The earlier you expose your child(ren) to language the earlier they will become readers. Learning to read is a trained brain activity. While it may seem for some that reading is an innate ability that just happens, what is actually happening is the processing systems in our brain are functioning at an increased rate! This makes picking up language, oral and print, easily.
My son started to read words close to two years old and read books by the time he was three (he's four now). My daughter started reading words shortly after turning one year old and has been reading books a bit after one and a half years old (she's two now).
How is this possible? Follow this series of blog posts, "Grooming Stellar Readers" to learn how we are accomplishing this goal now.
In part seven of “Grooming Stellar Readers” we touched the surface on what a print rich environment is and examples. Displaying word walls in the house can serve as a reference for your child. It also creates a learning opportunity in any area they frequent. It’s important when constructing word walls that you not only have the word but also utilize picture representations of the word. Now we have come to the point where your little one is ready to read books. YAY!!!!!!
Creating Stories (using sight words)
You should be very proud of your little one. At this point a set routine is in place. Your child is engaged in indirect and direct learning. Your child is being exposed to print numerous times throughout the day and can recognize a plethora of words. It’s only right to now include these words in self-made “books” created by none other than YOU. You may be thinking, “this is too much, we already have books that we read to our little one, why create our own?” One major reason is that these books are personalized for YOUR child. You know what words your child knows and does not know. Why not create a short story using your child’s name, the words they know and their daily activities? Believe me, your child will love reading about themselves. So how should one go about this? There are many options but I will share the two that I used for my son.
The first book I made for my son was about things my son liked to do. I copied and pasted a picture of each activity on a google document and wrote a one line sentence containing five words. Each page started with the same sentence starter, “I like to play…” The words written for the activity he did not recognize at first, but the picture support helped him associate the action in the image to the unknown word. The books was front to back and four pages long. Several of these books were made and it became complex. The book was longer, sentences became longer and more than one sentence was written on each page.
Once I realized he can transition into reading lengthier stories, I utilized index cards and began to write what his morning or afternoon routine was. It later progressed to particular events that occurred in or outside of the house. Once he was able to recognize all sight words up to second grade I transitioned to this. Other unknown words I would tell him what it was and later introduced blending letter sounds together to read the word successfully.
You have been a part of this journey for some time now so you are aware of what your child is capable of doing. Remember to start small and build up to complexity. We do not want our little ones to be discouraged from the jump.
To learn more about how you can groom your child into a stellar reader, set up a free 30 minute consultation by contacting us at info@cuenye.com
Comments