Teaching a Child to Read at an Early Age

By: ChildrenLearningReading.com

Did you know that 38% of grade four students have reading abilities below the lowest basic level as determined by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)? The NAEP is the only ongoing survey of what students known and tracks their performance in various academic subjects for the United States. In their report, the NAEP found that 38% of grade four students had reading achievement below basic levels, with a basic level reading score being 208.

To put things in perspective, the US reading scale has an upper limit score of 500, with average reading scores for grade 4 (217), grade 8 (264), and grade 12 (291). The grade 4 reading achievement levels are categorized by the NAEP as Advanced (268 score), Proficient (238 score), and Basic (208 score), and the basic reading achievement level is defined as follows by the NAEP:

Fourth-grade students performing at the Basic level should demonstrate an understanding of the overall meaning of what they read. When reading text appropriate for fourth graders, they should be able to make relatively obvious connections between the text and their own experiences and extend the ideas in the text by making simple inferences. [1]

Unfortunately, over a third of all grade four students read at levels even below basic. Is your child having reading difficulties? Research on Phonemic Awareness have found that early reading helps improves a child's reading and spelling abilities. In fact, the National Reading Panel has concluded based on their massive review of over 1,900 studies that teaching phonics and phonemic awareness produces better reading results than whole language programs.

There are numerous documented benefits and advantages of teaching children to read early on, and teaching them to reading using phonics and phonemic awareness instructions. It is clear that early language and reading ability development passes great benefits to the child as they progress through school at all grades, and that early language and reading problems can lead to learning problems later on in school. For example, a Swedish study found that children with a history of reading problems at school entry scores significantly below average on reading in grade 4. As well, children that shows very low interest in books and story reading before age 5 also scored similarly low on sentence reading in grade 4. [2]This is just one of many studies which have similar findings, and this makes it an imperative for parents to begin exposing their children to books and reading at an early age.

So how early?

Good question!

There's no set guideline on when you should start teaching your children to read; however, you can start cultivating your child's love for books and reading as soon as they're born. Obviously, very young babies would not even know what books are, however, talking to your child and reading to your child will help them develop a keen liking for books and stories. As your child grows and gets older, avoid TV-sitting them, because as they develop a dependency on television as their main source of entertainment, it becomes very difficult to dislodge that need for TV entertainment, and get them to enjoy reading books. Instead, keep age appropriate books all around the house, and read to them often. You'll find that they'll start picking up books and pretend to read themselves, although at very early ages, they still cannot read.

People typically think that kindergarten or grade one would be an appropriate time for their children to start reading; however, this is not the best approach as studies have repeatedly found that children with good phonemic awareness before entering kindergarten continues to outperform, and achieve exceptional reading and spelling abilities as they progress through school. On the other hand, children who enter school with reading difficulties may continue to have reading and spelling difficulties.

Click here to learn how to easily and quickly teach your child to read.

Notes:

1. NAEP 1998 Reading Report Card for the Nation and the States
March 1999
Authors: Patricia L. Donahue, Kristin E. Voelkl, Jay R. Campbell, and John Mazzeo

2. J Learn Disabil. 1999 Sep-Oct;32(5):464-72.
Early language development and kindergarten phonological awareness as predictors of reading problems: from 3 to 11 years of age.
Olofsson A, Niedersøe J.
Department of Psychology, Umeå University, Sweden.

Common Reading Mistakes and How to Fix Them

Reading is a challenge for many young children. There are a number of common errors that are made when learning to read, but there are ways to correct them before they become ingrained in your child’s reading. Here are some of the more common reading mistakes, and how you can fix them as soon as they appear.

Tracking Errors

Tracking errors are when a child mixes up sounds within a word. It indicates that they are not tracking left to right, which is the proper way to read. They might sound out a letter near the end of the word before one nearer to the beginning. To help your child in this situation, sound out the word from left to right, and move your finger in the proper direction to help them remember this.

Word Guessing

Often when a child learns to read, they may guess a word without viewing it in its entirety. If a child makes the correct sound of the first letter, but the rest of the word is wrong, they may be doing this. Watch your child’s eyes closely, as children who are word guessing often look away from the page and list a string of possible words while watching you to see how you react. Again, sound out the word for your child while pointing at the letters and letter combinations.

Trouble with Vowel Combinations

Children may struggle combining vowels. You will realize this if their vowel combinations sound choppy or do not flow properly. If your child is having difficulty putting two vowels together, practice sounding out the vowel combinations, or make up a catchy rhyme or poem to help them remember what the combination sounds like.

Lack of Attention to Detail

When a child is in a hurry to read, or has trouble concentrating, they may lack attention to detail. If your child misses parts of a word they are attempting to read, or skips words, this may be the issue. They may have trouble blending consonant clusters. Encourage your child to slow down and take their time in order to conquer this problem.

