When my twin boys began learning to read, I discovered that success came more slowly for some kids than for others. At the end of six months, one son was reading Arnold Lobel's Frog and Toad books; my other son still couldn't sound out the word it. I sought a reading specialist for advice. Here's what helped us:
Auditory games. We practiced rhyming words, as well as words that begin with the same sound. In one fun rhyming game, I would point to a body part and ask my boys to name it and come up with a rhyming word. I usually pointed to an arm, eye, hair, leg or nose. We'd also pay attention to sounds that were easily confused, such as the j and g in jar and guitar. (To practice these and other sounds, you can search for "phonics games" online.)
Memorization. After learning the alphabet in order, we memorized a scrambled version using the beat of a metronome. My sons learned to say common alphabet sounds, on beat, and in random order. We also used this method to learn Fry's first 100 sight words.
Today my sons are in the sixth grade and are confident readers. My son who initially had trouble reading now gives me plot advice for the Adventures in Odyssey "The Imagination Station" book series for first- and second-graders. But he won't read them because he says they're too easy. After the struggle it was to get him to read, I can live with that!
~ See more articles for parents of 4- to 7-year-olds. ~
Marianne Hering is the editor of the new Adventures in Odyssey "The Imagination Station" books for young readers.
This article appeared in the March/April 2011 issue of Thriving Family magazine and was originally titled "How to Help a Struggling Reader." Copyright © 2011 by Focus on the Family. ThrivingFamily.com.