Most people don’t really give a second thought to the process involved when learning to read. It’s only when you have to start teaching someone, like your own son or daughter, that you start to understand how complex it is. It’s not just a natural part of growing up; a child will have to be taught by someone with an awareness of phonics and other skills and strategies.
A primary school near Chorleywood explores this further, below.
If you’re trying to teach your child to read, you’ll need to be patient and start off simple. The first thing you should do is learn what skills are involved in teaching someone to read. Not everyone is naturally a good teacher; you have to know what you’re doing if you want to do it correctly.
Perhaps sing some songs and nursery rhymes and clap to the beat to help your child with their phonemic awareness, which is essentially the ability to concentrate on and handle individual sounds within different words. Make or buy some simple word cards with basic, 3-letter nouns and adjectives and sound them out slowly with your little one, one letter at a time, until they become used to it. Of course, you will eventually be able to move onto harder words but take your time and don’t rush your youngster!
Technology has some downsides, but when it comes to helping our children with their education and general development it can be great. You’ll be able to find some fantastic resources online, such as YouTube videos or online lessons, that can teach your child to read in an engaging way. This is a good option for those days when you’re feeling a little overwhelmed or frustrated and don’t know how to help your child.
Try and make the experience as fun as possible and remember that every child moves at their own pace. Little and often is probably the best approach, as well as mixing up your strategies so that it doesn’t get boring. You should even let your youngster pick out their own books once in a while, to help instil an early love of reading in them.