Confusing the Letters

It is a common issue for children to confuse letters when they are beginning to read. Letters such as b, d, and even p which are similar in shape can cause confusion among early readers. If your child is obviously mixing up their letters, have them print each letter numerous times in regular block style print.

Text Memorization

Sometimes children learn tricks that make them appear to be reading better than they actually are. This can be deceiving to those who are instructing them, as the child appears not to have any struggles. If you notice your child reciting a portion of reading to you and they are not even looking at the book, they have likely memorized it. The way to combat this is to have your child read new books often, and to avoid books with pictures that give away what is written once they have read it through.

There are many common mistakes a child may make while learning to read. If you catch them early, you can correct them so that they will not become a long-term stumbling block to your child. Your young reader will benefit from your attention as you keep your eyes out for these common reading mistakes and assist your child in conquering them.

3 Tips to Teach Your Child How to Read

By: ChildrenLearningReading.com

Learning to read at a young age is important for the development of the child. It helps them develop a better understand of their surroundings, allows them to gather information from printed materials, and provides them with a wonderful source of entertainment when they read stories and rhymes. Children develop at different rates, and some children will develop reading skills quicker than other children; however, what's important is that as the parent, you are keenly aware of your child's maturity and reading level to provide them with appropriate books and activities to help them improve.

As parents, you are the most important teacher for your children. You will introduce your child to books and reading. Below we have some tips to help you teach your child to read.

Teach Your Child How to Read Tip #1

Teach your child alphabet letters and sounds at the same time. Studies have shown that children learn best when they are taught the letter names and letter sounds at the same time. In one study, 58 preschool children were randomly assigned to receive instructions in letter names and sounds, letter sound only, or numbers (control group). The results of this study are consistent with past research results in that it found children receiving letter name and sound instruction were most likely to learn the sounds of letters whose names included cues to their sounds. [1]

When teaching your child the letter sounds, have them slowly trace the letter, while saying the sound of the letter at the same time. For example, if you were teaching your child the letter "A", you would say:"The letter A makes the /A/ (ah) sound."

Then have your child say the /A/ sound while tracing the letter with his or her index finger.

Teaching a Child How to Read Tip #2

When teaching your child to read, always emphasize with them that the proper reading order should be from left to right, and top to bottom. To adults, this may seem so basic that anyone should know it. However, our children are not born with the knowledge that printed text should be read from left to right and top to bottom, and this is why you'll sometimes see children reading from right to left instead - because they were never explicitly taught to read from left to right. When teaching your child how to read, always emphasize this point with them.

Teach Your Child How to Read Tip #3

Teach final consonant blends first. Teaching words such "at" and "and" can lead your child directly to learning words that rhyme with these. For example, for "at", you can have:

Lat
Pat
Mat
Cat
Sat
Bat
Spat
Chat
For "and", you can have these rhyming words:
Sand
Band
Land
Hand
Stand
Bland
Brand
Grand

and so on...

You can start teaching blends once your child has learned the sounds of some consonants and short vowel sounds. You don't need to wait until your child has mastered the sounds of all the letters before teaching blends.

Learning to read is a long process, but it doesn't have to be a difficult process. Broken down into intuitive and logical steps, a child as young as two years old can learn to read, and older children can accomplish even more.

>> Click here to for a simple, step-by-step program that can help your child learn to read, and watch a video of a 2 year old child reading

Notes:

1. J Exp Child Psychol. 2010 Apr;105(4):324-44. Epub 2010 Jan 25.
Learning letter names and sounds: effects of instruction, letter type, and phonological processing skill.
Piasta SB, Wagner RK.
Preschool Language and Literacy Lab, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.

Best Way to Teach Kids to Read

By: ChildrenLearningReading.com 

What's the best way to teach children to read? According to the National Reading Panel, "teaching children to manipulate phonemes in words was highly effective under a variety of teaching conditions with a variety of learners across a range of grade and age levels and that teaching phonemic awareness to children significantly improves their reading more than instruction that lacks any attention to Phonemic Awareness." [1] This is a statement made by the National Reading Panel (NRP) in their report titled "TEACHING CHILDREN TO READ: An Evidence-Based Assessment of the Scientific Research Literature on Reading and Its Implications for Reading Instruction."

Phonemic Awareness instruction was selected for review by the NRP in their report because studies have identified phonemic awareness and letter knowledge as two of the best predictors of how well children will learn to read in their first 2 years of entering school. There is strong Scientific evidence to suggest that phonemic awareness instructions are an important part in helping children develop reading skills. 

