By Leah Spina

My son Samson has the energy of a heavily-caffeinated hummingbird. So it was with great interest that I perused the 87,943 reading programs on the market when it was time to teach him how to read.

Apparently, there are a lot of ways to approach this task: Do we teach the letter names first or the letter sounds? Should we introduce capital letters simultaneously with the lowercase letters, or after? How long should we work on reading each day?

After reading “How to Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons,” I condensed my takeaways to seven ideas to teach a child to read successfully.

7 Tips for Teaching a Child to Read

Choose Wisely – A wise homeschool veteran laughed with me over leafy salads one day at lunch. “Leah, choose a curriculum YOU like! You’re the one that has to mess with it each day!”
And so, I did. I am not crafty. I do not like messes. Maybe you love projects and hands-on learning. Whatever your passion, choose a reading program that you are excited to get out each day.
Give it a Break – I started teaching Samson to read when he was four. And, y’all, he just wasn’t ready. The lessons were grueling. I called up an older homeschool friend to ask what I was doing wrong. She told me he just might not be ready. So I put the book away for six months. When we pulled it out again, it was a night and day difference. He was six months older, and six months more ready. If you’ve tried a few weeks with little progress, try taking a break until your child is a little older.
Consider It Like a Foreign Language – When we start a reading lesson, I try to remember “It’s like when you were learning Japanese, Leah.” Remember that the letters that are so familiar to you, the words that are so easy for you, are completely foreign to your little one.
Be patient. Be positive. Be gentle. Remember–it’s like learning a foreign language!
Be Adaptable and Enthusiastic – Sometimes we learn to read outside. Sometimes we learn to read in the car. Sometimes I let him hold an object to get his energy out while we read on the couch. Don’t be afraid to change the atmosphere.
Encourage them – I pretend I am a huge audience roaring in applause if he does well. We laugh over stories that all begin, “THE BOY…” or “THE GIRL….” Or “THE MAN….” by yelling those first two words out loud together. Learning how to read doesn’t need to be boring! It also helps to never go over 20 minutes a day with reading. Just stop. If it helps, do one lesson over two days or repeat a lesson. If you or your child are getting frustrated, it’s time to stop for the day.
Remember the end – Last summer I caught myself hesitating too long to help Samson sound out a word. It almost drove him to tears. He was trying, but just couldn’t do it. I learned a lesson that day. The end goal is a child that not only reads well, but loves reading. We want them to associate a love of learning with reading, and that starts when they learn letters and sounds. Keep your lessons short, upbeat and your eye on the end goal.

***

Leah Spina is a second-generation homeschooler. She lives in the Dallas/Fort Worth, area with her husband of eight years, David, and their three children: Samson (6), Esther (3) and Hannah (1). She graduated from Thomas Edison State College with a degree in business administration and is a former journalist for WORLD magazine. She is an inspirational speaker and author of the Amazon bestseller “Stop and Smell Your Children: Laugh and Enjoy the Little Years.” You can follow her on social media or at LeahSpina.com (digital URL: http://www.leahspina.com)

By Leah Spina

My son Samson has the energy of a heavily-caffeinated hummingbird. So it was with great interest that I perused the 87,943 reading programs on the market when it was time to teach him how to read.

After reading “How to Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons,” I condensed my takeaways to seven ideas to teach a child to read successfully.

7 Tips for Teaching a Child to Read

Choose Wisely – A wise homeschool veteran laughed with me over leafy salads one day at lunch. “Leah, choose a curriculum YOU like! You’re the one that has to mess with it each day!”
And so, I did. I am not crafty. I do not like messes. Maybe you love projects and hands-on learning. Whatever your passion, choose a reading program that you are excited to get out each day.
Give it a Break – I started teaching Samson to read when he was four. And, y’all, he just wasn’t ready. The lessons were grueling. I called up an older homeschool friend to ask what I was doing wrong. She told me he just might not be ready. So I put the book away for six months. When we pulled it out again, it was a night and day difference. He was six months older, and six months more ready. If you’ve tried a few weeks with little progress, try taking a break until your child is a little older.
Consider It Like a Foreign Language – When we start a reading lesson, I try to remember “It’s like when you were learning Japanese, Leah.” Remember that the letters that are so familiar to you, the words that are so easy for you, are completely foreign to your little one.
Be patient. Be positive. Be gentle. Remember–it’s like learning a foreign language!
Be Adaptable and Enthusiastic – Sometimes we learn to read outside. Sometimes we learn to read in the car. Sometimes I let him hold an object to get his energy out while we read on the couch. Don’t be afraid to change the atmosphere.
Encourage them – I pretend I am a huge audience roaring in applause if he does well. We laugh over stories that all begin, “THE BOY…” or “THE GIRL….” Or “THE MAN….” by yelling those first two words out loud together. Learning how to read doesn’t need to be boring! It also helps to never go over 20 minutes a day with reading. Just stop. If it helps, do one lesson over two days or repeat a lesson. If you or your child are getting frustrated, it’s time to stop for the day.
Remember the end – Last summer I caught myself hesitating too long to help Samson sound out a word. It almost drove him to tears. He was trying, but just couldn’t do it. I learned a lesson that day. The end goal is a child that not only reads well, but loves reading. We want them to associate a love of learning with reading, and that starts when they learn letters and sounds. Keep your lessons short, upbeat and your eye on the end goal.