How early can you teach a child to read

When and how can I teach my toddler to read?

The truth is, right now you really can't. Children usually don't start reading before the age of 5 or 6, and for good reason. Researchers believe that until that age, most children have not yet formed certain neural connections that allow them to decode printed letters and then mentally combine them to make words. A few children are able to read earlier, but most of them just pick it up; they don't learn through direct instruction.

The key to reading readiness during the toddler years is indirect instruction: This involves introducing your child to books and print in a way that gets him excited about the stories they contain. Basically, your job is to show him that books are important — and fun! The best way to accomplish this is by reading to him. As early as 6 months, babies enjoy looking at simple board books with pictures and labels. Between the ages of 1 and 2, repetitive and rhyming books are most likely to capture your child's interest, and between 2 and 3, he'll begin to enjoy books with more text and simple story lines. (For BabyCenter's lists of suggested titles, click here.) Be sure to hold the book so your toddler can see the pictures easily, and point to things that seem to capture his attention when you read to him.

Alphabet books can help toddlers learn to isolate letters within a stream of print, and many children can identify their own name by the time they're 3. A lot of toddlers can also identify the signs and logos they see around them. You may groan inwardly when your toddler chirps "McDonald's!" as you pass the Golden Arches, or asks for ice cream when you pass his favorite ice cream parlor, but this is an important step in learning to read — it shows he understands that written words represent things and ideas. If your toddler's listening to stories and looking at books and has some concept that printed words include letters, he's well on his way to learning how to read.

Sources

BabyCenter's editorial team is committed to providing the most helpful and trustworthy pregnancy and parenting information in the world. When creating and updating content, we rely on credible sources: respected health organizations, professional groups of doctors and other experts, and published studies in peer-reviewed journals. We believe you should always know the source of the information you're seeing. Learn more about our editorial and medical review policies.

AAP. 2015a. How to share books with 2 and 3 year olds. American Academy of Pediatrics. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/toddler/Pages/How-to-Share-Books-with-2-and-3-Year-Olds.aspx [Accessed January 2017]

AAP. 2015b. How to share books with your 12 to 14 month old. American Academy of Pediatrics. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/toddler/Pages/How-to-Share-Books-with-Your-12-to-14-Month-Old.aspx [Accessed January 2017]

AAP. 2015c. How to share books with your 15 to 17 month old. American Academy of Pediatrics. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/toddler/Pages/How-to-Share-Books-with-Your-15-to-17-Month-Old. aspx [Accessed January 2017]

AAP. 2015d. How to share books with your 18 to 23 month old. American Academy of Pediatrics. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/toddler/Pages/How-to-Share-Books-with-Your-18-to-23-Month-Old.aspx [Accessed January 2017]

Nemours Foundation. 2013. Reading milestones. http://kidshealth.org/en/parents/milestones.html [Accessed January 2017]

Zero to Three. 2004. Learning to read the world: Literacy in the first 3 years. https://www.zerotothree.org/resources/1103-learning-to-read-the-world-literacy-in-the-first-3-years [Accessed January 2017]

Judith Hudson

Judith A. Hudson is an associate professor of psychology at Rutgers University.

How Young Is Too Young to Learn to Read?

The key to lasting success in school is teaching academic skills as soon as a child is ready to learn. But how do we know when they’re ready? Is it ever too early to instill a love of reading?

When Do Children Learn to Read?

While most children begin reading in kindergarten or first grade, learning to read isn’t as simple as picking up a book. Children don’t and learn to decode letters, words, and sentences without help or preparation. In fact, skills that contribute to literacy later on begin developing as soon as a baby is born.

As children learn to communicate and are exposed to written language and books for the first time, they’re already reaching key milestones for reading. The age that children begin to read varies, and can depend on factors as wide ranging as cognitive development and socioeconomic differences.[6]

The PreK and kindergarten years are a critical window of opportunity for teaching kids early reading skills, and any instruction during this period will benefit children. During these years (and even before), parents and teachers can team up to help prevent reading gaps in schools. The more exposure children have to books and pre-reading activities from the start, the better prepared they will be as they learn to read.

