Learning to Read: Motivating Kids to Sound Out Words

On some desperately needed laps around a track, a friend asked for ideas on getting her daughter to try to sound out words. Her son had always seemed to show an understanding that he needed to sound out words as well as a willingness to try. Her daughter however preferred the guessing game and often studied pictures for clues and easily became discouraged if asked to sound out words.

I've been there. My daughter, 8, is the same way. The good news is that they are using context clues. Looking for clues in the pictures is one good strategy, but of course can't be the only one.

Breaking down the words:

So how can we encourage them to try and sound out the word? I have found that having them cover up letters and break down the words into parts makes the task less overwhelming. For example, recently my daughter came upon the word "beforehand." She immediately started guessing, trying "beautiful, buffer..." and so on. I asked her to cover up all but the first two letters. She quickly read, "be." Then I asked her to uncover the next four letters and she reached "before." I then asked her to cover up the word "before" and she was able to read "hand" and finally to put the word together.

Using a decoder cover:

Often I'll say something like, "Well, I know you know that "i-n-g" says "ing" so let's cover that up and see if the word looks more familiar and then we can always add "ing" back on. My friend expressed her daughter's unwillingness to use her fingers to cover up the letters so I suggested that she let her create a special decoding cover. You could use an index card, a tongue depressor, etc. and allow the child to decorate with markers or stickers. You can buy these decoders at education stores, but kids will enjoy and be more motivated to use their own creation.

Help tokens:

Another idea is to make help tokens. A "help token" can be turned in for an unfamiliar word and the parent will simply read the word for the child and they can move on. This is a good compromise to keep kids responsible for decoding most words will but will help avoid the "you won't help me" syndrome. For the child who wavers towards power struggles this will give them a sense of control and as they choose when they will sound out the word and when they will ask for help. Parents should choose the number of tokens they feel is appropriate for the length of a book and the child should know the number before they begin reading.

Alternating Turns:

It is so important to keep reading stories for fun and enjoyment to your child as they learn to read. While sounding out words is important, don't forget the bigger picture of reading for comprehension. Consider alternating paragraphs or pages as in you read one, they read one. This will help your child to feel less overwhelmed and have a sense that you're doing this together and the whole burden is not on them. You will also be role modeling for them and helping with overall comprehension.

Choosing Books:

As a general rule, if a child needs help with seven or more words on a page, comprehension will suffer. Often parents will say to me in September as their child enters a grade, " I got these 3rd grade books but he can't read most of the words." Remember, that your child IS STILL IN THAT GRADE. This is what they are supposed to be working on, not already have mastered. Get many books one to two grades below their level so that they can have success and slowly add in grade level books and be prepared to help.

Praise:

Lastly, don't forget the praise. A note by a child's breakfast plate that says "You sounded out these three words yesterday; overly, friendship and bountiful. We're so proud of you!" will likely bring a smile and motivation for today's reading! That's why I like to do notes at breakfast, so their buying power will be good for today's work.

*This author has fifteen years of teaching experience and welcomes questions and new ideas.