How to teach kids to read? [No matter how you think it is difficult]

Science-based and proven methods to teach any kid to read:

Looking for the right method to teach your child how to read? You are in the right place.

Please note: this post contains some affiliate links. I only recommend products that I trust.

First, I would like to tell you that teach reading to your children at an early age (even before kindergarten) is one of the most important things that will shape their future for years to come.

If you stick to the end of this post you will get a solid clear plan for your kids to learn how to read using the easiest ways

in just 12 weeks or even less.

I would like to let you know this amazing fact to get you excited>>>

Children can learn to read before the age of 3!!!!

Yes, that is right.

Before reaching 3 years old children can learn to read.

Want proof?

Check this out.

Want a step by step documented reading program showing you exactly how to teach a child to read?

A smart father and teacher documented his children’s journey to learn reading before reaching 3-years old and teaches you how you can do it, as well (click here to learn more).

If your child is older but can’t read yet, don’t worry.

Most children learn to read when they reach 5-7 years old and may even delay a little bit more. All I say is it possible to do it at a younger age.

When you decide to start teaching your children reading you may feel overwhelmed and confused.

You may don’t know from where do you start due to contradicting info you receive.

But if you stick to proven teach literacy methods and strategies, this will make it much more clear and you will finally succeed.

Teach a child how to read is really a simple 2-step process:

Once your child is able to talk then it is the right time to start learning reading, yes that the right time of early literacy.

1. First, you teach the alphabet and the shape of each letter.

Teach the sound of each alphabet ( phonemic awareness ).

so when your child sees that alphabet or letter he recognizes it’s the shape and the sound it makes.

And that is a huge step.

2. The second step for him or her is to train and learn how to blend or add these sounds of single letters together to read one word.

That’s it. If you can help your kid learn these 2 things, he can read.

The main question is HOW?!!

We will cover that in a moment.

But let’s answer this question first, what is the wrong way of teaching reading and why many smart kids can suffer reading difficulties?

NOTE: if children don’t catch on with their classmates or who are at the same grade or reading level and you don’t act, they may get behind and suffer for years to come.

IMPORTANT FACTS:

1 ) 67% of US grade 4 students cannot read at a proficient level.

2 ) 33% of Australian year 5 students don’t meet the benchmark literacy skills.

The key difference between a fluent reader and a poor reader is “phonological awareness“.

A child fluent in reading can recognize the word “HAT” and segment it into 3 phonemes ( 3 letter sounds ).

He can replace the letter “h” with the letter “p” to form the word “PAT”.

On the other hand,

A child with reading difficulties (poor reader) will understand the word “HAT” as well but only by shape.

He cannot recognize the sounds of single letters that make the word.

Why is this a problem?

That’s because memorizing words by shape doesn’t solve the problem. It hides it.

If a word is new to him he can’t spell or pronounce it.

More importantly, memorizing words by shape makes it harder later for teachers or parents to help a child recognize individual letters in a word.

What makes it difficult for him to spot individual letter sounds and only read words as a whole?

That’s because he was trained to do so.

Yes, poor educational strategies literally train children to memorize words by shape relying only on sight words.

On the other hand, sight words “teaching method” has some benefits for teaching how to read, too

but if not used at the right time and right way, it can lead to reading difficulties.

I have a detailed article on sight (instant) words covering Dolch and Fry words

discussing the pros and cons and how to use them correctly.

Studies have shown the earlier kindergarten kids learn to read the better.

So let’s waste no time.

Once your child is able to talk then it is time to start teaching your kid to read as soon as possible.

Now

How to start teaching reading to your kid?

Here are some tips and advice about the best methods to teach reading for kindergarten kids or younger ages:

1. Talk to your child more:

The more vocabulary your kid knows the easier for him to learn how to read.

Let’s say he knows the word CAT.

It will be easier for him to read and understand, right?

Talking and making conversations with your kids increases their vocabulary.

How many times you were surprised to hear your kid say words you think he hasn’t listened before?

That’s because they are amazing learners catching new words to them and you have to capitalize on that for teaching reading.