How Language Skills Affect Reading

During infancy and early childhood, children develop language skills that lead to stronger reading abilities later on. Children’s brains develop more quickly between ages zero and five than at any other time. This is when babies and toddlers begin to build their vocabulary and understand the grammar of their native language. By the age of three, most children have mastered the basics of their language and continue to learn about 5,000 new words each year.[1]

Language skills are important because reading skills are built on the foundation of a solid vocabulary. Language and literacy are so tightly connected that, alongside familiarity with books, strengthening one positively affects the other. Children can build key literacy skills and become effective communicators as a direct result of strong language development.

How Family Engagement Affects Reading

Research suggests that children develop strong reading skills when their parents familiarize them with books at home.[2] The most important factor that determines how early a child will begin reading is whether families encourage it. The more engaged families are in their student’s early education, the quicker fluent literacy will develop. Even in infancy, reading to babies in their native language can help them develop a positive relationship with reading at an early age.[3]

For example, children who begin to recognize the alphabet at a young age are more likely to pick up vocabulary words and learn to spell early on.[4] When children are encouraged to love reading from an early age, they’re more likely to enjoy reading and learning new things as they grow up. Helping children create simple daily habits, like reading a book aloud every day, are important to long-term literacy development. Plus, reading aloud can improve brain development during these critical early years.[5]

Essential Pre-Reading Skills for PreK Children

Pre-reading skills are the building blocks that help young children learn to read. There are many skills that parents and educators can help PreK students develop, such as:[3,6]

• Phonological awareness: the structure of spoken language
• Phonics: the ability to connect sounds and letters
• Fluency: the bridge from word identification to reading
• Comprehension & Vocabulary: reading as a lifelong tool for learning
• Language Concepts: the structure of written language
• Communication: reading, writing, speaking, and listening

The Benefits of Pre-Reading Skills

The benefits of these pre-reading skills extend far beyond a child’s academic achievement. Students who work on these skills before kindergarten often have a stronger sense of curiosity and better listening skills.[7] While these traits can lead to student success in school, they can also contribute to better well-being and general quality of life outside of academics.

While students might learn some parts of these pre-reading skills on their own, others develop best with explicit instruction. Up to 40% of all children do not learn phonemic awareness without guidance from teachers and parents.[8] When children have the opportunity to read books and enjoy literacy activities in a structured learning environment, they are more likely to begin reading once they reach kindergarten.[9]

The benefits of learning pre-reading skills before kindergarten include:

• Higher kindergarten readiness
• Brain development
• Increased curiosity
• An intrinsic love of reading
• Better listening skills

Tips for Teaching Early Reading Skills to PreK Children

Whether you’re a PreK teacher or a parent, you can help children build essential pre-reading skills before they start elementary school. With the right strategies, every child can grow a love for reading.

Use these five tips to teach literacy skills to children, and you can find even more ideas here.

• Take children to the library regularly to help them develop print recognition. To encourage an early love of reading, let them choose their own books to take home.
• Teach PreK children all 26 letters and letter names. Students are more likely to succeed in elementary school if they know letter names before kindergarten.[10]
• To encourage phonological awareness, point to a letter in a book or on a sign and ask your child to tell you what sound it makes.[8]
• Young children can have short attention spans that make long reading sessions difficult. Instead, try planning short, daily reading activities together. For example, read one or two picture books together or attend a brief PreK library event.[6]
• Ask “big picture questions” while reading aloud to children to promote critical thinking skills. While reading a fairy tale picture book, for example, you could ask, “Why do you think the queen is so mean to Snow White? What would you do if you were her?”[9]

Sources:

