Summary:
In this episode I share some of my thoughts on learning to read.
I'm a proponent of letting go of arbitrary ages to teach reading and waiting until a child is ready and motivated whether that might be age 4 or 7 or 10. Don't push it. Wait until the are interested, ready, and motivated. One thing you can do at any and all ages is to read a loud. Read to your infants, your toddlers, and all ages of kids. Read daily in some format, it doesn't have to be hours. Even reading just at bedtime is important. Audio books can be a good resource as well. Another important key is to make books and reading a part of your daily life and home. Be a role model for your kids and letting them see you reading and seeing books in your space is important for kids to see that books are a valuable part of life.
Resources:
-Video for learning the letters and their sounds: Leapfrog Letter Factory
-Beginning phonics readers: Bob Books and my all time favorite-Now I'm Reading by Nora Gaydos. Each of these series have multiple levels.
-Explode the Code series is a phonics workbook that I've used for 4 children.
-Two on line programs we've used are Starfall and Reading Eggs
I don't have a schedule or specific guide to use these resources. While we do sit down and do work daily, there is no set amount of time or number of lessons. It just depends on each child what they can handle.
As an additional resource I would encourage anyone to listen to Reading: What Every Parent Needs to Know by Julie Bogart. Julie is a long time homeschool mentor of mine and this video is very helpful in thinking about your child and their needs in learning to read.
Thanks for listening!
(Full Disclosure: Amazon links are affiliate links and I receive a small percentage of the sale if you choose to purchase thru the link, however, the price is the same regardless!)