Although though this article is written for parents or teachers who want to teach their 3 and 4 year old children to read, you can use it for older children as well.
There’s a lot of debate about how to teach children how to read. Some prefer teaching children the alphabet names first, while others prefer teaching them the sounds of the letters first. This article is purposely written as a stand-alone one so that you can make a choice for yourself. You can choose to start with this article, How to Teach 3 and 4 Year Old Children to Read, or How to Teach 3 and 4 Year Old Children to Learn the Alphabets.
Personally, I started with the alphabet names with son and then moved on to their sounds as it was easier for my son and me. I’ve successfully done the same with my students. You can’t go wrong with either choice. The key is to start.
With just 15 minutes a day, you can help your child read, write and speak fluently. If 15 minutes is too much for your child, start with 5 minutes and work your way up to 15 minutes in 1 minute increments every few days. Don’t go beyond this time as it can be exhausting for a little one.
In this article, I’ve outlined 7 activities that you can do to teach your 3 and 4 year old child to read. This is a lot. Don’t do all of them at once. Start with one and move your way down the list in the order that works best for your child. Let them have fun with the process so that they’ll enjoy wanting to read. Far too many children feel that reading is a chore. Give them the space to explore and be engaged.
Reading Intervention Steps:
#1. Sing Songs
Start by reviewing the alphabet song. Then let your children know that each of the alphabets make a special sound. These sounds will help us learn how to read and write better.
Follow this up by playing a phonics song. Let your kids listen to it a few times and then have them join you in singing along with the recording. Making this a part of your daily routine will help your children learn it at a faster pace. You can find a phonics song on YouTube.
#2. Read the Sounds
Whether you’re a teacher or a parent, make reading a book a part of your day. Depending on the alphabet sound that you’re teaching that day, have your children find the letter sounds in the book and say it out loud with you.
For example, if you’re focused on the letter, “f,” have your kids find the letters in each of the sentences of the book that you’re reading with them. Let’s say the sentence says, “the five foxes ate with forks.” Then they find the f sounds in that sentence. There are three f sounds in it.
#3. Play Sound Hunt
Get some large alphabets from your local Dollar Store. Place them around the room in random order. Tell your child that you’re going to play a game. You say the sound of the letter out loud and the child has to walk around the room and choose the letter that matches the alphabet sound that your stated. Once they find the right letter, they need to give it you before you move on to the next letter.
As the child gets more familiar with the letter sounds, quicken the pace of this game to make it more exciting.
#4. Read Your Name
Teach your children how to read the letters in their name. It will personalize the learning and make it more meaningful for them.
Take either the big letters from step #2 and have your children lay out the alphabets of their name. You should do the same for your own name. Praise your child when they learn how to spell their name.
#5. Read Small Words
Once your children have mastered their alphabet sounds, go to your local Dollar Store and get some magnetic letters. Choose a two-letter word from a book that you’re ready and post it up on your fridge. Have them sound it out and practice that one word until they are ready to move on to the next one. For example, they can learn the word, “on.” They can break up this word by saying, “Aw” “N” = “on.” You can expand to three letter words and so forth as your child feels more confident in their ability.
Integrating phonics into your teaching practice will help your child see the relationship between the sounds of the letters and the words so that they can learn how to sound out the words when they read.
#6. Read The Words
Take the big letters from step #3 and have your child choose a letter from a basket or another container. Have them look for items that start with that letter. For example, if they choose the letter, “B,” then ask them, “what words can we spot around the room that starts with this letter sound?” They may say “blue, “ball,” “board. This will add a real-life perspective to it.
#7. Practice Sight Words
Let your children know that there are some words that we cannot sound out, but they are just as important when trying to read. They are sight words. For example, “the” or “does.”
Learning this can be challenging as these words should be memorized.
If you want your child to have success in reading, spend more time on the sounds and phonics before working on sight words.
Recap:
Let’s recap really quickly. Today, we looked at the following:
- The reasons why it’ important to your children how to read by integrating the alphabet sounds into your teaching practice.
- How to teach 3 and 4 year old children to read: sing songs, read the sounds, play sound hunt, read your name, read small words, read the words, and practice sight words.
Free Resources:
For a taste of the resources that were mentioned in step two, check out the following resource in my FREE Education Resource Library.
Teach your little ones how to make good choices with the following FREE Resource:
Next Steps:
If you found this video beneficial, would you do me a favor? Share this with your family, your friends, your loved ones, your co-workers or someone who you think could benefit from this. Thank you!
I’ll see you next Friday at 5:30pm PST.
Until I see you next time, remember to create, experience & teach from the heart.
Take care,
Charlotte
Disclaimer: I’m a teacher and a parent. I’m not a medical professional, so please don’t take this as medical advice. The advice that I provide in my videos and online are strategies that I have used in my own class or at home that have worked beautifully.