One study discussed the presence of phonemic awareness in Austrian children aged 6 to 7 that were unable to read when first entering school. This study found that many children had not one correct response in their test of a simple vowel substitution task. However, a few children who exhibited high phonemic awareness scored close to perfect on this same task. The study further stated that "there was a specific predictive relationship between initial phonemic awareness differences and success in learning to read and to spell." Even more importantly, the study indicated that it was phonemic awareness abilities, and not IQ, that predicted the accuracy of reading and spelling at the end of grade one.

Children with high phonemic awareness at the beginning of grade one had high reading and spelling achievements at the end of grade one, compared to some children with low phonemic awareness who had difficulties learning to read and spell. [2] 

In the National Reading Panel report, they also determined that the beneficial effects of phonemic awareness on reading lasts well beyond the period of training. While phonemic awareness instructions are proven to significantly help children learn reading, it is not a complete reading program. What it does, is provide children with a foundational knowledge base of the alphabet language. The NRP analysis also showed that phonics instructions produces significant benefits for students from kindergarten through grade 6, and is also helpful for children with learning to read difficulties.

Children who are taught with phonics and phonemic awareness instructions are consistently able to decode, read, and spell, and even demonstrated significant improvement in their ability to comprehend text. Even older children who receive these similar teachings improved their ability to decode and spell. The NRP made a key statement saying that "conventional wisdom has suggested that kindergarten students might not be ready for phonics instruction, this assumption was not supported by the data. The effects of systematic early phonics instruction were significant and substantial in kindergarten and the 1st grade, indicating that systematic phonics programs should be implemented at those age and grade levels."

However, I would like to further expand on that by saying that children as young as two years old can learn to read through phonics and phonemic awareness instructions. If a young child can speak, then they should be able to learn to read, even if they are as young as two years old. In fact, I have proven this with my own children. We started teaching our daughter at 2 years and 8 months, and she was very capable at reading by the time she was just 2 years and 11 months old. 

 >> Click here to learn more about the simple, step-by-step phonics and phonemic awareness program we used to teach her to read.

1. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. (2000). Report of the National Reading Panel. Teaching children to read: An evidence-based assessment of the scientific research literature on reading and its implications for reading instruction (NIH Publication No. 00-4769). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

2. Cognition. 1991 Sep;40(3):219-49.
The relationship of phonemic awareness to reading acquisition: more consequence than precondition but still important.
Wimmer H, Landerl K, Linortner R, Hummer P.
University of Salzburg, Austria.

How Do Reading and Play Impact Each Other?

Reading and play are both essential parts of childhood. They are activities which every child needs and has a right to. They also impact each other in a positive way. How does this interaction work, and how can you make it work in your child’s favor?

They Enhance Different Areas of Your Child’s Development

Both reading and play cause a child to grow in many areas. Reading enables a child to become a better communicator as their vocabulary expands, which in turn helps that child to interact with other children during their moments of play. It also enhances their self-discipline and concentration, which brings a level of awareness to their interactions with others which can help them with sharing and taking turns.

Play brings health to both the body and mind. If you want your child to become an individual who loves reading, play should be a crucial part in their daily lives. It releases negative energy and helps children to relax, which makes reading a more enjoyable activity.

They Are Both Stimulating to Brain Development

Both reading and play stimulate brain development. Through both, your child will become more knowledgeable about the world around them, and will then be able to apply it in a “hands on” way. A child will expand their vocabulary while reading, and then learn how to use it in conversations during moments of interactive play with their friends.

Each Activity Helps Children to Focus on the Other One

The two activities of reading and play support each other. They bring balance to each other, and help children when they are engaged in the other activity. Play helps a child to release their energy in order to be able to sit down calmly and focus on reading. Reading gives a child ideas about new things they would like to try, and helps a child not to become bored while engaged in play.

Play Supports Intellectual Skills

Physical activity brings oxygen to the body and the brain, therefore encouraging the building of intellectual skills. Brain growth is stimulated by aerobic exercise and a child who plays regularly is more likely to have the ambition and necessary focus that allows them to read better.

Free play supports the cerebral cortex’s growth, as well as a child’s learning and memory. Even non-strenuous play can be beneficial. For example, it has been shown that children who play with blocks develop a variety of cognitive skills, and games have long been known to stimulate many of the brain’s pathways.

Reading Supports Creative Play

Reading for pleasure helps a child to think outside the box. A wonderful world awaits them in the reading of creatively written books, and this creativity expands to playtime. Reading allows your child to consider things they may not have thought of otherwise, and makes play more enjoyable for them and the friends who benefit from their enhanced creativity. This gives them confidence in both areas.

No one can dispute how much of an impact reading and play have on each other. They both stimulate common areas of the brain, and complement each other with their unique ways of doing so. Encourage your child to read and play. You will find that both areas, and many others, experience tremendous growth.