1. Miller, G.A., and Gildea, P.M. How Children Learn Words. Scientific American, September 1987, 257(3), pp. 94-99.
2. Winner, E. Gifted Children. Different Strokes, 2012, pp. 75-81.
3. Scholastic Corporation. Early Literacy. Retrieved from scholastic.com: http://teacher.scholastic.com/products/face/pdf/research-compendium/early-literacy.pdf.
4. Ehri, L.C. Learning to Read Words: Theory, Findings, and Issues. Scientific Studies of Reading, 2005, 9, pp. 167-88.
5. American Association of Pediatrics. Evidence Supporting Early Literacy and Early Learning. Retrieved from aap.org: https://www.aap.org/en-us/literacy/Literacy/For-Professionals/Evidence-Supporting-Early-Literacy-and-Early-Learning/booksbuildconnections_evidencesupportingearlyliteracyandearlylearning. pdf.
6. Rose, J. Independent review of the teaching of early reading. Investor in People Department for Education and Skills, March 2006, pp. 1-240.
7. American Academy of Family Physicians. Early Childhood Literacy. Retrieved from aafp.org: https://www.aafp.org/patient-care/social-determinants-of-health/child-literacy.html.
8. Grossen, B. 30 Years of Research: What We Now Know About How Children Learn To Read. Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning, 1997, pp. 1-22.
9. Bailey, N.M. Teaching Reading Skills. Retrieved from www.canisus.edu: http://www3.canisius.edu/~justice/CSTmodule-final/CSTmodule-final3.html.
10. American Academy of Family Physicians. Early Childhood Literacy. Retrieved from aafp.org: https://www.aafp.org/patient-care/social-determinants-of-health/child-literacy.html.

methods of teaching reading to the first grade

When to teach a child to read

There are early development studios where children are taught to read from the first years of life. However, pediatricians do not recommend rushing and advise starting learning to read no earlier than 4 years old, best of all - at 5–6. By this age, most children already distinguish sounds well, can correctly compose sentences and pronounce words. Therefore, most often parents think about how to teach their child to read, already on the eve of school.

How to know if your child is ready to learn to read

Before you start teaching your child to read, you need to make sure that the child is ready and wants to learn. To do this, try to answer the following questions:

• Does the child know the concepts of “right-left”, “big-small”, “inside-outside”?
• Can he generalize objects according to these characteristics?
• Can he distinguish between similar and dissimilar forms?
• Is he able to remember and execute at least three instructions?
• Does he form phrases correctly?
• Does he pronounce words clearly?
• Can he retell a story he heard or experienced?
• Can he formulate his feelings and impressions?
• Can you predict the ending of a simple story?
• Does he manage to participate in the dialogue?
• Can he listen without interrupting?
• Can he rhyme words?
• Do the letters attract his attention?
• Does the child have a desire to independently look at the book?
• Does he like being read aloud to him?
  

If you answered “yes” to these questions, your child is ready and will soon learn to read correctly.

Methods for teaching reading

Most of the methods involve learning while playing, so that the child is not bored and learns knowledge better.

<>

Zaitsev's Cubes

For more than twenty years, these cubes have been introducing children to letters and teaching how to form words and syllables. They allow you to understand how vowels and consonants, deaf and voiced sounds differ. There are 52 cubes in total, each of which depicts warehouses (combinations of a consonant and a vowel). The cubes vary in color and size, the large ones depict hard warehouses, while the small ones are soft. During classes, parents are encouraged to pronounce or sing warehouses so that the child remembers them better.

Vyacheslav Voskobovich's "towers" and "folds"

windows. You can put cubes in them to make syllables. And from several towers you can make a word.

catalog-chess. ru

Skladushki is a book with pictures, educational rhymes and songs. Parents sing them and in parallel show the warehouses in the pictures. The author of the methodology claims that a child of six years old can be taught to read in a month using "folds".

Doman's cards

This method of teaching a child to read is based on memorizing whole words, from simple to more complex. First, the child masters the first 15 cards, which the parent shows him for 1-2 seconds and pronounces the words on them. Then the child tries to memorize phrases. This technique helps not only to learn more words, but also develops memory well in general.

Maria Montessori's method of teaching reading

The essence of the Montessori method is that the child is first asked to feel the writing of a letter, and then pronounce it. For this, didactic materials are used - cardboard plates with pasted letters, the outline of which the child traces with his finger, naming the sound. After studying consonants and vowels, you can move on to words and phrases. The Montessori method not only helps to learn to read, but also develops fine motor skills, logic, and the ability to analyze.

Olga Soboleva's technique

The author of this technique believes that you need to start learning not from the abstract alphabet, but immediately in practice - by analyzing simple texts. The Soboleva program allows you to teach a child to read from the age of five - at this age, children are already able to keep their attention on a line of text. Different approaches are offered depending on how it is easier for a child to perceive the world - by eye, by ear or by touch. In addition to reading skills, the technique develops interest in creativity, imagination, attention and memory.

