How Children Learn to Read
Learning to read begins very early in life, alongside learning to talk.
Learning to talk is the fundamental skill that a young child needs to master and reading is an aspect of language.
Babies love bright colors and need large colorfully illustrated books.
When a trusted parent or adult talks about the pictures and words a child begins to realize that the information in a book never changes.
A child who is used to being read to will begin to mimic the adult reading behavior and begin to hold the book the right way up, turn pages correctly, ‘read’ and chant from known parts of the book. All aspects of learning to read.
Young children who have their own books ‘read’ their favorites or ask to have them read to them again and again.
I still have a vivid memory of my young son protesting when his father took a short cut and left out parts of his favorite story. He knew this story by heart!
During the early phases of learning to read your child is remembering word patterns and learning about the language of books.
This is a very important part and often underestimated aspect of learning to read.
There is no need for formally teaching a child at this stage. Incidental teaching when the need arises is of course valuable. The aim at this stage should be to develop an interest in written language through sharing and discussing books and other written material.
Once this foundation has been set the next stage is recognizing and noticing letters in their own names and in books. The first letter my sons discovered was the letter K. This was the letter on the K Mart store. They called the letter kmarto and searched for it in every piece of print they could find.
Much fun and laughter ensured as they did this.
Before starting school, some children take the next step and begin to notice letters from their name or recognize a word or two as books are read together.
Many children don’t, though. This is normal, because children all develop at very different rates.
I have noticed that many young children begin school knowing their letters and sounds and words that begin with them thanks to television and computer programs and of course interested parents.
Phonics or letter sound relationships are firmly established.
There should be no stress placed on the child to learn letter names and the sounds they represent.
In years past a strategy for teaching children to read was by using words on cards. When you knew enough words, you were given a book to practice.
Teaching methods have certainly changed for the better since those days.
As close as forty years ago, books for young children often had poor illustrations and very simple language. The illustrations were regarded as secondary to the reading of text.
Things have improved due to the change in teaching and learning.
Today quality texts, where the language sounds good and the illustrations often stunning, play an important part in developing children’s reading skills. Often a whole class is taught to read together through the use of a big book so everyone can see and join in as the teacher points out letters, words and sentences. Reading and writing are linked.
The modern classroom and technology provide a wide range of activities that encourage every child to succeed at developing their literacy skills.
A website that offers great information and activities is
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/parents/index.shtml