Learning to Read

Read to him. Make it a special time together.

Tom

 

Haven't you been reading him bedtime stories for years? Time to ask him to read to you. Start with the simpler books, obviously, and get him to point out the letters and tell you what sounds they make. Even road signs and advertising can be learning opportunities. From there, he can sound out the words and then put sentences together. There's no better teacher than a dedicated parent. You should both be at the library at least once a week - let him pick a few books, even if they're too hard at first. The librarian can suggest age-appropriate material and should be very helpful.

 

I was taught phonetics when I was 3 and in kindergarten (in Canada) and was reading shortly thereafter. When we moved to the states, the "honour" classes were a joke. It is shameful what gets passed as education.

When you teach your child, please teach him/her phonetics and not "reading". It is laughable when people around here try to pronounce words they have not seen before. If you teach the basics, the rest will follow.

 

If you're looking for suggestions, I can highly recommend PD Eastman as an author. 'Go Dog Go' and 'Are You My Mother?' are timeless classics.

No beginner reading programme would be complete without Dr Suess. 'One Fish Two Fish' would be a great starting point. One of my oldest daughter's absolute favourite things in the whole world - still, at 22 - is to listen to 'Fox in Socks' read... [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EP1ZrAv8A4"]...as fast as possible[/ame].

 

+1 Raising 2 little girls, now adults, I wholeheartedly agree with your reading recommendations. As a family, we nurtured our bedtime reading skills on Eastman, Seuss and more. Today, our girls continue to be avid readers.

 

As others said, bedtime reading is where to start. That's how I started, and by 6th grade I was at an "adult" reading level (which really doesn't mean much anymore!). By 8th grade I had read almost everything by Tom Clancy or John Grisham.

The only other thing I would recommend... look for children's books that have been turned into movies as well. That can give you a great opportunity to develop logic and reasoning skills with the kid - talk with them about the differences - how is the experience different? How was the plot changed? How does the choice of media change how the characters are portrayed or developed?

 

Keep reminding yourself that he's only 4. There's no set timetable he needs to be held too. For both of my children we did just what Hyo laid out a few posts above. My daughter was reading very well at 4, my son took a bit longer (5+). They are now 9 & 12 and both love to read. I miss the times when they would sit on my lap and we'd read books together so try to treasure those moments.

 

Exactly. If he can read basic children's books by the time he starts school in a couple of years, you'll still be way ahead. It's a long process, and you both have to be patient. What matters most is where he is - it's important not to push too hard, while still giving him incentive and encouragement. If you can make learning fun, that will be about the best thing you could ever teach.

 

I remember Mom reading to me and pointing to the words as she read. I was the only child in my Kindergarten class that could read. I suspect things haven't improved.

 

I did homeschool my children, for eleven years.

Don't rush him. Young children shouldn't spend much time focused on printed books, or on TV or computer screens. It is actually amazing just how fast they will pick up reading when they have been read to a lot. It isn't necessary to have him read by a certain age... one day, he'll get annoyed waiting for you, pick up the book, and just take off reading!

Keep reading aloud to him. Not just young children's books, but more interesting ones as he gets older. Discuss math concepts, too. Talk about history. What you really want to do is whet that appetite for learning more. Never, never, never push him when he doesn't want to - time enough for that when he's older, and has to answer to some sort of boss!

Most of his time should be spent playing - hopefully using his imagination!