn series was created to help parents and children explore concepts and develop skills necessary to succeed in school. In addition to dozens of activities, each book contains a substantial overview explaining children's developmental needs. Also available in the Ready, Set, Learn series: Ready, Set, Count; Ready, Set, Explore; Ready, Set, Cooperate.

________________________

Most important suggestion I have :  enjoy this process.  If you break things down into smaller steps and test what is working and isn't, you will be amazed at the progress that is made.

Let me know if I can help more!

Matt

Answer 2

indulge them with a colorful books to catch their attention, from there you can start. just get cue in their curiosity.

Answer 3

i am an early years teacher and I would say the best way to learn how to read is to use phonics strategies. basically sound out words with him-

c-a-t then blend them together

cat

you should also read with him and point at the text, reading a wide range of books will make him more enthusiatic about learning to read! good luck!

also talk to the teachers at school to give you more tips on what they do.

Answer 4

Ok I have an almost 6 year old Daughter and I have run into the same thing. She is extremely bright, but was slow on learning how to read. There are two methods- one is phonics and the other is sight or what they call whole reading. I do a combo of both.

I am a retired Teacher by the way. I have tried out several of the programs that guaranteed your child would read or your money back. Money back I am glad about because every child is different. I have discovered that my Daughter is a self learner and learns better thru whole language learning with only little bit of phonics.

She did enjoy two programs- one being Starfall and the other Click n kid. This is a great one expecially for boys because it is space related. My Daughter has learned quite a bit from this.

I read to her, we go to the Library, we read words everywhere we go, she is learning the basic rules on how to sound out words, etc. She still has quite a long ways to go before I can say she is reading on her own.

I can tell you now that just because parents say their kid is reading when they are 5 or 6 does not mean they are reading on their own with no help. Most children can not sit and read a book on their own with no help until 2nd grade in most cases. Don't let anyone fool you into thinking otherwise. I taught K-3rd grades.

Yes I did have a couple of exceptions to the rule.

Don't be in a rush to push him. Continue to let him have fun with reading. Play games that require him to learn the sounds that the letters make. Now that he knows his letters- start with A and move your way up. Starfall.com would be the best place to start. It is free and fun for kids at this age. It will be enough to keep his attention, but yet no bore him.

I do believe that this is something that just clicks on in the brain and all of a sudden they are off and reading. You give them the tools to learn and they will.

Schools are in too big of a rush to push our kids to learn all these things in such a short period of time. I remember the days that Kindy was all about learning how to get along with others, art, play, learning how to say your ABC's. Now some schools almost want your child to know how to read before going into Kindy. This is so sad.

Check out your local Teacher's stores. They have fun phonic games, flashcards, workbooks, CD's etc. Find something that works for him and that is fun. Good luck. My daughter will be 6 in April and is finally starting to recognize words and sound them out. Your son has a whole life ahead of him and to it is best to set up the love of learning right now.

Oh we do a fun one, but you can do it with just the letters and that is write a letter on each flashcard and lay them out so he can see them. Just do a few at a time. Say, Red Rover Red Rover, bring the sound "Buh" on over. Then if he brings you the B then put a star on it or sticker. Keep working on up and then soon he will learn all his sounds. Keep helping him. Don't discourage. If he doesn't know it tell him. You may have to tell him several times until it clicks. Then you can add other sounds onto the letter and soon he will be reading whole words. You can also play this game with numbers too. It is my Daughter's favorite game. She has learned her number up to the hundreds this way. I think she really enjoys the reward of the sticker.

Answer 5

cards

Answer 6

That's great that your son knows his letters.  That's a great start!

My mom started our kids with a little book that she and my daughter created together.  Simple words "rat," "hat," bat."  Then, we used The Bob Books with our daughter.  http://www.bobbooks.com/   She loved them and they have really simple (simplistic) graphics, and she learned really quickly.

Then we tried Bob with our son - who was not interested at all.!  It seems that he found them boring and humorless.  So we went to the reading specialist at our local kindergarten, and she let me look through bins of books for K-1st grade readers, and let me borrow them.  My son learned to read through books in which another Bob gets stuck in a tree.  The words built up a little more complexly than "bob books," but my son was more interested and learned faster.

I agree with the respondent comment, that reading together with your child is GREAT!

I'll bet your local library's children's librarian will have some good ideas for you, too!

BTW, in our kindergarten, most kids come in knowing their letters and not knowing how to read.  To be promoted to first grade, they know about 20 sight words, and all their letters.  Remember that is 9 months of additional time next year your son can take, if he likes :)  But he will love reading, so it's great you're starting him out!

Answer 7

Hi there

He may be ready to start looking at some very simple 'playing with words and letters' activities.

Start playing with some of the words you find in your reading together, or in signs etc.  For example, after reading a book, go back and make a game out of finding all the words with double letters in them, or find all the 'the's in the book.

Really, words and letters have some amazing and fun patterns in them.  This is the world we should be trying to create for our little ones.

This site has some great ideas for using sight word cards also, and explains the importance of beginning sight words in reading.

http://www.k-3teacherresources.com/teach...

It also has some great little beginner concept books and alphabet games which may be helpful.

