Teaching child to read
The first step in teaching child to read is to read with your child often and create a sense
of enjoyment, wonder, and even a passion for reading.
Learning to read takes practice. Loving to read takes enthusiasm.
Here are some ways you can follow in teaching child to read and encourage the love for reading :
Have a special routine
Routines build stability and motivation. Give children something to look forward to by
reading to them every day at the same time. It shows your child how important this is to you.
When teaching child to read, turn off the phone, settle into your favourite spot, put on a
storytelling light. Mark this as a very special time for a very special person.
Make it purposeful
Purposeful reading engages children. Have Reading Evenings during which children read aloud
to an audience of family and friends. Choosing what to read and who reads which bits involve
children in browsing, thinking and talking about books. Rehearsing motivates children to
read expressively and accurately, especially if you perform too. Record or videotape them
reading (or sharing reading with you) as a gift for relatives or friends far away.
Let your child lead
It’s not as important to finish reading the book as to enjoy it together. Children,
especially those not reading yet, often get drawn into talking about the pictures rather
than moving on with the story. And why not? Enjoy exploring the book together. If your
child’s book experiences are positive and fun, she’ll want more. As she develops interest in
the idea of a story, she’ll naturally want to get through the whole book.
Talk about the story and pictures
In teaching child to read, do NOT just read the words. You will miss a wealth of information
and enrichment. The wonderful
illustrations in children’s literature stimulate observation, thinking and imagination.
Encourage conversations about pictures. When you read stories, stop and predict what’s
going to happen next. This engages your child directly in the story, as well as stimulates
sequencing and inferential thinking.
Using repetitions
Use books with repetitive words, phrases and sentences. Young children pick up repetitions
easily and gain confidence when they can ‘read’. When you come to the repeated word or
phrase, stop and let your child say it with you, or by herself. Children love this game of
joining in and feel very accomplished in helping you read. Even more motivating and
empowering is helping you read to a younger sibling.
Read aloud
Reading aloud is great for children who can read independently.
Have your child read out loud to you. Listen carefully and make sure to praise your child's
reading.
Take turns reading
Take turns to read alternate pages or sentences, or even (this is hard!) words. In fact once
your child gets the idea, she’ll make her own choices: for example,
" I’ll read the action words", or "words with a ‘c’ in them", or "the lines said by this
character".
Rhyming and Word Play
This activity builds phonological awareness by helping children hear and
identify sound patterns. This can be done when singing rhyming songs, reciting nursery rhymes and have children fill in the missing rhyming word. You can also play a game of Rhyme Sorting with picture cards (cat, hat, dog, log) and ask children to group rhyming pairs.
Sing Songs and Nursery Rhymes
Rhymes help children hear patterns in words and sounds. Sing repetitive songs like “Old MacDonald” or “If You’re Happy and You Know It.” Encourage clapping or tapping along with syllables in words. This will builds rhythm, memory, and sound awareness.
Oral Language and Vocabulary Games
Strengthening the language development is a key foundation for reading. Run Show and Tell activities where children describe a favorite object or event. You can also do a
Describe and Guess
activity where one child describes an object and others guess what it is.
Environmental Print Reading
Use everyday items with words (labels, signs, cereal boxes) to show that print is everywhere. While shopping, ask your child to “read” familiar logos like Milk, Rice, Bread etc. Your child can also shout out words seen along the road while riding in the car like Stop.
Visit the Library Together
This exposes children to a wide range of books and builds excitement about reading. Let your child choose books that match their interests, and attend storytime sessions if available.
Even after the children can read on their own, keep reading to them so they can enjoy stories and books that interest them but are too hard for them to read by themselves.
Through all these methods of teaching child to read, not only does your child learn how to read, you are also building a strong bond of shared experiences and ideas. Your child is not just a reader but a friend, for life.
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