The very first step in teaching reading is Sight words training. The idea behind this is show your kid a word so many times that next time when your kid will see the word, he/she can recognize it easily.
There are traditional methods of Flash cards, word books etc. They work well no doubt but take a very long time. Research revealed more you engage your kid on a word, the more easy for them to remember it.
The assumption here, is the kid is already english speaking and knows the meaning of the word. This training is about teaching the kid to read and write.
To engage more on a word we need to add some extra steps to the traditional way. Not just looking at the word but also develop some activities where the kid will write the word many times. Also the kid will learn to use the word in a sentence.
To start with the activities, first pick a simple word that the kid knows very well , yet the spelling is simple. May be a three letter word.
Tell your kid, that you are teaching him/her how to read and write that word he/she already knows. So we will play a funny word game. After the word game he/she can read that word any where see it.
Now on a paper , write in capital the word you selected and read it to your kid. I am taking example of the word YOU.
YOU
Below that write just the first two letters of the word (YO_) and ask your kid what is the last letter. Ask to write the letter. Then let your kid let the three letters and read the whole word again.
Then write first and third letters (Y_U)and ask your kid to write the second letter and complete the word. Then ask to read the letters one by one and then read the whole word.
Now skip the first letter (_OU) and ask your kid to write the first letter and complete the word. Then ask your kid to read aloud the letters and read the whole word.
Finally write three blank spaces (___) and now ask your kid to write all the three letters. After that ask your kid to read the letters aloud and then read the whole word again.
By this time your kid will be knowing the word YOU.
Also he/she will know the spelling of you and how to write YOU.
Do the same exercise now with LOWERCASE (you) so that your kid will learn the “you” word too.
Now come to the fun part. Write some simple sentences with three simple words which has “you” in it. Just don’t write the word “you” and ask your kid to fill it in the sentences.
Then read the sentences for your kid.
Next, give the YOU word in scrambled way like “OYU” and ask your kid to re-arrange them.
If your kid can do this. Congratulations!! Your kid learnt the word YOU completely.
Initially take two days for one word. Once done, go ahead with a new word.
While doing the sentence practice for new word, try to add previous word in the sentence and let your kid read it by self.
This is learning part. It is easy and effective. But remember , like anything kids can also forget the words learnt long back so keep doing the following
- For every new words, in between give the old words learnt.- Revise
- In sentence practice use old words. – Revise
- While in car, shop or bedtime play word games and ask old learnt words.- Practice
- Whenever you see any word learnt anywhere, point to your kid and ask if can read. – Application
- Open a page on a story book and ask your kid to find a word and circle it. – Recognition
- Ask your kid to say a sentence with a word.- Application
In the above method if noticed, the crucial parts were
- Repetition
- Writing
Both those activities making additional impression in your kids brain. Which is making longer and permanent storage in their memories.
Once your kid learns good a few words, encourage your kid to write their own sentence with some words he/she knows. Tell your kid to ask you for spelling for any word he/she doesn’t know.
Remember, all kids are different. Some learn things quickly , some take time. As parents , it is our responsibility to give them proper time and help to learn. Motivate your kid to learn. Teach them learning is fun. Knowing things are fun. Believe me they will surprise you.
I am attaching a sample worksheet for the above activities for few simple sight words. You can do similar for more simple words later.
