School curriculums are becoming increasingly more difficult. Most children learn how to read by the end of their kindergarten year. But what happens if a child can not read? No other question creates parental anxiety like this one. Many parents compare developmental milestones all of the time, but this academic milestone causes the most stress. Parents do not need to wait until a child attends school to teach them how to read. Taking control of a child’s education reduces parental anxiety and makes a child’s transition to school easier.
Developing Phonemic Connections by Daily Parental Reading
When a child understands that the written word carries different sounds he begins the first step toward learning to read. Phonetic connections occur when a parent reads to a child daily. Nursery rhythms and stories rich in alliteration develop a child’s keen awareness that words spelled certain ways have a specific sound.
Dr. Seuss offers children the opportunity to learn the sounds of certain word families while engaging the child in an entertaining story. The constant repetition in Dr. Seuss stories trains the child to hear and recognize a specific sound. For example, in The Cat in the Hat, the child is consistently exposed to the word family at, with subsequent words like cat, hat, at. In Green Eggs and Ham, the child learns the word family am in subsequent words like Sam, ham, am. While reading to a child on a daily basis helps the child eventually learn to read, reading stories with rhyming text offers the best results.
Selecting a Reading Program for Home Use
Many parents feel intimidated at the thought of teaching their children to read. But, there are many existing programs with scripted curriculum that streamline the process and make teaching reading easy. For example, the book Ordinary Parent’s Guide to Teaching Reading (Peace Hill Press, 2005) by Jessie Wise offers a scripted explicit phonics program.
The book offers over 230 lessons beginning with individual consonant sounds and ending with multisyllabic words at a fourth grade level. Each lesson is brief and offers additional projects to reinforce some of the lessons. Each lesson builds upon the past lesson and the author encourages a review after every five lessons. Review lessons after completing a set of five lessons to help in the retention of the material.
While a book format is just as effective as a software program, many parents prefer the use of a software program when teaching their child how to read. Funnix offers two levels of programming that provides scripted embedded phonics instruction. Here the parent participates alongside the child and follows the prompts provided on the screen. The program exposes the student to 10% new material upon each lesson. Students begin to intuitively learn phonics patterns and formations and eventually read blocks of text.
Funnix offers 120 lessons that provide engaging colorful material that makes the child want to learn. The daily lessons take about twenty minutes a day. If a child successfully completes the program, he should comfortably read at a second grade level. Funnix offers a second level entitled, Funnix 2 which proceeds with the Funnix, but at a slightly higher level. It contains 100 lessons, and upon completion of this program, the student has obtained proficiency of a mid third grade level student.
Selecting Tutoring Centers to Supplement Learning
Supplemental tutoring centers like Kumon Math and Reading centers provide additional reading reinforcements on a daily basis. These centers offer short daily reading instruction that builds upon the last lesson. Kumon requires mastery of the lesson before progressing, so students develop a strong foundation in reading.
Some parents choose a Kumon learning center program for supplemental education, while other parents feel uncomfortable with the notion of teaching their own children how to read, and opt to use the center as a primary learning method. Whatever the motivation, Kumon offers another option for parents. The program ranges from $85 to $110 per month per student and requires daily lessons. Kumon believes that daily practice develops an automatic response to reading that remains with the child along their entire academic career.
Taking control of a child’s education reduces anxiety and promotes a sense of empowerment. Many parents today have considerable options ranging from books, software, and tutoring centers. Whatever the choice, learning reading should be an enriching experience enjoyed by both the parent and child.
Sources:
Wise, Jessie. Ordinary Parent’s Guide to Teaching Reading . Charles City, VA: Peace Hill Press, 2005.
Englemann, Siegfried. Funnix Reading Programs. Eugene OR: Royal Limited Partnership, 2002.
Blanca Sola - Blanca Sola, a graduate from the University of South Florida has worked in the staffing industry for over five years. Nine years ago, ...
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