Tips to Help Your Child Learn to Read

Being able to read is an important part of life. And it's important to begin teaching a child to read at an early age. Many parents begin reading to their children when they are still in the womb. Studies have shown this to be effective in fetal development and also in the child's ability to learn to read as they grow.

It's never too early to help your child learn to read. When parents take an active role in teaching their children, rather than leaving it entirely up to the teachers, children have a better chance of mastering the skills they need to read.

If you need some ideas about how you can help, here are a few tips to help your child learn to read.

Choose a few letters from the alphabet a week

It can be overwhelming for a child to have to learn the entire alphabet at once. Break the alphabet up into smaller pieces and focus on only a few letters at a time. For instance, the first week you'd work with A, B, and C.

To help your child learn to read, begin by simply helping them identify the letters. Let them get used to the way they look, so that when they see it on the page or even a street sign, they'll know which letter it is. Once the child can identify the letter, begin teaching them the sound the letter makes. Give them time to work with the sound.

Keep doing this each week. If you feel your child can handle more letters at once or is ready to move on, that's ok too. You don't have to stick with just three letters. It's just a good idea to start out small to ensure that the child isn't being overwhelmed by all the new information learning to read entails.

Help your child learn to read by using familiar words

It's very important to begin helping your child learn to read by using short words. But it works even better if you choose words that are familiar to them. Children are motivated to learn about what is around them, things that are important to them. If you use words that they can relate to, they'll be eager to learn how to read and pronounce them.

Use words like mom and dad, cat and dog, bed and eat, or eye and ear.

Label things

It might not look so nice, but putting post it notes on different things around the house is a great way to help a child learn to read. Write the names of things on the post it notes in black bold letters.

Every day, go through the house and help your child identify the letters on the post it notes, and to sound out the words.

Books

Books work great to help children learn to read as well. However, a lot of the reading we do comes from things besides books. We read labels, signs, mail, instructions, and other things.

Initially when helping your child learn to read it is a good idea to begin with simpler things like labels or using flash cards with pictures on them. Once they begin reading books, use books with large printed words, colorful pictures, and short and simple sentences.

By utilizing these suggestions, helping your child learn to read will be a pleasurable experience for both you and your child.