As parents, you are the most important first step in your children's journey into the wonderful world of reading. It is up to you to create the most supportive environment for your child by reading aloud to them: often during the day and before bedtime. There is no shortage of children books, and you should always have a wide variety of children's books, stories, and nursery rhymes available.
Years of research and experience has shown that most children begin learning the sound of words at about 4 years, improving steadily under normal circumstances to attain a certain level of proficiency by 6 years when in Grade 2. This gives learning children a lead in comprehension and excellence in other subjects, and they do accrue greater academic benefits in school.
The more enthusiastic parents of 3 years old often ask us: "Will my child suffer by starting so early?" The answer to that is... No. Statistics show that at least 12%-15% of all children show signs of reading problems in the 2nd or 3rd Grade. By starting early you only ensure your child does not encounter similar problems.
You may now be wondering how to get started in teaching your child to read? Start with teaching the sounds of the letters together with the names. You know the sound of a letter is often different from name of the letter. In reading it is only the sound that really matters so do not be over concerned how the child pronounces the sounds. Accents vary from region to region and people to people so the child may be unable to say most sounds in what you may perceive as the only "right way". It would be wise to remember, that at this stage, learning sounds is only a transitory step to learning to read.
The spoken English language is made up of words and sentences, and these words are made up of individual sounds (phonomes). Once a child can speak, he or she can learn to say and recognize these individual sounds through a process called developing phonemic awareness.
Most English speaking children between 4-5 years would have grasped some basics of grammar so, at this early stage, the parent only needs to depend on the simple mechanics of reading. How to attain the right degree of knowledge in the way grammar has to be studied and applied is best left to be taught in school.
When you buy books for little children you will note that most block (upper case) letters are used for easy identification but while tutoring your child lay greater emphasis on lower case letters as they are more frequently used. Also, remember to limit the initial reading vocabulary since not all words can be read using simple phonemic rules and many important words need to be learned by sight.
So to start with reading can be a complex subject for a parent. The Children Learning to Read program has been extremely effective in parents helping their children to read. In just 12 weeks this program has produced amazing results. It has been particularly successful with children who had difficulties learning to read.
Children who receive the right kind of support and encouragement during their early years will be creative and good learners throughout their lives.
Capt. R.P.Bhalla is a retired airline captain and an expert on social affairs. He writes exclusively on Family, Health and Money matters.
http://easy-child-learning.com
http://easy-child-learning.com
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