2. Read books in front of your kid:

The idea is we don’t push kids for reading or learning how to read.

Children like to act like us.

When they watch their parents reading they get curious ( hopefully ).

They will start to grab the book and may also, pretend as if they are reading.

Once you have gripped your child’s attention and made him interested in reading books

you have plenty of kindergarten reading books for your kid to choose from.

Your child will engage with new stories, colorful pictures, and fancy characters

not only starting learning to read at an early age but also, learning new concepts and morals.

Now you have got his attention and hooked him on reading and bought reading books for him

it’s time for the third step.

3. Begin with teaching the alphabet:

It is recommended to teach the dis-tar alphabet ( more on that later )

You can teach the alphabet in many ways

using letter magnets, alphabet flashcards,…

using ABC songs is the easiest way to teach and memorize the alphabet for kids.

I remember these days when I was young and couldn’t memorize or say the alphabet unless I sang an alphabet song I liked.

I have collected the best 15 alphabet songs on YouTube for you in one post to use for your kid.

4. Teach your kid the phonemes & build more phonological awareness:

Learning the alphabet is important on the other hand,

learning the sound of each alphabet ( phonemes ) + how to connect these single sounds to create whole words ( phonics ) is even more important.

It is the main thing when we think about how to teach kids to read.

I have a complete guide for you covering skills, strategies, and activities to teach phonics to kindergarten kids.

Also, using phonic songs for kids is always a great idea. I have collected the 11 best phonic songs for you to use with your child.

Hint:

One of the easiest ways to teach phonics for kindergarten kids is the jolly phonics method.

The Heggerty Phonemic Awareness is also an option to consider when teaching phonics.

Reaching this level of literacy you will begin seeing some results with your kid.

NOW, it’s time for reading his first words. It’s time for the fifth step>>

5. Use CVC words to practice phonics:

It’s obvious that when your kid starts learning to read his first words you use simple 3-letter words

like HAT, PAT, CAP, CAT

These words are called CVC words and they are great for kids in there early literacy stages.

I have created printable 88 flashcards for the most common CVC words for kindergarten to download for free.

you can use CVC songs to teach them as well.

6. Introduce sight words at the right time:

After kindergarten kids or even 3-years, old ones become familiar with phonic activities like blending ( blending letter sounds ) and segmenting

It is only now the right time to introduce some high-frequency sight words.

This step comes later as mentioned above aiming to help your kid be a more fluent reader.

Use only sight words that are hard to be phonetically decoded.

Don’t go crazy with sight words as some parents or teachers use hundreds of these and force kids to memorize which isn’t good and can have bad side effects as we discussed later.

You can teach sight words using songs here.

7. Use flashcard games:

Use flashcards games to teach CVC words or sight words.

You can hide these flashcards around the house and ask your child to find them.

When he brings them back you can read the written words together.

It’s a lot of fun.

8. Use “reading for kindergarten worksheets” to Teach reading and literacy skills.

Click the image above to download free reading for kindergarten worksheets.

9. Follow a proven “teach reading program” for kids:

One I highly recommend is the children learning reading program for different literacy skills. It is suitable for children whether they are 3,4 or 7 years old.

10. Use online teach reading games:

Reading programs like Starfall or Reading eggs provide an interactive experience for kids to learn literacy skills while having fun which should be how to teach kids to read.

That is all you need to know about how to teach kids to read.

11. Use reading apps for kids:

Reading apps work really well when your kid is using tablets, smartphones so instead of wasting time we can make his free time a learning experience as well.

Google has introduced a new reading app for kids called Rivet reading app suitable for 6-12 years old kids.

other apps like homer reading.

CONCLUSION:

I see you skipped all the way down to the conclusion you lazy hahaha.

How do you want to teach your child how to read if you don’t want to read yourself?

Go and read this early literacy guide. It’s the only guide you need to read. It shows the easiest way to learn reading for children.

Remember to relax and be patient all time and surely you will have success teaching your kindergarten kid to become fluent in reading.

If you have any questions related to how to teach kids to read, feel free to leave a comment below and I will reply to your questions as soon as possible.

Thank you.

For more info on how to teach kids to read here.