Reading For the Beginner

How young should we teach a child to read? Admittedly I am no expert, but my experience tells me that a child will pretty much let us know when they are "ready." Signs and clues such as BEGGING to read, wanting to know information by asking questions, loving books~looking at books, carrying books around, trying to read on his own...clues for sure!  This can occur in the very young and even in a child who has shown no interest who is a bit older.  I have heard over the years to wait to teach the skill of reading until a child is old enough to desire and is ready to learn it, and to foster a love of books~all the wonders of the imagination can be lured into loving reading with well written, well read read alouds.  One thing, up until this year, we did consistently was read aloud in our schooling.  It's a wonderful family time and also a way to teach listening skills.  So I want to encourage you to READ aloud frequently throughout the day to your children. Use any excuse you can to bring the written page to life for them.  Narrative story written history, science, Bible texts, literature, and more can be read with feeling and emphasis.

Of course once the desire for reading is in our child, we will need to teach the skill.  I have a child that I used several programs to teach reading to, and he'd just wail, "I HATE to read!" and truly I didn't know he could read until...one day I "caught him" memorizing his AWANA Bible verses! That booger! He was not reading so I'd have to keep working with him and reading to him! Now he did have an eye tracking issue that we remediated, but he could read! No kidding!

Phonic sounds are absolutely important. I've heard too that teaching the sounds are much more important than the names of the letters.  Make up some flash cards.
http://www.mes-english.com/phonics.php
This website is awesome to teach many phonics skills. You can print off what you need and there is even teaching instruction given. Hey, FREE is good! I wish I had known about all the FREEbies on the web when mine were littles!

Teach those letter sounds and then decode words in readers. We used the Dick and Jane books as well as other readers.  But I have a wonderful website with online and downloadable printable books:
http://www.starfall.com/which is amazing! I did use this with my son.  Zack the Rat is a fun character where words, games and stories are built around him and other engaging characters! It's all online and interactive!!


Don't be afraid to tackle reading skills.  READ, read and read some more to foster a love of good books to your children. We loved Dr. Suess~we read Winne the Pooh, the A.A. Milne version...Little House books and more!

READ away and your child 

will soon be reading to you!

Hey, gotta go and read now. . .