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Reading is a crucial life skill, but until you have to teach someone else how to read, you don’t really think much into the learning process. If you want to teach your child how to read, it would be wise to start with some research about what’s involved. You may also find the following advice from an international school in North London helpful.
Start Small
When teaching your child to read, start with small, three-letter words, like cat, dog, mat. Ask them to sound the words out letter by letter until they become familiar with them. Then you can start to move on to bigger words.
Sing Nursery Rhymes
You might be wondering what singing has to do with reading, but it’s actually great because it helps children hear sounds and syllables that will benefit them when they learn to read. Essentially it helps them build phonemic awareness and will help them learn new words.
Read Together
There’s a difference between reading to your child and reading together. If you usually read them a bedtime story, get them involved by asking them if they know what different words mean and encouraging them to follow the words on the page as you read them. You could also ask them to help you with the shopping by reading out the list of items you need. Reading can be incorporated into many everyday activities if you have the right mindset.
Provide Access to Reading Material
Make sure your child has plenty of reading material that they can access around your house, whether it’s lots of books or a magazine/newspaper. You could also pin posters up around the house. The idea is to ensure your child has plenty of opportunities to practise reading in a relaxed manner.
Don’t Rush It
Learning to read won’t happen overnight and your child will resent the process if you try and force it. Take your time and practise little and often.
