The Final Steps… Reading Programs Recommended!
While there are many workbooks you can use to help your child learn the process of reading, this book has come highly recommended to me, and it has worked phenomenally with my own kids. Teach your child to read with this book!
The Reading Lesson: The intelligent reading program for young children. What makes this workbook so great is that there are 20 lessons here to help your child learn to read through their own personalized formula for teaching your child to read. Because they focus on letter sound memorization and scaffolding toddlers can enjoy the process of learning, and be reminded of critical skills without getting frustrated.
It is important to note that it is recommended that children only complete 1 to 3 pages a day. This ensures small children do not get overloaded and forget the material too quickly. If you have a printer with a scanner, you can actually scan the pages so your child can complete the activities multiple times to keep them fresh. Also, once you see your child beginning to read words on their own, move on to reading stories.
Your Child Learns Letters in Groups
Your child will learn more about the sounds letters make when they are grouped together. Basically, they will learn sets of letters (not in alphabetical order) at each time. They are ordered by how often they are seen in short children’s books.
The book itself is laid out like a scaffold, so kids keep returning to the information they learned at the beginning of the book. Because of this, your child is able to retain the information about words as they work through the lessons.
Positive Reinforcement is a Must!
As always, remember positive reinforcement is a must! Kids should be enjoying these lessons. If it feels like a punishment, you are actually teaching them at an early age to hate reading even if we have good intentions. So don’t force it. If your kids only want to do one page, go with it, and if they want to do 3 pages, let them work ahead. But most importantly make sure it is FUN to encourage reading.
Always, always, always return to story time! Remember, reading books to kids every day will help promote their own interest in reading which is key to creating book lovers. Allowing them to practice or help you during story time shows them the relevance to learning to read.
Another Fun Activity
When you are out in the real world, ask your kids what a sign says- let them practice sounding out the letters. Or look for words on a menu they know. These spontaneous moments of reading teaches them how important it is to read and encourages them to continue the practice when they are at home.
One Last Thing…
Don’t wait until they can read to start teaching your kids how to think critically. Have your kids think about the stories you are reading. Allow them to come up with their own endings, or looking at the viewpoints of the characters, because these skills will help them in school from the very beginning! Ask them questions and allow your kids to relate to the characters. Teach them how to sympathize or understand situations they themselves may not have encountered. Do it often; develop their language and critical thinking skills by doing these things regularly with your children.