The school year has just begun but are you already feeling defeated with the responsibility of teaching your child how to read? You don’t have to. Let’s talk…
Introduction
When I became pregnant with my first child, I read to her a lot. Even before she was born, I read so she could hear my voice and share a bond with me that would continue outside the womb. Reading opens the eyes of humans to things unheard of, unseen, and untouchable. I want all of our children to love the art of books and opening their minds to learn what is true, right and beautiful. In order for them to join in the love of reading they must know how to read. Teaching your child to read may seem like a daunting task but it doesn’t have to be. I have thoroughly enjoyed training myself to teach our children to read in a way that would be simple and easy for them to understand. My latest daughter recently grasped how to read when she was only 3 years old! Our goal was not to expect her to read by three, but it happened because we were consistent in teaching her and persevering even when it seemed as if she didn’t understand.
1.You are capable of teaching your children
Our children look up to us in many ways. When it comes to teaching, they want to see that we have confidence in what we want them to learn. How are they going to really enjoy reading when you are not excited about the opportunity you have to teach them. You are capable of teaching your child to read when you have equipped yourself with the right mindset and tools to teach. I always think of those who only learned how to read from opening a book and sounding out the words. When children have the basic sounds of phonemes or letter blends, they now have a sense of how they can pronounce it when they see them in a word. The hardest part is blending the phonemes and saying the word correctly. This is where they need you. Consistency is key!
2. But How?
I have tried several reading books for my children but the one that has always worked for all of my children is Elemental Phonics. There are three parts to this series of books, and I have used all of them for all of my children that are continuing their learning. My children are ages 6,5,4 and almost 2. What I have learned is if I am faithful and consistent to teach them how to read then they grasp it very easily. We dedicate 10-15 minutes a day using Elemental Phonics. If they don’t understand the letter blend, then we repeat it the next day until they do before we move on to the next one. I have posted a few videos below so that you can see the progression of how we have used the three different books in this series.
3. It’s not going to be perfect!
In the videos you will hear my baby boy in the background trying to include himself in the reading time. This time doesn’t always look uninterrupted, but it is consistent. I have to push myself daily to think that this time is not always going to look like I would want it to, but it will make a difference if I persevere no matter the circumstance. If you feel as if you have to be sitting at the table side by side, in a quiet room just to learn then I would encourage you to step out of that comfort zone and see what works best for you and your child. There are moments when we do have quiet while doing our work, but it doesn’t always look like that.
