Teaching my kids to read has to be one of the most challenging, yet rewarding things I've done so far in our homeschooling years. With my oldest, she knew how to spell and write her name at 3 so I figured teaching her "proper" reading would be simple. She was 4 when I started my first year of homeschooling with her. Since I was new at all this, I wanted to use an "in-the-box" approach so I chose A Beka. I remember a lot of frustration those first few weeks, for both of us. She couldn't seem to grasp the concept of vowel sounds. We pressed on though with a lot of repetition and one day when she was about 4 1/2, it just clicked and reading has been a piece of cake for her. She's now in fifth grade and reading at a much higher grade level. In fact, I'm impressed at some of the words she knows how to spell just from reading them on her own.
With my son, I was expecting an easy time since it had been a relatively easy time with Skylar. Because we all know that kids are exactly the same and learn the exact same way at the exact same age right? *haha* Boy was I in for a treat! After a few years of schooling under my belt, I took a slightly more relaxed approach with my son, Elijah. We didn't use A Beka, but instead relied on some classic readers to help him along. I felt like we must have read the same story about a hundred times; reading just one page was painfully slow. But again, we pressed on, and although he technically learned to read around age 6 or so, it wasn't until he was about 8 years old that he finally was able to gain some fluency. He's now getting ready to turn 9 and is a wonderful reader, although he still is somewhat reluctant.
My youngest, Mikayla, has been my most challenging so far. I've gone through several different methods and programs with her (still not learning my lesson, I guess!) and she still struggles so much. She just turned 7 and I know she is probably very far behind in her reading. She has a lot of trouble retaining the proper sounds for letters, even if we have just gone over it. I have suspected some sort of disability but I haven't pursued it yet. I'm not quite sure at this point whether it would be worth looking into or whether I should just give it a little more time.
So, I could recommend various programs and resources for you to use with your child, but I'm not going to. The most important tips I have for teaching your children to read are the "Three R's". No, not those three "R's"--I mean these:
Read. Simple right? Read to your child--every day if you can. Look at picture books or simple readers along with them. Talk about the pictures, the title, ask them questions. Get your child involved in the process of enjoying a good story and his or her natural love for learning will take over.
Reinforce. Reading books together is fun, but you can also help reinforce learning with simple activities. Practice spelling out easy words by letting them use sand or rice in a tray; point out signs on the road while you're going around town; practice with fun learning games on the computer like the popular Starfall site.
Relax. This is the most important thing, in my opinion, that you can do to help your child. No matter how many programs, books, flash cards, and games you do with your child. They may not be ready. You might want them to read, but if they're not ready, it will do you no good to force the issue. I have learned with three kids to have a more relaxed approach. It means being proactive, but also knowing when to back off and let them work it out for themselves. It will click at some point and sometimes that's the only thing you can do--just wait.
Okay, so there's one more "R" I thought of, so I guess that's four. :) This is optional, but may be necessary for some.
Re-evaluate. You know your child(ren) best, and if you truly feel that something is "up" with them, then it might not hurt to get a professional opinion. Take the time to evaluate your child's age, abilities, and growth and figure out whether there is a comprehension or other learning issue, or whether it is simply a patience issue. Then seek out the appropriate help to help put your child on the right path to success.
My youngest, Mikayla, has been my most challenging so far. I've gone through several different methods and programs with her (still not learning my lesson, I guess!) and she still struggles so much. She just turned 7 and I know she is probably very far behind in her reading. She has a lot of trouble retaining the proper sounds for letters, even if we have just gone over it. I have suspected some sort of disability but I haven't pursued it yet. I'm not quite sure at this point whether it would be worth looking into or whether I should just give it a little more time.
So, I could recommend various programs and resources for you to use with your child, but I'm not going to. The most important tips I have for teaching your children to read are the "Three R's". No, not those three "R's"--I mean these:
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Reinforce. Reading books together is fun, but you can also help reinforce learning with simple activities. Practice spelling out easy words by letting them use sand or rice in a tray; point out signs on the road while you're going around town; practice with fun learning games on the computer like the popular Starfall site.
Relax. This is the most important thing, in my opinion, that you can do to help your child. No matter how many programs, books, flash cards, and games you do with your child. They may not be ready. You might want them to read, but if they're not ready, it will do you no good to force the issue. I have learned with three kids to have a more relaxed approach. It means being proactive, but also knowing when to back off and let them work it out for themselves. It will click at some point and sometimes that's the only thing you can do--just wait.
Okay, so there's one more "R" I thought of, so I guess that's four. :) This is optional, but may be necessary for some.
Re-evaluate. You know your child(ren) best, and if you truly feel that something is "up" with them, then it might not hurt to get a professional opinion. Take the time to evaluate your child's age, abilities, and growth and figure out whether there is a comprehension or other learning issue, or whether it is simply a patience issue. Then seek out the appropriate help to help put your child on the right path to success.
What are your experiences or tips for teaching children to read? Was it a breeze or a struggle for your kids? Leave a comment below!
TIPsters is a collaboration of myself, Kristin and Allyson. You can read their ideas on our topics at their respective blogs, Bits and Pieces from My Life and A Heart for Home.
*Note: Due to some personal issues going on in each of our lives, TIPsters is going to take a break so we can also reevaluate. So there will not be a new post next month. I will update once we have an idea on if/when we will be back.
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