How to teach a child to read by syllables

Teaching a child to read by syllables should be done in stages. First, explain to him that sounds are vowels and consonants, deaf and voiced. Say them with the child - he must understand how they differ. Letters and sounds can be learned while walking: draw your child's attention to the letters on signs and announcements, and soon he will learn to recognize them.

When the child has mastered the letters and sounds, start teaching him to read simple words - "mom", "dad". Then move on to more complex ones - “grandmother”, “dog”, “apartment”. Show your child that syllables can be sung.

Next, move on to word formation. You can cut cards with syllables and invite the child to make words out of them. When he gets comfortable, move on to reading short texts. It is better to start with two or three phrases, and a little later switch to texts of five to ten sentences.

To enroll in Foxford Online Elementary School, a child must have at least basic reading, numeracy and writing skills. To check the readiness of the child for school, we offer to pass a small test that does not require special preparation.

Exercises for learning to read

There are many exercises on the Internet that help children learn to read, you can print them out and start learning right away. Start with exercises that teach you to recognize letters and tell correct spellings from incorrect spellings.

When the child gets used to the letters, move on to the exercises for syllables. For example, like this:

Such exercises not only teach reading, but also develop logical thinking well:

Gradually move on to exercises where you need not only to read correctly, but also write words:

One of the most difficult and entertaining exercises is fillords: you need to find and cross out the words on the field of letters.

Games for learning to read

With the help of cubes or cards with letters and syllables, you can play different educational games with your child. Let's take a few examples.

Garages

Take a word of 3-4 syllables and place the cards in random order on the floor. Explain to the child how these syllables are read. These will be garages. Give the child different toys and offer to send them to the garage as you wish: for example, the car goes to the TA garage, the bear goes to the RA garage, the ball rolls to the KE garage, and so on. Make sure your child is positioning the toys correctly. At the end of the game, invite the child to make a word from garage syllables. Perhaps not the first time, but he will get a "ROCKET". Gradually introduce new syllables into the game.

<>

Store

Lay out images of various goods on the table - this is a store, and you are a seller. Give your child a stack of cards with syllables - they will function as money. The child needs to buy all the items in the store, but each item is only sold for the syllable it starts with. For example, fish can only be bought for the syllable "RY", milk - for the syllable "MO", and so on. Give your child a few extra cards to make the task more difficult. When he gets used to it, change the conditions of the game: for example, sell goods not for the first, but for the last syllables. The game is both simple and complex: it will allow the child to understand that words are not always spelled the way they are pronounced. After all, a cow cannot be bought for the syllable "KA", for example.

Lotto

Game for several people. Give the children several cards with syllables. Take out the cubes with syllables one by one from the box and announce them. Whoever has a card with such a syllable - he takes it. The first person to complete all the cards wins. During the game, children will accurately remember the syllables that they had on their hands.

Summary

Finally, a few more tips on how to teach a child to read:

• It is better to start teaching children to read by memorizing letters. It is important that the child can recognize and name them without hesitation.
• In the early stages, pronounce the consonants as they are read in words: not [em], [el], [de], but [m], [l], [d] - this way it will be easier for the child to find his bearings.
• Sculpt letters from plasticine, draw and color, buy an alphabet with voice acting - use all the channels of the child's perception.
• Gradually build letters into syllables and then into words. Play rearranging letters and syllables, let the child experiment.
• Teach your child rhymes about the letters of the alphabet, look at the primer, use cards with letters and pictures. Thanks to the illustrations, the child will be able to memorize the symbols faster.
• Distribute the load: fifteen minutes a day is better than an hour twice a week. Alternate entertaining and serious tasks.
• You can hang signs with their names on objects in the child's room - the child will quickly learn to recognize them in texts.
• Read aloud regularly to your child and gradually introduce them to independent reading. Every evening, offer to read at least a few lines from a well-known book on your own.
• Lead by example. For a child to want to learn to read, he must regularly see you with a book.

We hope that our recommendations will help you teach your preschooler to read. Even if your child is just learning to read, at Foxford Elementary School he will be able to improve his skills.

Do no harm! How to teach a child to read? The teacher answers questions from parents

Reviews, 05 October 2020

Is it worth teaching a child to read or leave this task to teachers? No matter how you answer this question for yourself, the main thing is not to harm. Olga Uzorova, an experienced teacher-practitioner, methodologist and author of educational and developmental aids, answered frequently asked questions from parents and told when it is necessary to teach a child to read and how to do it correctly.

