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 nine of “Grooming Stellar Readers” we shared how decodable texts play an integral role in the success of your little ones reading. Decodable texts are books written with a focus on a particular phonetic pattern or word family. They are short, contain visuals that support the text and may contain phonetic skill questions that require your child to refer back to the text. They are also great tools to practice fluency, automaticity, stamina, and confidence. In today’s final blog post for this series we conclude by wrapping up the path your little reader has been on.
Off to being Stellar…
We have reached the end or have we? Remember these blog posts were quick summaries of the steps you can take to jump-start your little ones reading success. It is a process that takes months and possibly a year! It all starts with the caregivers mindset and how involved they are in including these recommendations on an EVERYDAY basis. There are no days off. These tools are the foundation to ensuring your little one is successful. Of course there is much more to do in between the topics I covered. If you would like to explore those steps with us please feel free to contact us at the web address below.
But to review:
First start off with practicing a particular routine and being consistent in making sure it is part of your everyday flow. Practicing and consistency along with active engagement is critical in making sure your little one is ready to begin direct instruction in learning to read.
Then you want to observe and act. Pay close attention to your child throughout the day to determine the times and during which play activities you can begin to immerse your child in direct instruction. The key is to start small and build up your child’s stamina.
Now it’s time to introduce the alphabet and their letter sounds. While your child is playing or engaging in their favorite activity, sing the ABC song with them. Focus not only on the cadence but proper pronunciation of the letter.
Next is the introduction of sticky notes to build sight word knowledge. It is also used to promote print awareness around the house and assess if your child truly recognizes words.
Now after your child has had a substantial amount of utilizing the sight word learning protocol using sticky notes, introduce index cards to maintain word knowledge and increase your little ones independence.
Once your little one is in the routine of constant word introduction and retains well through exposure and practice, it is time to introduce words of the week. ‘Words of the Week’ are words you introduce on a weekly or bi-weekly basis (depending on your child’s ability) to your little one. These words can be part of speech, multi-syllabic words and words that are repetitive in the texts they have been reading.
In addition to learning all of these words this would be a great time to now create word walls for your little one. The area(s) your child frequents is an opportunity for learning to occur. Displaying these words promotes a print rich environment. Your child will be immersed in language, spoken and print, daily which in turn will increase their language and word identification skills.
It’s now time to move on to creating stories using the sight words your child recognizes. These are self made books that you and your child can make together. One tip to remember is to include your little one in the story.
Your little one is now engaged in self made books and now it’s time to introduce them to decodable readers. Decodable texts are books written with a focus on a particular phonetic pattern or word family. They are short, contain visuals that support the text and may contain phonetic skill questions that require your child to refer back to the text. These are great books to practice not only reading ,but fluency, automaticity, stamina, and confidence.
Learning is never-ending, thank you for joining us on this wonderful journey of reading!
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
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