Everybody needs to know how to read, can you imagine how limited life would be without this core skill? Not all children will learn at the same pace, but it’s important to introduce reading and reading skills as early as possible to give them the best chance to accelerate their learning.
Get familiar with phonics
Depending on the age of your child, they will have some understanding of phonics. This is one of the first ways young children learn sound patterns and then words. You probably won’t need to do any additional phonic work with children for language learning, but it can help when it comes to reading.
Although speaking and reading are closely related, they are also quite different. The written word is made up of phonemes that represent the sounds that are naturally produced. If you can, expose your child to phonemes early in bite-sized forms, so the pattern arrives naturally later on.
Read interesting books
In the same way as reading should be rewarding and challenging, it should also be enjoyable. Sure, there’s something to be said for reading as an exercise, but unless your child can engage with the story or the characters, they might want to give it up sooner than expected.
You can access thousands of interesting book titles for children under twelve at Age of Learning, these books are not only recognizable but they are sure to inspire interest in your child for years to come.
Learn familiar words
Familiar words are the best place to start when teaching your child to read because the words they use most often are the ones they will recognize most easily on the page. That’s one reason we tend to learn our names before anything else; we are already familiar with the sound and visual pattern of the word.
But names are not the only familiar words you can teach your child early on. Chances are they have other favorite words, perhaps a brother, sister, pet, or favorite toy. These sorts of words are also excellent to start with and create a strong base to start expanding their vocabulary.
Exposure and repetition
The only way to truly learn a language is by looking at the words regularly and repeating them. In doing so, your child will start to recognize the familiar patterns of the words and sentences, how they sound and what they mean. Over time this becomes second nature.
Children’s minds are very adaptable, and they are able to take on language skills more easily than adults, so early reading is an excellent time to pick up good spelling habits and start building a strong vocabulary base for the future.
Challenge vocabulary
While familiar vocabulary is important – the Dolche list is recommended as a starting point – you will have to challenge the vocabulary learning at some point. For instance, you will have to up the reading grade so that your child can leave their comfort zone and access new words.
There are various ways you can challenge your child’s vocabulary, but it’s important to get the balance right. You don’t want to put them off reading or make them frustrated because they struggle with certain words or phrases. At the same time, the process should be rewarding for them.
