If ya’ll don’t hear me say anything else- hear this. You, yes YOU, need to work with your child at home. Don’t leave it all up to the teacher. Hell, believe it or not, she’s lowkey counting on you.
Trust me! I know that teaching a child to read seems like an impossible task, but I’m going to need you to use that same energy that you spend watching The Handmaid’s Tale, Power, and Queen Sugar to “sat down at the kitchen table with your child and help with that lesson.” Does that sound like your grandmother talking?
Teaching your child to read is going to take some time- not all of your time, but some. You know Rome wasn’t built in…I know you can finish the rest. This task is something that will require patience, commitment, and cursing under your breath- a lot.
I taught my now six-year-old son to read when he was three by using this amazing step-by-step resource (No, I am not getting paid to promote this.) All it took was 20 minutes out of my day. I set a timer, went through a lesson, and closed the book. That’s it. By Lesson 41, he was reading. I am not saying that this is THE resource for teaching your child to read, but it worked for me. The real test will be whether my less attentive four-year-old daughter will be successful with this method. And if she isn’t, that’s okay. We’ve all heard the saying, “Every child can learn- just not on the same day or in the same way.”
I know you’re probably wondering, “How can I help at home?” Glad you asked. Here are some of my recommendations. Take them or leave them- your choice.
- Have conversations with your children- even if they’re babies. You may think it’s silly to talk to a baby, but reading is a language activity. If anyone wants to learn a language, they need to hear it first. Then, eventually, speak it. Literacy skills are developed by exposing children to a variety of words; this is done mostly through conversation- real conversation. Time to eighty-six that goo-goo, gah-gah shit.
- Make reading a regular activity in your home by reading to your child or having your child read to you. Tip: To do this, cut out 30 minutes of scrolling through your social media accounts.
- Your child needs to understand how words work- their spoken parts and the sounds that letters/letter blends make. In case you’re feeling fancy, this concept is called phonological and phonemic awareness in the education world. You’ll know your child has a grasp on phonological awareness if he/she can clap out word syllables, recognize rhyming words or come up with words that have the same beginning and ending sound. If your child can blend (put together) and segment (break apart) words, they have phonemic awareness. To work on blending, have your child listen to the individual sounds of a word. For example b-a-g, ch-in, bl-a-st, etc. They should be able to blend the word together and say it. To work on segmenting, have your child break apart the words. Say the word, and have them tell you which sounds they hear. If you say dish, they should be able to say d-i-sh.
- Listen to your child read and ask questions about what they’re reading. Comprehension is a key part of reading. A child’s reading level is not only based on their fluency but their understanding of the text as well. Here is a list of questions that you can ask your child after a reading selection. Make sure to ask the appropriate questions based on the genre (fiction or nonfiction) of the text.
Remember to be patient, stay committed and curse a lot. Good luck, Mama!