Teaching Kids To Read Can Be Tough
I have heard parents time and time again who say they don’t think they can homeschool because they don’t know how to teach their children to read. I’ve also heard homeschool parents who have made the decision to put their kids back into public school because what they’re doing to teach reading is not working.
I’m here to say, that while I understand the frustration, there are things you can do as a parent to teach your children how to read. You can teach your little one to read without tears, without anger, and without putting them into the public school system. In fact, putting them into public school may actually make it less likely that they’ll be able to read on grade level.
Understand Limitations
No two children are going to learn the same way or at the same time. Some children can excel at reading as early as three years old, while others ma need more time. In fact, some studies show that many kids aren’t ready to read until closer to the age of 7. It should also be noted that learning disabilities are a real thing. If you are dealing with that, don’t worry, I still say you can do this.
But the first step in teaching your child to read is to accept the fact that they may not learn to read the exact same way or on the same time table as another child. And that’s okay (it’s actually expected). So if you are using a curriculum that moves too fast or too slow, modify it, or even find a new one.
Teach Sounds, Not Names
I often see parents, and even teachers push the names of letters very early on. While there’s nothing wrong with kids knowing the names of the letters, this skill does NOT teach them how to read. Rather, teach letter sounds. LeapFrog Letter Factory is a great way to introduce an overview of the sounds letters make. After watching that a few times, it’s time to move on to a phonics based reading program.
Here are a few of my favorites
Modify The Program
No program is going to be perfect. But the good thing about homeschooling is you can change up the program to fit your needs. The instructions in Teach Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons are a bit cut and dry in my opinion. As such, I never read them word for word. Depending on the curriculum, I may skip lessons as needed, or repeat some old ones.
Another tip when working with young children is to get a stuffed animal or a baby doll and let them “teach” for the day. Use a silly voice and use them like a puppet. Sometimes kids will listen better to a “stuffie” than to their parent.
Take Breaks From The Curriculum Frequently
As you go through the curriculum, be mindful of how your child is responding. If it seems like they’re getting bored, put the book away for a week or two, but don’t stop learning to read!
Get out some decodable readers or any other children’s book and read them together. Point to words you know they can read (even if they can only read a couple of words) as you come to them in the book and ask them to read them. Over time, as you do this, you’ll see them reading more and more words on their own.
Another fun thing to do is to write your own sentences or stories using words they can read that are all about them and their family.
For example, a child who can read a lot of Consonant-Vowel-Consonant Words may love a story like this one:
I am Susie. I have a dog. The dog is Max. I run fast. Max can run fast. Max and I run!
Or something like this:
Matthew is a kid. He has a cat. The cat can sit. Matthew can sit. Can Matthew sit on the cat? No! But the cat can sit on Matthew.
Making reading meaningful for kids can greatly increase their desire to learn to read for themselves.
Progressive Phonics is another resource you can use to simply practice reading words, and I love that they color the words kids can read and encourage the adult to read right along with them.
Have A Specific Problem With Reading? Interested In Talking It Over With Me?
Are you struggling to teach your child how to read? Do you feel like you’ve tried everything but they’re still struggling? Reach out to me via the contact page or leave your email address in the comments below and I’ll see what I can do to help.