My daughter who is 4 years old has for the last couple of weeks been asking about learning to read So before we are start I have two questions Is she to young? If not how do I begin to teach her? Thank you for your help
My daughter Vicki learned to read around 4 years old. We used Hooked On Phonics & Abeka Readers. She learned her sounds with Hooked On Phonics. I wouldn't push her but if she interested let her start.
NO SHE IS NOT TOO YOUNG!!! If she is asking, then she's ready. My oldest asked me when I was going to teach her how to read right after her fourth birthday. My mom and I had already determined that she could "read" some, because I had put her AWANAS verses on cards. We would go over them, and she wasn't remembering them, but could rattle them off right away whenever she saw the cards, and she would always come up with the right one. I taught her her short vowel sounds, and that was it. She took off on her own. When she was starting first grade, I had a friend who taught first take a look at her. I brought a Beginning Chapter Book that she was reading independently. Rachael read to her, my friend shook her head, and suggested I have her read "Charlotte's Web". Start with short vowel sounds. Do some short A worksheets, make a Short A book by getting pictures (I use clip art from the internet) and glue them into a bunch manilla papers cut the right size and folded in half, glued together in the middle. Write the word of the picture on each page. You can also make "Word Family" books.... We have "Phillip's ....AT" book, with pictures of a hat, cat, fat, splat, etc. There's a good series the librarian suggested to me. I think they're called "Wonder Books". They are phonetic, and very good. Another series I really like are the "Real Kids Readers". There are different levels of those; the Level 1 Books are good for beginners. They rhyme and it's easy for the kids to sound out the easy words, and they can memorize the harder ones easily enough.
Jackie Thank you so much for your ideas!!!! we bought work books for vowels and some reading work books and what not and yesterday she told her father what a sticker on her little people box said so I think she is about to shock me Is it possible for them to learn to read on the own like that?
YES!!! Some kids have that aptitude. My oldest just decided he was ready and starting picking up words and things just like that! I got him some of that stuff, too, but he was past that in no time! She may do the same thing!
TY she is such a sponge and such a fast learner she picks things up so fast she is just like her daddy one reason we I am home school I think she would just be held back in public school
I agree Melinda, she sounds very bright, and I think she would be held back and frustrated in school! You want to keep the joy of learning as pure as possible for as long as possible!
EXACTLY!!! She sounds just like my Rachael! You might find that you won't get very far into your workbooks. They might be "too easy" for her in no time! Ask the librarian to point out the Beginning Readers to you; my library keeps them all in one section. The Amanda Pig books are very cute. They also have some easy beginning chapter books for when she's ready for that, and it may be sooner than you anticipate. Again, the librarian will be able to give you some ideas. Junie B. Jones books are fun easy chapter books. And read her lots of books aloud that are "above" her level. "Charlotte's Web", "Charley and the Chocolate Factory", "Box Car Children"......
Thank you ladies you are so wonderful I thought i was going crazy for even thinking she could read at this age I know stereotypical thoughts but its hard to imagine any 4 year old learning to read hehe
Stereotypical thoughts are the ones that get us into trouble. The beauty of homeschool is that they can go at their pace. At 3.5, if they want to spell big words on the computer, read on a 3rd grade level and pay all your bills online...well....just watch out for the bill paying.
I guess its easy in the beginning to start thinking the way everyone wants you to specially when the only one around u who supports you is your husband But I see what your saying that is truly the beautiful thing about homeschooling
also check out www.starfall.com try Bob Books too if you are looking for a curriculum I would recommend McRuffy Press at www.mcruffy.com . it is a great program for reading and language arts. i use it for both of my kids. it comes with great readers ( the best i've ever seen) as well as about half dozen filefolder games (you put together), word wheel and sliders and lots and lots of great ideas. if your daughter isn't ready for the handwriting part just skip it or use a modified style like writing in pudding or jello powder etc. the cheapest place to buy it is at rainbowresource.com, but the mcruffy website has lot of examples. if you have any questions about it just let me know. as far as thinking that a kid is too young for something, my ds shocked us all by learning to ride a regular 2 wheel bike (no training wheel) at the tender age of 3 years and 3 months. i can't remember if he was even out of diapers yet. he absolutely insisted that we take off the training wheel of his little 12in bike so he could ride like his big 5yo brother. after a few wobbles and crashes he was riding better than his brother, and still does.
I was never taught to read, either. I was reading before kindergarten anyway. With my kids, ds read early and dd seemed to not care till she was 5 1/2 and we had to start everything over since she hadn't really absorbed anything. In other words, when they are ready--you'll know it! I have a set of McGuffey Ecclectic Readers and they are dear to me. It might be something to look into for a child who seems to take off on their own. It combines sight words/phonics/readers into each lesson. The stories are simple and short at first so they get to feel a real sense of accomplishment. Not to mention, the books were written in a simpler and more innocent time, so they might be nice for the maturity level of an early reader. We also use Explode the code for my dd and she is taking off with it, but she has to be taught for the most part as opposed to taking off on her own.
I have 2 daughters. one whose now 5 1/2 yrs, learned to read by sounding letters and vowels when she was 4yr.old and it clicked when she turned 5 yrs.old My second daughter whose now 4yrs. wants to read so quickly and be like her sister, so I am now using a book called TEACH YOUR CHILD TO READ IN 100 EASY LESSONS,I think were now in lesson 28, and it's very impressive to see how fast they get it. you might be able to find it in your local library, check it out and see if that would work with your daughter. have a happy reading randa
The easiest way for me to teach my kids was to get some phonics cards. We learned writing at the same time.Write your own little readers that she helped write.
Melinda~ You're getting some great advice. Each child is so different and ready to learn and do different things at different times. My younger dd is 5 and in first grade. She wanted to read right after turning 4 and I tried the same methods I used with her older sister~ boy, did she have a different idea! She didn't have the time for that, so quickly taught herself to read with no help from mom! Now she reads chapter books and just amazes me! Jackie~ Your story about Racheal and AWANA reminded me so much of Gracie last year. Yes, I had her in kindergarten, but put her in Cubbies to be with her peers. Well, wasn't the little stinker READING her verses~ and it took the teacher 3/4 of the year to get wise to it! Gracie came home one night and said to me "My teacher said, 'You can read! Aren't you only 4?!'" I just laughed!
You might also look at the library for a series called Brand New Reader. There's a bunch of titles in the series. The stories start with one or two words and each page adds one or two words. Since it all gets repeated, the child can pick up on it quickly and read themselves.
Becky, I've not seen that one! Thanks, I"ll look for it. Too bad you didn't post it earlier tonight...I just came from the Library (again!).
Everyone who knows me around here probably knows that I am not against challenging children at a young age, especially when they are asking about something and interested. My son is 3, alomst 3 and a half. He knows simple sight words already and is beginning to understand how to put sounds together. I'm telling you this because some people think it's odd that I teach him these things considering that he's got another year and a half before K. A child only knows as much as they are taught is my biggest moto! If a child is "pushed" then it is a negative force, but a child who is "challenged" could soar beyond comprehension as long as it's done the right way. I think it's wonderful that she wants to read. It means that she has been instilled with a love for learning which is one of the biggest things you can give a child. I don't have a set curriculum I use with my son and my other preschoolers I teach. I started teaching them the letter sounds first. When they had that down I start introducing sight words (from the Dolch Sight Word List). I started with an, it, up, at, and other endings. Now we are starting to put a letter in front of them to make other words. They have picked up on it pretty quick and whenever we read and come across those words we pause and my son reads me the words he knows. He even pointed out 'cat' the other day because he knew the word 'at' and knew what a C said and put it together. Good luck.