Why Should We Read to a Child from Birth?

Cultivating a love of reading is one of the most valuable things we can do for our children. The skill of reading will bring benefits that last a lifetime. Reading to your child is something you can do right from birth, and many people read to their babies while the babies are still in the womb. How does this benefit your child, when they are yet too young to read or even speak? 

To Promote a Love for It

Reading from birth may be one of the most enjoyable times you spend with your child. When you make time to read to your child, they will look forward to it, and the moments they spend imagining all the stories they hear. Reading on a regular basis will develop a love for reading that will always be with them.

 To Make Memories

When someone looks back on their childhood, it is not always the big vacations and expensive gifts they remember most. It is quite often the little memories that mean a lot to them, such as time spent with you, their parent. When you spend a little time each day reading to your child, you can rest assured that this will likely be one of their fondest memories after they are grown.

To Build a Strong Parent-Child

Bond Spending quality time together as a family is one of the greatest ways to build a strong and lasting bond together. When your child thinks about reading, it will remind him (or her) of all the good times shared with you and he will want to relive that experience. A strong parent-child bond will grow out of your time spent reading together.

To Make Room for a Habit to Grow

The longer you do something, the more likely it is to become a habit. When you make time for reading on a daily basis, a habit will grow. Reading will become a normal activity for your child and they will begin to seek the opportunity to read more often.

To Foster Their Creativity

Reading is one of the best ways to stretch an individual’s creativity. If you want your child to be someone who loves to invent and create, then read to him. Choose books that are imaginative and exciting, and see how quickly it fosters his creative streak.

To Expand Their Language Skills

A child who is read to more often will develop better language skills. His vocabulary will expand to include more words, and longer words. His grammar will also improve as he hears correct sentence formation over and over. A child can learn to speak well simply through the enjoyable activity of reading.

Studies have shown that the more sounds an infant is exposed to, the wider a variety of sounds they will be able to make when learning their own language, as well as foreign languages. To give reading an even greater impact, ask your child questions through the story, and after you are finished. This will improve your child’s critical thinking skills in addition to all the other great benefits.

Reading is an activity that helps children grow and mature in every way. Reading to children from birth is a great way to bond and to expand your child’s world all at the same time. Grab a book and see how beneficial reading can be to your child, all the way from birth.

Teaching A Child to Read: It All Starts in Your Child's Ears

Reading is a skill that every parent wishes for their child to learn. It is something that can be frustrating to teach, however. Having said that, there are ways to begin setting a foundation for good reading before you even show your child a printed word. How is it possible to give your child a good head start with their reading from the earliest moment?

Speak to Your Child

From the moment you find out you are pregnant, begin speaking to your child. Your conversations may seem embarrassingly one-sided at first, but as your child grows he (or she) will begin to babble back to you in attempted conversation. Your unborn baby will begin to hear around 18 weeks into the pregnancy, so use this opportunity to expose him to a variety of different sounds. Once your baby is born, speak with him as you carry him around and as you go about your day. Don’t be afraid to explain things in detail. Say to your little one things like, “Now we are going to make lunch. What should we make today? Here are some bananas and peanut butter.” Even if your baby doesn’t understand every detail at first, it encourages him to try out new words himself.

Use a Large Vocabulary

When speaking to your baby, use a wide variety of words in your vocabulary. Don’t be afraid to include words that are difficult to pronounce or understand. Using big words encourages an expansion of your baby’s vocabulary, and he will understand them as he grows.

Read to Your Child

There is no such thing as too much reading. Reading to your child opens the doors to his imagination. It exposes him to new sounds that you might not otherwise include in your conversation, and gives him something to look forward to. Time spent reading with parents will imprint positive memories with your child in regards to reading, and encourage a love for it.

Rhyme with Your Child

Rhyming is a wonderful way to help your child lay a foundation for reading. Give your child examples of rhyming, and then ask him to give you a few. A great way to teach rhyming is to point to a body part and give a rhyming word for that body part. Then ask him to name the rhyming body part. Giving your child clues such as these helps them to learn the concept quickly, and soon he will be able to create rhyming words without any assistance.

Foreign Languages 

It is worth mentioning that this approach is equally effective for teaching your child a foreign language. Studies have shown that the more sounds an infant is exposed to, the greater capacity they will have to learn to speak those sounds later. Speaking a large variety of words while your child is young in any language, including foreign languages, will allow him to become fluent more easily later on.

Teaching your child to read is a process that involves time and patience. It is well worth the effort, since it will bring huge benefits to their life. Be sure to lay a foundation for reading long before your child is old enough to actually read. By following these simple rules, your child will be on their way to becoming an avid reader in no time at all.