Nursery rhymes are also fantastic as they have loads of rhyme and rhythm with lots of patterning.

Basically, just 'play with words' and let your son discover the joy of reading, and of course continue to read, read, read, read, to him.....

Hope this helps you.

All the very best

DC

Answer 8

The best way is to read to him - over and over and over again - his favorite books - and let him see you reading so a love of reading will begin at a young age. He will want to do what you are doing and if you are reading, he will want to do that too.  Help him sound out the words he doesn't know and just keep reading to him. Good luck.  At the age of 6, he should be catching on pretty well to rhyming and alliteration so keep plugging away at it.

Answer 9

Reading to him as a parent is the best way to start. I would also make sure he knows the names of the letters and begin to work on the letter sounds. Teachers begin with begining letter sounds of small words such as the "c" in cat. Then they get into larger words and whole words.

Answer 10

find books that are interseing for your son. Then start reading to him, and he will start reading on his own.  Then after reading the book, you and your son will talk about what you just read.  You can make flash cards with words he does not know to help him study.

Answer 11

I would really look into using the Montessori method.  There is a book called Montessori Read And Write that is fantastic.  Using it, my three - year - old son is now reading.  It uses things like sandpaper letters (which are basically flash cards with the letter in sandpaper so they can trace it in preparation for writing), a movable alphabet, etc.  I would first teach him the letter sounds, and teach him the name of the letter later.  It sounds kind of strange, but learning the sound is really all that he needs to know to learn how to read.  Here's a link to some activities that might help him and keep him interested: http://www.montessorimom.com/category/re...

Always let him go at his own pace, and don't push him to go any faster than he is ready to go.  Good luck!

Answer 12

Combination of phonics (start with CVC words) and memorize about 50 sight words.

Answer 13

Continue to work on his letter sounds.  Identify that there are 5 vowels and  work on the short sound, all other letters are consonants.  Begin teaching his 8 color words as sight words.  Then move on to his 10 number words.  Talk about beginning sounds of words and what letter they are.  Explain how you sound out the letters in a word to identify the word. Just continue to read, read, read to him.  If you do this he will naturally start to pick up on things.  This will give him a head start in school.

Answer 14

I love hooked on phonics! They have great phonics cards! And if he can already recognize the alphabet he will do great with this program. My 4 almost 5 year old gets so excited when she reads a new book.

Answer 15

Flashcards. I guess. The word "apple" on one side and the picture on the other. Ask him to read apple if he can't start with what letter sounds like. Then break the word in syllables

Answer 16

Phonemic Awareness is the number one indicator of whether or not a child will make a smooth transition into reading.

It is the awareness that letters represent sounds to make words.

You, as a parent, have a plethora of opportunities throughout the day to turn everyday conversation into a learning experience. For instance: does he like trains? While playing, "Thomas the tank engine...t, t, t... that's a T - what other words/things begin with that sound?" - and brainstorm.

Do this with a  LOT of things that interest him - at various times throughout the day (of course, don't make him sick of it - just sneak it in when you can).

Emphasize beginning sounds at first... then move into ending sounds ("Dad... d, d, hey it's the same sound at the beginning AND the ending... D aaaah D... what other things end with the 'd' sound?).

It sounds tedious, but you'd be amazed at how much kids love to figure out sounds and match them to stuff they're familiar with. You could have a new letter to concentrate on every other day and motivate him to find stuff around the house with a sticker reward or something ("today, how many items around the house can you find that begin with the sound "m"?).

Move on to short vowels in small words:

cat

wet

bit

mop

cup

Then buy a series of reader books at your local book store.

I recommend "Brand New Readers" - my kids loved them and were reading almost instantly.

And, of course, read read read read read to him.

But do it constructively. Ask him, "what do you think is going to happen next?"

Read a sentence from a book he knows well and stop short of the last word - or replace it with a silly word and see how he corrects you - then look at the correct word together. "Oh, you're right... it is ______"! <pointing to the word>).

My kids are 5 and 3 and 1/2. My 3 and 1/2 year old is plowing through 2nd grade level books. He keeps himself awake at night because he gets out of bed, pulls books off the shelf, and takes them to bed. My daughter is reading, too, but she's actually catching up to her little brother.

Answer 17

Flashcards..

And then those games like Leapfrog =)

Answer 18

it doesn't matter so much that he knows the way that the letters sound because they have so many different sounds.  I would start off with sight words.  These are words that are seen in all text.  They also include words like dog, cat, and so on.  I would read with him every night and actually put your finger under the word that you are reading and that will help him recognize them later is her sees them.  Also have letters on the refrigerator and let him make up words while you make dinner.  You can make words for him and then let him try and make a word.  Reading to him though is the most helpful.  Make sure you instill in him a love for books!

Answer 19

He has to identify ea sound and also recognize vowels.

Answer 20

Read to him and read some more. Have a time where he "reads" his books and you read yours, a quiet time. Point out words to him and start rhyming or singing about them. Have fun and don't make it a chore. He will take off one day when you least expect it. Enjoy learning so he will enjoy it too.

Answer 21

u should start by telling him/her some word and show them the pictures of it like on the back write the word and on the front draw a picture of it

-I hope it helps