Teaching your child to read is one of the most rewarding experiences. As a parent, you might feel pressured to make your child learn how to read at a very young age. But letting your child learn in his or her own space can be more effective and beneficial for both of you in the long run. Also, no matter what strategies or tools you use to teach your child to read, you must go slow and steady. In this article, you will find some easy ways to help your child learn to read.

7 Ways to Teach Your Child to Read

1. Teach Letter Sounds

Teaching sounds to your kids can help them to learn the letter names easily. For example, if you are teaching the letter P, then you can associate the sound with the /p/ sound in papa or parrot. The idea is to allow the children to find a link between the letters and sounds. Thus, they can learn and remember all the letters and sounds.

2. Use Flash Cards for Words

The best way to teach your child to learn is to make them know some easy and common words. You can do this by using flashcards with pictures. You can say out the name of each card and then ask your child to say it. Start with 5 to 6 cards at the beginning and then you can introduce more cards. Do not rush things and allow them to have their own time to recognize the pictures and say the names.

3. Invest Time in Talking with Your Kids

The more you talk with your child, the faster he or she can try to talk. Every time you say a word to your child, he or she hears it. The more you use the word, the faster he or she can learn it. So, talk to your child as much as you can. Start talking to them in easy and simple sentences so that they can say them if they try to imitate you.

4. Schedule Story-time Everyday

Storytelling sessions not only catch the kids’ attention but also help them to learn to read faster. Stories are interesting ways to teach children new words of different objects, and feelings. Children can easily associate with the words they learn during the storytelling sessions. So, if you want your child to learn how to read you have to spend quality time reading out to him.

5. Practice Word Lessons Anytime

One of the best ways to teach your child how to read is to make him hear words every now and then. Make sure to show your child objects and say the names aloud throughout the day. This way, you will encourage him or her to utter the names. Thus, it will be easier for the children to learn how to read.

6. Teach Your Children Phonetics

Make the best use of nursery rhymes and songs to help your child learn about sounds. Also, it will help them to understand the syllables in words. Besides, teach your child about phonetics using simple words. Once you are able to create a strong base for syllables and sounds for your child, he or she will never face difficulty in reading.

7. Play Games to Teach Words and Sentences

There are many games available online and offline to teach kids the basics of reading. Word-formation or sentence-formation games are great ways to make your child an expert in reading. Sight words occur frequently in reading. These are words like was, were, I, you, she, they, etc. These words can be taught using cards or games easily.

Last but not the least, learning to read is a beautiful journey for a child. Be your child’s partner in this wonderful journey. As parents, you need to make this journey more enjoyable for your kid. So, do not have any expectations in regards to how much your child is learning or how much time he or she is taking learning to read. With patience, love, and support, you can teach your child how to read without much effort.