How to teach a child to read and when to start teaching

The ability to read is one of those skills that parents try to develop as early as possible. Various methods are used. Recommendations on the Internet vary: somewhere they write that reading should be taught from an early age, somewhere they advise not to interfere with the learning process, to leave this function to educators, teachers. The truth, as usual, is in the middle. In the article we will tell you what age is optimal for starting training, what is needed to teach a child to read. Let’s know how to teach a child to read.

When to start teaching reading

The child goes to school already prepared, knows the letters and can read by syllables. Therefore, parents should take care of this, independently study at home if the baby does not attend kindergarten, educational courses. But first it is necessary to find out the psychological, physical readiness of the future schoolchild.

There are signs that will tell you that he is ready to learn to read:

1. Can construct sentences, logically connecting words and phrases;
2. When you read aloud, you understand the meaning of the work;
3. Distinguishes sounds in words that sound similar. For example, distinguishes “bark” from “mountain”, “cat” from “code”, and can also explain the meaning of these words;
4. Knows that you need to read from left to right, knows where up and down are;
5. There are no speech problems – no speech delays, incorrect pronunciation of sounds, stuttering. If there are speech defects, you should consult a speech therapist, neurologist, in order to start corrective work in a timely manner;
6. Shows interest in reading.
7. It is possible to concentrate on one thing (modeling, drawing).

It is necessary to take into account the age characteristics of your child, you do not need to slip him books, educational materials from the age of “one year”. At this age, they have no interest in such information. If he does not show interest, do not force him. The fact that the children of friends know all the letters, can read already at 2 years old, learn poems by heart, does not mean that your little one needs this skill.

Therefore, act based on the needs and desires of your child. Those preschoolers who attend kindergarten learn under the supervision of educators and teachers. But if the baby is at home, you will have to teach him to read from scratch. The optimal age is 5 years. At 6-7 years old, he should be able to read by syllables.

Rules for teaching reading (how to teach a child to read.)

In the process of learning to read, follow the rules:

• from simple to complex. First, memorize the letters, then learn to connect them, make syllables. When you walk on the street, look for familiar signs on signs. It will be better if you start the learning process in a playful way. For example, write them on the snow, sand. You can offer to repeat after you;
• first – syllable by syllable, making sure the pronunciation is correct;
• arrange a corner for studying. Organize the right lighting, choose a comfortable chair and table;
• do not exercise for more than 10 minutes at the beginning, gradually increase to 15 minutes;
• After class, teach your son or daughter to clean up their school supplies;
• do not start training when the child is sick or in a bad mood;
• repeat what you have learned, study regularly;
• Psychologists recommend praising a little person for every achievement;
• Pronounce sounds clearly, do not distort them. Speak slowly and distinctly so that the baby has time to remember the information:
• do not allow overtiredness. If you see that the baby is tired, has started to get distracted, yawns – take a break;
• Gradually build a library of your child’s favorite books, paying attention to the concept of the book .

Devote time to active games – variety is necessary for the full development of the baby. Go for walks as often as possible. Fresh air has a beneficial effect on well-being, emotional background, and promotes the assimilation of information.

Why it is important to start training on time (how to teach a child to read.)

From the first day of life, a child begins to explore the world. The development of the baby’s abilities occurs in stages: this is natural and it is impossible to change this order. Children under 5 years of age have developed imagination , figurative thinking, they perceive information in the form of pictures. But they learn information in the form of sounds with difficulty. Even when they remember what is written, this happens automatically, without understanding the essence.

If you start studying the alphabet too early, the development of figurative thinking slows down. The right hemisphere of the brain is responsible for this function, which also controls the emotional sphere, color perception, and musical ear. Thus, underdevelopment of figurative thinking leads to emotional disorders, deterioration of color perception, and a sense of rhythm.

Health problems may arise: children are mentally strained, and the nervous system is not physiologically prepared for this. Visual impairments are also possible due to the strain.

