how to teach a 3 1/2 year old to read without buying expensive toys?

Question

anyone can help me out? I would love to buy the vtech, leapfrog stuff or even the hooked on phonics now sold in stores but its to expensive.. so how does one start without all that extra stuff?? thanks!

Answer 1

Reading doesn't happen by accident. Kids need to be taught some basics, and then practice, practice, practice.

This isn't an expert answer, but it's what I'm doing in my home right now with my 3-year-old daughter.

Step 1. Teach letter sounds instead of letter names. Not A, B, C. Instead, ahh, buh, cuh and so forth. Lowercase letters come first and uppercase sort of get picked up as we go along (so many toys use uppercase letters, she's already pretty familiar with them).

Step 2. We jumped into teaching reading when she showed an interest -- a big inspiration was her wanting to read to her unborn brother.

Reading is just putting together letter sounds to form words.

We're using BOB Books. They are used at our preschool for first-time readers. (Bob is a character in one of the books. The books aren't gender-specific.)

The books teach certain principles in a certain order. For example, yesterday my daughter learned what a question mark means. The story simply contained questions, and it was left to me to explain the meaning.

My daughter puts her finger on each letter, speaks the sound, then repeats the sounds together to understand the word.

Accordingly, the first books she read were filled with 3-letter words with only 3 or 4 words per sentence.

I am not a fan of electronic toys -- anything that encourages my daughter to learn alone. She learns faster and better (and learns social skills) by interacting with real people.

She has now turned the tables on us, wanting to read a story to Mom and Dad at bedtime.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

Take your child to the library often. Experiment, find out which age appropriate books he/she seems to respond to the most and invest in buying those kind. Read at least one same book that he/she loves every day so that they begin to "memorize" the story. Point to the words as you say them and let him/her turn the page. And especially look for books that show letters, their sound and then a word that begins with that letter. Again, the library is a great resource and the librarian can probably give you even more tips.

A word of caution though, you need to keep it fun and back off when your child doesn't feel like doing it sometimes. Otherwise you run the risk of making him/her dislike books altogether.

Good luck and have fun!

Answer 4

Skip that junk; it is completely unnecessary. At this age, don't push actual reading. Some kids just start reading on their own at 3, but trying to push them into it will only make them resist it more.
My son learned phonics at a very early age, mostly by just pointing out letters. We focused more on the sound of the letter than the name. After doing that for some time, he started spontaneously sounding out small words at about 2 1/2. Just keep reading to him, point out letters, and let it develop naturally.

Answer 5

Just read to him/her A LOT. Also you can write down letters and go over the sounds they make. If you want to use the phonics method then you should teach your child what sounds words make and then help them sound them out. This is better then the flash card approach that teaches ineffective sight-reading.

All the best.

Answer 6

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Answer 7

For goodness sake! Go to the library. Remember books? Things with pages in? You can borrow them for FREE.

What about a bag of cheap fridge magnets with letters on? Remember good old chubby wax crayons and ... yep ... more paper?

Come on, get a grip. You don't need flash expensive gadgetry. All you actually need is a library ticket and a comitted investment of somethi ng you already have around the house. That's it; TIME! The crappy plastic electronic stuff doesn't teach anyone to read YOU do.

Yo'ure obviously literate; go for it. If you're lacking confidence look in the homeschooling section at the library or in Waterstones or Borders for a book on teaching phonics. You'll be fine. If you can get hold of any, the Puddle Lane or Oxford Learning Tree reading books are excellent too.

I could read at age 4. We had two (yes two) TV stations, one of which was commercial therefore banned by my mother) in black and white. If we'd run out of library books I started in on the Cornflake box, the ketchup bottle ... and the newspaper. Actually, reading the Guardian at that age probably xplains my dodgy spelling (Brit joke!)

If you're still stuck, meet me in the park by the ducks and I'll start him off for you (I taught my own, after all)

Answer 8

You may be surprised to hear that whatever you buy in this area, your child will learn to read when he/she is ready to do so. The very best way to 'teach' a 3 yr-old to read is to read to them every day, sitting on your lap, having lots of cuddles. Point to the pictures, point to the words. Go to the library and let the child pick books to bring home. All this will grow a love of reading and provide the motivation to read when the child is developmentally ready.
There is no educational benefit in trying to fasttrack reading in young children.

Answer 9

The most important step towards first reading is being read to. Read to you child every day.

Point to simple and common words like mum, dad, big, small and make gestures. Discuss the pictures, ask you child what they liked about the story and what is their favourite picture.

Get your child to 'read' (fake reading, where they make up the words to the story or retell the story you just told) to you. Lots of reading. Books, magazines, computer screens (there are heaps of free interactive books on the Internet, with pictures and voices), signs, labels on food at shopping time etc.

Make reading FUN. Keep the books simple, big and lots of pictures not too many words. . Enjoy it!!

Answer 10

spend more time one on one with the child and read lots and lots with them and hey thell come good but spend lots of time with the child thats what all older genarations did when there was no tv and onley radio i saw a programe called hot house people buy spending all your time with the child and reading playing music alsorts of thing you can make the person more intelegent
all this will cost is zippp