Teach kids reading
A Playful Path to Reading: Your Child's First Steps
Ignite a lifelong passion for reading by teaching it early and playfully. We’ll guide your child through a simple, effective three-step journey:
- Mastering the Alphabet: Building the foundational blocks of language.
- Acquiring Syllable Skills: Blending sounds to unlock words.
- Progressing to Books: Starting with fun, sight-word-based books and moving on to more complex stories.
I’ve had the joy of guiding my daughter to become a fluent reader in three languages by age five, and I’m currently on the same journey with my three-year-old son. I’m preparing a detailed tutorial that documents our process so you can follow along.
Let’s make this journey together!
Most importantly, strive for daily practice, even if it’s just for a few minutes. Short, consistent sessions build momentum and make learning stick.
How to teach kids reading - Step by step
Level: 0
Age: 2+
The very first step is to distinguish between two letters. Starting with vowels is easier, A and O are my favorite. Having multiple copies of each letter helps the brain remembering.
Level: 1
Age: 2+
Once the first two letters are mastered you can introduce a 3rd letter while still practicing with the previous ones. Here I am introducing vowel sound E.
Level: 2
Age: 2+
Keep introducing new letters and repeating the previous ones. Here I am introducing letter I.
Download here these alphabet cards ready to be printed and cut out. They serve as fantastic tools for helping your child learn new letter sounds through engaging games that enhance memory, making it enjoyable to practice a single letter multiple times.
Level: 3
Age: 2+
Introducing the concept that some vowels have 2 sounds. Here I am introducing short /ɪ/ vs long /aɪ/ I sound.
Level: 4
Age: 2+
Recognizing all the letters of the alphabet and reproducing their letter sound.
Level: 5
Age: 3+
Reading first two-letter syllables and associating words starting with the same syllables.
Here below some additional tools you can also use to have a more enriching experience:
PRO:
⇑ Colourful
⇑ Letters can be explored 3D
CONS:
⇓ Only one unit per letter. Consider buying more than one set
⇓ Kids might recognize letters by their place on the board or their color
PRO:
⇑ Funny stories
⇑ Teaches the basic of reading
⇑ Large collection available
CONS:
⇓ Narrow choice of books
⇓ Not so many sight words available
PRO:
⇑ Nice stories and graphics
⇑ Teaches the basic of reading
⇑ Large collection available
CONS:
⇓ Longer paragraphs, help your child with a pacer (i.e. a chopstick)
PRO:
⇑ Large variety of different books. Find the ones that your child likes the most
CONS:
⇓ Difficult to find large collections to keep your child engaged with the same character all along
Level: 6
Age: 4+
Reading along your children’s first book.
Level: 7
Age: 4+
Reading simple books with phonics and sight words.