Learning to Read

Learning to read can, and should be, an enjoyable experience for both you are your child.

Reading is fun. If it wasn’t, no one would be reading for recreation - and that‘s obviously not the case.

It's never too early to read to a child. Nor is a child ever too young to be read to.

Find a comfortable space for both you and your child. In your child’s opinion, your lap is best!

Choose a special time each day. Before nap time or before bedtime is perfect. Reading is calming to your child and prepares them for sleep.

Even as little as 10 minutes each day is great, if that's all you're able to manage. You're creating the reading habit. When you have more time to spend together reading, go for it. Have fun. Learning to read can be so much fun for your child and extremely rewarding for you.

Studies have shown that parents who read to kids create a reading habit in their children that lasts a lifetime.

Don't just read - get animated. Use different speaking voices and mannerisms for each of the story characters. Speak in dialect. If the story character might have an accent - use it.

Involve your child in the story. Ask questions: “What do you think is going to happen”? “What has the story character learned”? “Do you think the story character is happy with the way the story ended”? "Are you?" . . .

This personalized storybook is a powerful way to show a child how absolutely unique and special she is. My Very Own Fairy Tale transports little girls into a magical garden where flower fairies bring letters one by one to spell out her first and last name, and then the fairies crown her as their fairy princess. This award-winning storybook makes a keepsake gift for girls ages 0-12.

Kids never seem to tire of their favorites so don’t be afraid to read a favorite over and over and over, again and again. The repetition is a valuable lesson in the process of learning to read.

Allow your child to have his own reading space, his own collection of books and a place to store them. Create a special reading nook in the corner of his room. Maybe a pile of pillows on the floor next to his special bookcase with an overhead lamp. If it’s cozy and comfortable, your child will want to visit it often. And if the purpose of visiting is to read, then they will read often.

Even, young children who aren’t yet reading can browse through books and look at pictures when you aren’t reading with them. It’s great training.

Childrens Magazines are fantastic learning tools. The information is always fresh and kids love receiving their very own mail each month.

Library cards are worth their weight in gold.
My children had their own library cards before they could even sign their names. I still have the cards with the little X’s scribbled on the signature line. Priceless!

Pick a theme: Are you planning a trip? Vacation? Going to the circus? Or the zoo? Pick up a book on that theme. Great learning tool. Planning on adding a pet to your family? You guessed it - get a book.

Explore the alphabet, the letters and the sounds. Preschool children can easily learn, understand and recognize alphabet letters and sounds. Learning the alphabet leads to learning the words, which leads to learning to read. If the whole process is made to be fun, then learning to love to read will follow.

For beginners, it’s as important to stress the letter sound as it is the letter’s name. Simply telling your child “this is the letter b” is not enough. Sound out the letter sound for them and have your child repeat. Look at pictures of a bee, a book, a button, etc. Play with the B sound. Can they think of other words that begin with the B sound?

Try this fun activity - pick a letter of the week. Focus on that particular letter every day of the coming week. The repetition over the week will reinforce the lessons. The more they hear and see the letter, the more recognizable it becomes.

Have your child create his own book. Draw or cut out pictures and label them with the sounds and letters you are learning. Creativity enhances the learning to read experience.

Here are a few supplies I think every household should have:
Crayons and paper.
Refrigerator magnets - a must have.
Your child can spell and create words while you work. Every child loves to build and building words with their hands is like creating their own puzzles. Refrigerator magnets aren't just for the frig. They can be used anywhere. And they make learning to read a puzzle that's easily solved.

There are so many books available for every age group.
Picture Books
Cloth Books
Alphabet Books
Easy Readers
Rhymes, of course, are great fun. Kids begin to anticipate what comes next and can easily fill in the sound and/or word. Kids can even have fun with words by creating their own rhymes.

Research has shown that phonics instruction is a crucial component in helping children build the foundation of skills they need to become competent, confident readers. I am a firm believer in the Hooked on Phonics Program. I've used it and have had great success with the program. Hooked on Phonics makes learning to read fun.

Hooked on Phonics® Learn to Read Kindergarten-2nd Grade incorporates the latest reading and literacy research into proven strategies and activities that are as fresh and fun as they are effective, so kids will keep coming back for more!

Designed for children ages 4 to 8, this award-winning program is bursting with meaningful phonics lessons that include:

• Beginning and ending sounds• Short and long vowel sounds• Sound combinations• Basic word endings• Simple sight words…and many others

It takes just a few minutes a day to build reading skills that will last a lifetime! This easy-to-use program follows the learn-practice-read approach, which offers lots of engaging, interactive opportunities for young readers.

Hooked on Phonics Learn to Read - Deluxe now 40% off was $199 now $120! Click here.

Needing a little more help? Here are a few more resources that might come in handy.

When your kids are having fun, learning just comes easier. I am a firm believer in learning through fun. "ClickN KID", gently guides your child through interactive phonics letter sound exercises. Children learn all of the letter sounds and their corresponding letter shapes required for reading mastery as well as spelling and keyboarding skills. Each phonics lesson introduces a new letter sound which is then practiced along with five previously introduced letter sounds.
Designed as a game your kids can't wait to play!
ClickN' READ Phonics.
Real reading results.

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Learning to Read

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