Edith Said:

What is the best technique for teaching a young child to read?

We Answered:

It's great that he has developed a love for reading so early, but be sure not to overdo it with the reading programs that might diminish his love for reading. It sounds like he is right where he needs to be.

At his age, it is most important that he is simply exposed to books. Early literacy skills are being developed and you may not even realize it. Concepts such as learning which way to hold a book, the idea that the text has meaning, the idea that words and sentences are read from left to right, and other very basic skills. He is learning a lot right now as you continue to read to him. The skills that he is developing now are essential and important in learning to read. These types of skills can be built up by reading often, of course, as well as pointing to the words as you read them, helping him to hold the book correctly, asking him where the book starts as well as where the book ends.

Continue reading and talking to build these literacy connections. Encouraging the building of his vocabulary is very important at his age. As he gets older and does learn to read, having that foundational knowledge of vocabulary is essential in his successful comprehension of literature.

If you are anxious to do something to encourage his early reading skills, continue focusing on the letters and sounds just as you say that you do. Match letter sounds to words beginning with that sound. Let him watch you writing words as you say them. Play with magnetic letters. Listen to audio books. Visit the library where he is exposed to books and is able to see the variety. Point out words on packaging and at the grocery store, etc. Another excellent resource are the free Sesame Street podcasts through iTunes that encourage vocabulary building as well as alphabetic skills.

Teaching reading is a process and he is well into his process! Like you said, it's important to remember that he is just three! As an educator, it is wonderful to hear from parents so excited and anxious to help their children learn!

Nora Said:

Any book recommendations for teaching a child to read English?

We Answered:

well i teach my little sis how to read a little bit but look for the steps 1-4 books and intill he learns it good as he can and move on to step 2 and keep on doing it like that.

Gloria Said:

good websites for teaching child to read?

We Answered:

Not a website, but keep an eye out for the excellent Fun with Phonics series on BBC2/Cbeebies http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/grownups/a…

My 4.5 year old is also fairly taken with SuperWhy (on Nick Junior if you have cable/satellite Don't know if it's running at the mo - but this should give you an idea http://pbskids.org/superwhy/# - it's revoiced with British kids and the all important zed not zee on Nick Jr)

You can get a 10 day free trial (£30 per year after) of this site which is worth a look:
http://www.educationcity.com

Again, not free, but my daughter is romping ahead of the school reading scheme using the Usborne Phonics readers. It's worth getting on the email list of your local Usborne rep as I have seen these in the sale a few times with mine - I picked mine up really cheaply - nowhere near full price, about £12! (They are usually £5 each and there are 12, however I have just seen they do a collecion with 6 in each volume for £10 each:
http://www.usbornebooks.co.uk/catalogue/…
http://www.usbornebooks.co.uk/catalogue/…
They may be at your library, or you may be able to pick them up cheaply off ebay too

Finally, it's worth seaching for homeschooling resources online - there are some good links from this blog:
http://resources4home-education.blogspot…

Hope this is some help - good luck!

Z

Joanne Said:

What is the best time to start teaching a child to read?

We Answered:

Lots of good points in the other posts. I am teaching in a small bush Alaska village with absolutely no environmental print. Books are not in the homes. Most of the kids start school having never held a crayon or pencil and never even seen a book, magazine, or newspaper in their home. They have great difficulty in reading even after many years of schooling. I have high schoolers reading on grade levels 1.5 through 3.5.

I believe that children should see their caretakers reading, see environmental print in the home as well as community, and be exposed to a large vocabulary of words. If they haven't heard the words, they have great difficulty reading them and a worse time comprehending them.

Read to you children from birth. The exposure to the vocabulary will only help them. It doesn't matter what you read to them when they are infants. If you have a good book you're reading, read it out loud with the baby in you arms/lap, the crib, the playpen, on the floor on a blanket. When they are about 6 months old, start reading them children's books with lots of colorful pictures. As they begin grabbing the pages, move to the cardboard or cloth books that they can't tear up easily so they can handle them. Keep reading them short stories all along though. When they are about a year old, put labels on things in your home at their eye level. Yes, they will pull them off, just keep putting them back on. Just pick 5 things to have a label on at a time so you don't drive yourself crazy. Read the word and touch whatever the object is.

READ READ READ to them EVERY single day/night. Let them see you reading, not just vegging with the tv on or playing video games. Read the newspaper, magazines, comic books, books, whatever.

Have the letters of the alphabet up somewhere in you home. Point to one letter and say its name everyday. I always pointed to the letter (let's say B), and said B, B, B says "b" and make the sound that B says. Then I would say a couple of words my kids knew that started with that letter. Boat, ball, brother.

The key is exposure, not pressure. Like everyone else says, the kid will want to read and learn to read when they are ready.

Ryan Said:

How do you start teaching a child to read? I do not remember when I learned to read.?

We Answered:

Well, I bought the leap frog refrigerator phonics pack at Costco for 19.99. My daughter learned the alphabet as well as the phonics related to them and I started spelling out first the two letter words and then three for her to sound out. Then I started giving her the rules about sh sounds, th sounds, ch sounds and she has been reading since she was 4. She is six now and reads all kinds of things like Gulfstream and my mother in law's refrigerator had a sticker that said Gravity rules. Children are incredible sponges! Good luck!

Tracy Said:

Need tips on teaching child to read!?

We Answered:

My son is 6 and just learned to read, what helped him was when we read to him we would use our finger on the book so he could follow along. If she knows the letter and their sounds then you should work on helping her sound out the words. Its kind of frustrating at first but just keep practicing with her and she'll get the hang of it. Practice makes perfect.

Jo Said:

What are the first steps for teaching a child to read?

We Answered:

Keep up what you're doing. Make sure to read to him too. When I was 3, I could already read because my brother always read to me (he's 3 yrs older)