My Reading Buddy

I was blown away today. So I wanted to take this moment to share how proud I am of my oldest daughter.

We have a set of flashcards that feature 'Sight Words' - they are 192 common words from the Dolch and Fry high-frequency word lists. She was able to read every single one with minimal assistance. The box says they are for children ages 6 & up, and she is only 5 years old.

She is the youngest kid in her senior kindergarten class and I am so proud of how well she is doing with her reading ability, although for anyone who has spent any period of time with her might not be surprised. I give her full credit for her accomplishments as she has had a love affair with books since she was one year old, but I will tell you what we have done as parents to help foster this.

5 Tips for helping your children learn to read

1) Books, lots and lots of them.
Make sure that you have books in your home and if possible in every single room. Read to them as early as possible to help develop the habit early; before naps and bedtime is a perfect and favorite time for my girls. The library is a great place to frequent to get new stories and when someone asks you what to get your child for their birthday or Christmas, always tell them books.

2) Start with the basis
We bought Alphabet flashcards and a poster for the playroom to start learning the letters. Don't stop there but include the sounds that each letter makes, including the long and short vowels. Do a little at a time and repeat as often as you can.

3) Practice, practice, practice
Once the alphabet is figured out, don't be afraid to move onto some Sight Words. Pick out eight-ten words at a time and have them first spell the word out. Then have them make the sound of each letter in the word. And finally if they can, tell you what the word was or in most cases in the beginning tell them the word and have them repeat it back to you.

4) Don't give up
There will be times when you feel like they aren't understanding things, but strangely enough they are absorbing every single second. All of a sudden it will all make more sense to them and you will be amazed. The important thing is to not let anyone get frustrated, and that includes yourself. Their attention span is not very long, so be aware of when they start loosing focus.

5) Have fun!!
This is a great opportunity to introduce your child to all the stories you loved growing up. It gives you a perfect excuse to be a kid again. Plus the greatest reward comes when they can read you a story. Celebrate that moment, make a big deal about it, make sure they know that reading is something to be very proud of.

Which leads me back to today; I am so proud of my daughter. She is quite an amazing little girl, yes I'm biased, and she is going to go very far in life. Learning to read is such an important milestone and I'm happy that her mom and I have been there every step of the way to enjoy this success with her.

The Flash Cards are from TREND enterprises, Inc. and were purchased at Scholar's Choice. I highly recommend these products as a learning tool.

What tips do you have for teaching reading at home? What recommendations does anyone have for where we go from here?