With the help of games, fairy tales, poems, cartoons, children learn about the world. Through them comes an understanding of good, evil, friendship, mutual assistance, honesty, sympathy. They learn to express their emotions, thoughts, learn to empathize. An attitude towards the world, towards oneself and others, self-esteem is formed. Shifting the emphasis on mental abilities leads to the fact that emotional development is inhibited. In the future, this becomes the reason for:

• lack of self-confidence, low self-esteem;
• lack of ability to empathize with other people;
• difficulties with self-knowledge;
• complexes;
• difficulties in communicating with other people, the inability to establish contacts in a group.

Another situation is when they start learning late. If a first-grader cannot read, difficulties with mastering the school curriculum may arise. He will not be able to read and complete assignments on par with his classmates, and will begin to lag behind. The ability to read is a necessary skill with which children receive information and share it with other people. A child who does not know the letters will be deprived of this opportunity.

How to instill a love of reading in your child

You are an example for your child. He repeats what you do. Therefore, if you want to instill a culture of reading, read yourself. Read books out loud to him from infancy. This way he will have favorite characters. And you will show that books are not boring, but a fascinating world. If possible, involve all family members in this process: older children, husband.

Discuss what you have read. Ask questions about the book, about the pictures in it. Gradually make the questions more difficult.

Choose books according to age and interests. At a young age, the main form of activity is play, so learning to read should be done in a playful way. This way, you will avoid stress, and the preschooler will not be bored with studying. If you interest your child in the world of books already at the initial stages, maintain motivation to learn new things, in the future, studying will be easier and calmer.

How to teach a child to read.

It is advisable to choose one reading method and study according to it. If you have difficulty choosing, consult a specialist. For younger preschoolers, educational cartoons, magnetic alphabets, and letter cubes are suitable.

The development of reading skills occurs in stages. The first stage is the sound stage, in which the future schoolchild learns to decompose words into sounds. This is the basis for phonetic analysis of words.

The next stage is the alphabet stage. During this stage, the baby begins to get acquainted with the alphabet, read by syllables. Then, when he can firmly read syllables, he gradually connects them, pronouncing words in whole. Then he tries to read whole sentences. Gradually, the child will be able to begin to study fairy tales and texts in which the plots are repeated: “Kolobok”, “Turnip”.

The study of the alphabet occurs as follows:

1. There is no need to learn the letters in order. Experts recommend learning the vowels first: a, o, u, e, i. The next step is ya, e, yo, yu, y. Also learn to connect the vowels: au-ua-ou-ia;
2. The alphabet will help you remember letters using associative thinking: “A” is watermelon, “B” is a bun;
3. Then study the consonants. Start with the sonorants: l, m, n, r. Continue with the voiced consonants б, в, г, д, ж, з. After that, in line are the voiceless consonants п, ф, к, т, ш, s, х, ц, ч, щ. At the end, study the й, soft, hard signs;
4. You can use the elements of learning in everyday life. Draw letters, for example, vowels, stick them in different places. Then change their places. Do the same with consonants;
5. Start learning syllables with vowels and consonants: ma-ba-pa. After that, move on to reverse syllables, in which the vowel is in front: am-ul-um;
6. The next step is to combine voiced and voiceless letters, alternating them: ta-da, ba-pa;
7. After this, you can start reading words of one syllable: house, lump, mouth.

Methods

When teaching reading at home, you can choose one of the methods.

Phonetic method

Involves reading by syllables. First, the preschooler learns letters, their pronunciation, then combines them into words. Cards with letters, syllables, a primer, and an alphabet are used. Since the training according to the method is carried out in the form of regular lessons, it is not suitable for children under 3-4 years old. For this age group, it is better to choose another format: games, cartoons.

Montessori Method

A modern and popular method that differs from traditional ones. It involves mastering writing, then letters, and only then syllables. Classes are conducted in a playful way. Children work with letters made of rough paper, which are attached to a cardboard sheet. Children must shade the letters, circle them, and then master their pronunciation.

