Teaching Reading: The Future is Bright!
By William J. Brown
This is a common cry. Most parents are terrified at the prospect of teaching their child how to read, thinking they'll end up scarring them for life if they fail. Fear not! Any parent can teach reading to their child. Why can I say this with confidence?... Frankly, it comes from experience. I worked as a reading teacher for six years. You know what I found out?... Anyone could have done my job! All it takes is a little patience, some good preparation and the right direction, and you can do it! Let's look at three principles that will help as you ready your child for a formal reading education... Read to your child now!That's right. You want to engender a love for reading. What better way than to introduce them to some of your favorites? Dr. Seuss' books make great read-alouds for younger children. For older children, read them some of the "classics" like The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis or Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson.If you're not a good reader (and not all of us are) find a good library reading program. Most libraries have times when someone comes and reads a book out loud to children. Utilize these. The more your child hears good reading, the more they will learn how to read properly. This is one of the best tools to use when teaching reading to your child. Teach reading from real life experiences.Show your child how important it is to know how to read labels in grocery stores. Explain that reading signs is very important to finding their way home. The more you stress reading, the more they'll understand how important it is.You can also do this in a positive way. Play a game with your child. Teach them what certain letters look like. Then challenge them to find those letters in the signs they see when they're with you in the car. (Make sure to give them extra points for knowing the sounds as well.) This "Spot the Letter" game is a fun way to introduce your child to reading and show them it isn't as hard as it sounds. It's as simple as recognizing letters! Get your child the best phonics curriculum.How important is this principle?Very important! Follow this rule... You're only as good as the curriculum you use. So find a good one when teaching reading. The best I've seen is the A.C.E. curriculum. It has a good mix of concrete learning techniques coupled with fun ways of learning those principles. But whatever reading program you use, make sure you research it before you buy it. Find out if it meets the educational standards you expect. Ask educators what they recommend as a good reading program. The key here is make sure you have a first-rate reading curriculum! Nothing less than the best is fit for your child. Give them the best you can offer them when teaching them reading. Your child's future is worth it! Already have the teaching reading thing handled? Click here for more.
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