At what age can you start learning to read?

In this issue, we start from the word "can". You can start at 2, 3 or 4 years old, but only if the child himself reaches for the book and asks to show him the letters. Just like that, at your own request, you don’t need to pull the child out of the sandbox and put him at the alphabet! If there is a desire, the right technique will help. Parents really liked the Primer. Learning to read from 2-3 years old" and its continuation "Learning to read from 3-4 years old" - they can be offered to children from 2 to 6-7 years old, these are universal aids.

What if the child knows the letters well, but linking them into syllables and reading is not given in any way?

If it doesn’t work out at all, and you actively spoil the child’s mood with failed attempts, then it’s better to end such classes. A small life hack on how to teach how to put letters into syllables. Show with a simple example: the letter O and the letter H are together OH. Practice adding simple syllables at home, on the street, on trips. For example, in the primer “Learning to read from 2–3 years old”, all words consist of 2–3 letters, and all dialogues consist of these short words. This is partly the secret of the success of the book: having mastered the simplest examples, it is easier for the baby to move on. If it still doesn’t work, turn to the best friends of elementary school teachers - speech therapists!

What NOT to do when learning to read?

In no case should you scold a child. If something doesn’t work out, it’s your failure in the first place, which means you are using some kind of wrong teaching method. Not only has the child already spent a lot of time and effort trying to listen to your explanations, but he also flew in for this one! Next time, he won’t want to study, no matter how they wave the primer in front of him.

It is impossible to deprive the child of a situation of educational success. If he managed to remember a letter or read a syllable, do not take it for granted. It is very difficult for a baby, he did a great job, respect the work of your child. If something worked out - be sure to praise!

Why teach a child to read quickly and increase the speed of reading? He reads the way he does.

Our brain perceives information in a split second, and slow reading slows down this process. If you want your child to develop thinking, you must definitely monitor the speed of reading. If the child began to read in syllables and continues to do so for a long time (a year or two), without going to the next level, then something is wrong. If you are unable to independently switch from syllabic reading to smooth reading, look for a specialist who will select a competent technique.

Learning to read and a child's self-esteem - how to find a balance?

A balance is needed in this matter! Many parents buy the alphabet for a one-year-old baby. First, the child learns letters for a long time, then they require him to learn how to put them into syllables. Here, the scythe often finds itself on a stone, because parents are waiting for rapid progress, it seems to them that it is very easy. But for a baby, this is a very difficult task, you need to be patient. If a child does not succeed, his self-esteem suffers. And a preschooler's self-esteem must be overestimated, otherwise it will not be easy for him and his teachers at school. If a child has his hands down, he is sure in advance that he will not succeed, it is very difficult for a teacher to pull him out of this pit of low self-esteem. Therefore, be sure to praise the child for achievements, create situations of educational success and in no case scold!

Should preschoolers be taught to read?

Balzac once said that the future of the nation is in the hands of mothers. May these words help you gather all your strength and patience! I perfectly understand: you have other professions, your own hobbies and hardly a lot of time for teaching a child. But it's still better if you start teaching your baby to read before school. In schools, little time is now given to this, and teachers directly or in hints say that it is very desirable to teach a child to read at least at a speed of 30-40 words per minute by the first grade. This is a fairly fast syllable reading. There simply isn't enough time in elementary school to teach reading.

Is it possible to practice irregularly and when it is convenient for parents?

In the old training manuals, according to which the children of the royal family were taught, there is such an expression: training consists not so much in the rules as in the exercise. You can quickly explain the theory to the child and tell the rule, but if there are no systematic exercises, then the knowledge will not be assimilated. How is any good program built? A few hours to get acquainted with the topic, many, many, many working out and practical exercises, a few hours of final control and obligatory hours for working on bugs.

Learn more

• 
  The process of miscarriage
• 
  When does pregnancy
• 
  Infant milk sensitivity
• 
  What is use of folic acid in pregnancy
• 
  How to improve attachment with your child
• 
  How to boost my milk supply fast
• 
  Baby development program
• 
  How did my child get lice
• 
  Vaginal infection and pregnancy
• 
  How many days between ovulation and period
• 
  Heat rash in newborn babies