Zaitsev’s Cubes

The training is based on the use of 52 cubes. Children make syllables from individual letters, learn to use soft and hard signs. There are cubes with syllables that are often used. After classes, children develop an understanding of voiceless (cubes with wooden parts), voiced (cubes with metal parts), hard (large cubes), soft (small cubes) consonants.

The set includes tables with syllables that need to be sung. If you hang the table in front of your child, he will constantly see it and automatically remember the syllables.

With this method, children quickly master the alphabet, learn to read by syllables. They also develop fine motor skills and musical ear.

The first time you can do it as a game, without paying attention to what is written. The child, using logical, analytical abilities, will independently figure out that the cubes are different. And how they are different. Gradually complicate the tasks.

Chaplygin’s Cubes

The set consists of 10 cubes, 10 dynamic blocks. By turning the cubes in different directions, the child must make a pair of consonant and vowel letters. Gradually, he learns to connect them, make syllables, then words.

The method makes fine motor skills work, which has a beneficial effect on overall development. Children like this format of learning.

Glen Doman Cards

The method is designed to teach children to read from a young age, based on the use of visual memory. They are shown cards with pictures, words. At the same time, the adult pronounces these words. In this way, the child perceives words as a whole, and not by syllables and letters.

You should work with the cards daily, 2-4 times a day. Show one of them for a couple of seconds. The first few days, take only 2 or 3 cards. Increase the number of cards every day.

Game forms of teaching reading

For small children who are just beginning to learn how to spell words, the following game format is suitable:

1. Sculpting letters from plasticine, cutting them out of paper, laying them out of beads;
2. Board games like “Animal Letters”;
3. Draw letters, color them, mold them from plasticine. Use ready-made coloring books, molds or make stencils yourself;
4. Puzzles for making letters from parts. Ready-made materials are sold in a children’s goods store;
5. Memory games. Write the letters on stickers/cards or take ready-made material. Lay them out on the table. Let the preschooler look at them and remember them. Then turn them over and give the child the task of finding the right letter;
6. Writing on improvised materials: sand, cereals. Such activities train memory, motor skills;
7. Collect the word. Arrange the syllables on the cards. Ask the student to collect the words;
8. Riddle. Make a riddle and lay out a set of words in front of the child, one of which is correct. He must find the answer to the riddle;
9. Puzzle “word in word”. Write a word of 12 – 15 letters. From it you need to make smaller words. The more – the better;
10. “Walkers” with letters. Make a game board yourself so that the letters can be used to form syllables. The child, walking along the cells, reads the sounds, making syllables.

Use interactive ways to teach reading. Often, the words “let’s play” work magic on children.

Parents’ Mistakes in Teaching Reading

Teachers and educators know the methods of teaching reading, what mistakes can be made, and how to avoid them. Therefore, the mistakes listed below are typical for children who study at home. Parents can make the following mistakes, which will negatively affect the result, and teachers at school will have to retrain them:

1. The letters are not pronounced as “v”, “k”, but as “ve”, “ka”. Later, children read the word “pol” as “peoel”. Teach the letters as we pronounce them in ordinary speech;
2. Excessive demands – expecting the baby to start reading from the first days. In pursuit of this goal, parents can force the child to study more than the norm, demand achievements from him. This causes stress in the baby;
3. Criticism, belittlement, intimidation, pressure on the child – “You are 6 years old and you still can’t read”, “You are a loser”, “You won’t be accepted to school”, “Nobody will be friends with you”. Such careless statements do not contribute to enthusiasm;
4. Parents, instead of reading together, prefer to sit in front of the TV or with a smartphone in hand;
5. At first, children make mistakes, mix up letters, and take long pauses. This is normal. There is no need to scold them for mistakes. Gradually, there will be fewer of them;
6. Do not use school textbooks from the school curriculum – when the little one goes to school, he will not be interested in lessons in which they study material familiar to him;
7. Don’t teach writing, instead develop fine motor skills – you can know all the nuances of correct writing. And retraining is harder than learning from scratch.

Be patient when you work with your son or daughter. Act with care and love, listen to your child’s wishes. This way you will achieve greater results.

Good luck to you!

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