If you’re looking for a didactic list, here’s a theoretical, academic sequence for teaching your child to read. Just remember that learning to read is complex, and there is no quick-fix or shortcut.
Learn
Teaching your child to read is much more than learning the alphabet and sight words. It’s about:
There are also some essential academic concepts to know when your child is learning to read.
P.S. – Don’t fret if your child doesn’t want to read. It’s normal!
Do
Core Marbles
- Teach the sounds of the letters – Use a sound chart (e.g. “apple – apple – a –a-a.” It is necessary for your child to make connections between letters and sounds; however, it is not necessary for your child to know the names of the letters before the sounds of the letters.
- Teach short, one-syllable words with picture support. (e.g., sun, cat, dog)
- Manipulate the sounds in the short words first orally, and then with manipulatives.
- For example, “If I take away the ‘c’ from ‘cat’ and replace it with ‘h’, I have ‘hat’”.
- This should be done for the beginning and final consonants first, and then the vowel sound in the middle. Magnetic letters are wonderful for this game.
- Manipulate the sounds in the short words first orally, and then with manipulatives.
- Teach sight words.
- Sight words (or ‘snap’ words) make up 50-75% of all written material. They are words that need to be memorized as they don’t follow typical spelling rules (e.g., look, my, we, little, etc.), and need to be recognized instantly – in a ‘snap’. Try to make learning them fun.
- Connect the sight word to an illustration – games, flashcards, posters.
- Find these words in your child’s favorite books.
- Repetition. There’s no quick, easy shortcut for learning sight words. It’s pure repetition.
- Here’s a master list of sight words. There are many words. There are many lists. Best way to learn them is by connecting them to a picture or activity, finding them in books and playing Sight Word Bingo. Rote memorization is never fun for anyone.
- Sight words (or ‘snap’ words) make up 50-75% of all written material. They are words that need to be memorized as they don’t follow typical spelling rules (e.g., look, my, we, little, etc.), and need to be recognized instantly – in a ‘snap’. Try to make learning them fun.
- Teach some core spelling rules.
- You can begin this work with your child as soon as they show an interest in reading, often around age 4. Before you begin with vowels, ensure your child is recognizing initial and final consonant sounds of simple words (e.g., sun, dog, cat, pan, etc.).
- Some common rules (Use picture support wherever you can. Rules are much easier to recall with a visual prompt.)
- Short vowels – Words that go “consonant vowel consonant (CVC)”.
- Digraphs – Words with th, sh, ch, wh, etc.
- This is a great game for teaching digraphs.
- Go on a blends and digraphs scavenger hunt.
- Blends – Words that begin with:
- st/sp/sk/sm
- bl/br/gr/gl
- Common long vowels – oa, ai, a-e, i-e, o-e, u-e, igh, etc.
- Other vowels – oi, er, ew, ar, ow, or, etc.
- Build vocabulary.
- Talk, talk, talk.
- Read, read, read.
- Word pairing – Draw connections between words your child knows and words that are new.
- Pair a new word with a synonym.
- Break down words into components (e.g., sunshine, airplane, pancake, strawberry, etc.)
- Build fluency.
- Repetition.
- Choose stories that encourage rhythm, intonation and expression.