Reading is an essential skill that all kids should learn. While learning to read can be an intuitive process, almost all kids need some support in helping them to read. Below are 7 ways in which you can help your kids to read.
Read aloud to your kids
It’s never too early to start reading books to your kids. In fact, some experts recommend reading stories to babies while they’re still in the womb! Reading books to infants of six months or older can meanwhile help familiarize them with books and the process of reading, even if they’re not patient enough to sit through a whole book. By familiarizing kids with books, you can make reading a source of comfort, and kids will be more willing to sit and listen to you read as they approach toddler age. Once your kids turn 5, consider following words with your finger - this will help kids focus on the words and take them in. At 6, most kids will be familiar enough with enough words that they should be able to read many of the sentences themselves - consider asking them to read back the occasional sentence to test this out.
Start by learning the letters
Reading usually starts by learning the alphabet. There are many toys and puzzles that can help toddlers become familiar with the letters A to Z. Some electronic toys even have buttons which sound out each letter. There are also many kids TV shows and YouTube videos that can help teach kids the alphabet. Singing the alphabet song is also recommended. All of these mediums can help kids to become familiar with the alphabet, so that when it comes to reading, letters are not so much of a foreign concept. Make sure to get kids used to the phonetic sound of each letter and not just the way the letter sounds in the alphabet.
Practice learning sight words
Sight words are words that kids are able to recognize instantly by looking at them, instead of having to sound them out. Many kids learn these words at age 5. There are several toys such as word cards that can teach these words, as well as the likes of these sight word worksheets for Orton Gillingham Stage 3. You can also familiarize kids with these words by writing them down on a whiteboard and reading them out to kids.
Watch TV shows with captions
Studies suggest that turning captions on while watching TV shows and movies can help kids to learn to read faster. Kids of 5 and over will start to look at the subtitles while listening to the words being spoken, matching the text to each word. Most streaming services now offer the option to turn on captions, while some TV shows have them already integrated into them. Singalong captions during songs can be particularly beneficial for kids.
Test your kids’ reading on the go
At age 6 and above, you may notice that your kids will start reading signs and labels aloud by themselves - at first, slowly sounding out the letters in order to interpret the words. You can encourage kids to do this more regularly and develop their reading skills by pointing to signs and labels while you’re out and about and asking kids to read them. Don’t be afraid to try more complex words and help correct your kids if they get them wrong.
Encourage kids to read and write for fun
Reading should be a leisure activity. Once kids are reading independently at the age of 6 or 7, consider going shopping for books with them and let them choose books that they want to read. You can also buy magazines and comic books for young kids to help develop their reading skills. On top of encouraging kids to read for leisure, also teach them to write for leisure. Writing is applied reading - it challenges kids to think about the spelling of words that they know but may never have read before. Consider encouraging young kids to keep a diary, or encourage them to write stories with pictures.
Play word games
Kids of 6 and above may even be able to start playing word games. Basic word puzzles like word searches are a good start. You can then move onto introducing kids to board games like Boggle and Scrabble Jr. In fact, almost all board games include some degree of reading and can be worth playing with your kids to help them to read. Such games can make learning to read a fun process - kids will pick up words without even seeing it as an educational activity.
