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Not every kid is going to learn to read on a traditional timeline. Not every kid is going to love it, either. But as a parent, there are things you can do to spark an interest, develop skills, and encourage a future in reading.
My first kid learned to read at the age of two. My youngest we didn’t push early on, and he’s just starting to read at age five. There are some things I’ve done with both, so I thought I’d share them with you.
1. Bob Books
The thing with Bob Books is they start from zero. Step One books contain words too difficult for an early reader, but Bob books start with three-letter words and plenty of repetition. Also there are twelve books in a series and multiple series that build on each other. They are simply perfect to begin to teach a child to read with.
2. Reading apps
Educational apps are a great supplement to physical books and help the wheels turn for your child. Our favorite is the Hooked on Phonics app, which costs $12.99/month, but we found to be worth it. Other good apps include the Starfall Learn to Read app, Homer, and Reading Eggs.
3. Read books to your child
This may seem obvious, but it’s easy to skip when you have a busy schedule. Work it into your bedtime routine. If you can’t personally do it all the time, see if there’s another family member available to help out. To be honest, sometimes when it’s the longer books like Dr. Seuss I will skip pages or lines, but it’s better than nothing! Your kids will learn to love reading if they are read to a lot. Some of our favorites are the Little Blue Truck series, Whatever You Are, My Love Will Find You, Fancy Nancy, and Angelina Ballerina.
4. Read and spell things around you
When my five-year-old was three, he memorized how to spell “stop” from the stop signs. From then he will ask me how to spell things all the time. You can start with family names, and then add common items that are simple to spell. This will help kids think about sounding things out and also memorize the spelling of words.
5. Slowly sound out the words
My son’s preschool teacher advised us to exaggerate the individual sounds in words that we encounter in every day life. It’s the same thing that I do when I’m helping him with a tricky word he’s reading; I enunciate every letter sound slowly separately and then a little quicker together without actually reading the word (“ssss-tttt-oooo-pppp…s-t-o-p).
If your kid isn’t displaying an interest in reading, you shouldn’t push them. They can be successful academically without reading early or even “on time.” At the same time, one of these ideas might help pique their interest, so give it a shot!