5 Effective Strategies to Help Your Kids Learn to Read
By Rachel Wise
Originally Posted on August 27, 2014
Learning the relationships between letters and sounds is a critical skill for becoming an effective reader. Although, in some instances, there are children who learn to read fluently without letter-sound correspondence, for most, it is one of the first steps on the path to reading fluently and accurately. Once letter sound correspondence is firmly in grained in a child’s mind they will start to recognize familiar words effortlessly and figure out new words. Some children learn to understand the relationship between letters and sounds naturally during whole class lessons and repeated reading with family members. However, many children need more direct phonics instruction in small groups or one-on-one to become effective readers.
Phonics is one of the most commonly used approaches to reading instruction. Students learn letter-sound relationships, how to sound out words, and exceptions to common rules.
Below are some clues that a child would benefit from more direct phonics instruction than what they are already receiving in the traditional classroom setting.
The child has:
Here are five teaching strategies to try with a child (at-home or in school) to help develop reading skills. These strategies can be used for children just learning to read or children who are having trouble learning to read.
1) Point to letters anywhere in the child’s school, home, or community, and ask her to name them and tell you the sound. If she doesn’t know, tell her and have her repeat it. Don’t over do it. Do it randomly and naturally not to put the child off to this activity.
Related Article: 10 Fun At-Home Activities to Teach Letter Sounds to Your Kids
2) For children who have some letter-sound knowledge already, always encourage them to write or spell words to the best of their ability before telling them how to spell the word. If they are really struggling, encourage them to say each sound in the word before they write the letter. If they need help with the sounds, provide guidance for them and encourage them to write the letter when you say each sound. After they make their attempt at the word, praise them for their effort and let them know any corrections they need to make or letters they need to add.
3) Explain that there are “irregular” words that we come across when reading, which cannot be sounded out phonetically. These are called “sight words” because they must be remembered at first sight. Example include are, said, and was. A fun game for practicing sight words is Zingo Sight Words by Think Fun. In this game, children learn to recognize sight words while playing bingo. See a picture below:
Related Article: 5 Fun Activities to Teach Your Child Sight Words
4) Have children sort pictures that correspond with a particular sound. For example, all pictures that end with the “L” sound, go in one pile, all pictures that end with the “X” sound can go in another pile. Have the child say the word and ending letter sound each time she sorts a picture. You can also do this activity with beginning sounds, middle sounds, etc. You can cut the pictures out from magazines or purchase picture cards such as Smethport Photo Language Cards Rhymes as shown below.
5) Engage children in reading and writing activities that encourage them to apply the phonics rules they are currently learning in school. For example, if you teach the “ch” sound, have the child write sentences or read stories with words like chase, chair, and chew.
Additional Information
Remember to always stay calm when working with a child or student, even if you think they should be getting something that they are not getting. If you get frustrated with them, they may start to feel anxious, angry, inferior, stupid, etc. which will lead to a less productive learning session. Encourage children to practice a little each day (e.g. between 5 and 20 minutes depending on their frustration tolerance). For suggestions on ways to encourage children to complete tasks or assignments they do not want to do, read our articles How to Use Timers to Motivate Children, A Tip to Encourage Compliance in Children, and How to Use Praise with Children to Achieve Positive Behavior Results.
If your child is significantly struggling with learning to read or acquiring other academic skills, despite consistent practice and guidance, talk to your child’s school and/or doctor. They should be able to refer you to the appropriate professionals to determine what might be interfering with your child’s progress and what additional strategies might help.
Recommended Books:
Chicks and Chickens: Learning the Ch Sound (Power Phonics/Phonics for the Real World)
Making Words, Grades 1 – 3: Multilevel, Hands-On Phonics and Spelling Activities
Thank you for visiting educationandbehavior.com! We have free strategies, information, and resources to help adults support children, with and without special needs, in the areas of learning, behavior, and development. Visit our Learning & Behavior Blog for more information!
Phonics is one of the most commonly used approaches to reading instruction. Students learn letter-sound relationships, how to sound out words, and exceptions to common rules.
Below are some clues that a child would benefit from more direct phonics instruction than what they are already receiving in the traditional classroom setting.
The child has:
- Difficulty remembering letter sounds
- Sounds out words very slowly
- Has trouble connecting sounds in words
- Makes guesses based on one or two letters in the word
- Difficulty remembering letter patterns (e.g. cat, bat, rat, sat)
- Puts so much effort into sounding out words that the meaning of the word(s) is lost
Here are five teaching strategies to try with a child (at-home or in school) to help develop reading skills. These strategies can be used for children just learning to read or children who are having trouble learning to read.
1) Point to letters anywhere in the child’s school, home, or community, and ask her to name them and tell you the sound. If she doesn’t know, tell her and have her repeat it. Don’t over do it. Do it randomly and naturally not to put the child off to this activity.
Related Article: 10 Fun At-Home Activities to Teach Letter Sounds to Your Kids
2) For children who have some letter-sound knowledge already, always encourage them to write or spell words to the best of their ability before telling them how to spell the word. If they are really struggling, encourage them to say each sound in the word before they write the letter. If they need help with the sounds, provide guidance for them and encourage them to write the letter when you say each sound. After they make their attempt at the word, praise them for their effort and let them know any corrections they need to make or letters they need to add.
3) Explain that there are “irregular” words that we come across when reading, which cannot be sounded out phonetically. These are called “sight words” because they must be remembered at first sight. Example include are, said, and was. A fun game for practicing sight words is Zingo Sight Words by Think Fun. In this game, children learn to recognize sight words while playing bingo. See a picture below:
Related Article: 5 Fun Activities to Teach Your Child Sight Words
4) Have children sort pictures that correspond with a particular sound. For example, all pictures that end with the “L” sound, go in one pile, all pictures that end with the “X” sound can go in another pile. Have the child say the word and ending letter sound each time she sorts a picture. You can also do this activity with beginning sounds, middle sounds, etc. You can cut the pictures out from magazines or purchase picture cards such as Smethport Photo Language Cards Rhymes as shown below.
5) Engage children in reading and writing activities that encourage them to apply the phonics rules they are currently learning in school. For example, if you teach the “ch” sound, have the child write sentences or read stories with words like chase, chair, and chew.
Additional Information
Remember to always stay calm when working with a child or student, even if you think they should be getting something that they are not getting. If you get frustrated with them, they may start to feel anxious, angry, inferior, stupid, etc. which will lead to a less productive learning session. Encourage children to practice a little each day (e.g. between 5 and 20 minutes depending on their frustration tolerance). For suggestions on ways to encourage children to complete tasks or assignments they do not want to do, read our articles How to Use Timers to Motivate Children, A Tip to Encourage Compliance in Children, and How to Use Praise with Children to Achieve Positive Behavior Results.
If your child is significantly struggling with learning to read or acquiring other academic skills, despite consistent practice and guidance, talk to your child’s school and/or doctor. They should be able to refer you to the appropriate professionals to determine what might be interfering with your child’s progress and what additional strategies might help.
Recommended Books:
Chicks and Chickens: Learning the Ch Sound (Power Phonics/Phonics for the Real World)
Making Words, Grades 1 – 3: Multilevel, Hands-On Phonics and Spelling Activities
Thank you for visiting educationandbehavior.com! We have free strategies, information, and resources to help adults support children, with and without special needs, in the areas of learning, behavior, and development. Visit our Learning & Behavior Blog for more information!