{"id":9266,"date":"2024-01-11T09:29:14","date_gmt":"2024-01-11T17:29:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/?p=9266"},"modified":"2025-11-13T19:30:00","modified_gmt":"2025-11-14T03:30:00","slug":"easy-steps-to-help-teach-a-child-to-read","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/advice\/easy-steps-to-help-teach-a-child-to-read\/9266","title":{"rendered":"10 Easy Steps to Help Teach a Child to Read"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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10 Easy Steps to Help Teach a Child to Read<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Learn simple ways to help grow your child’s literacy skills.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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By Jill Staake<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reviewed by Dr. Stanley Diih<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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How to Teach Kids to Read<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Most kids start developing pre-reading skills in the preschool years, then begin learning to read in earnest in kindergarten. They develop more advanced reading skills throughout the elementary years, sharpening their reading comprehension and fluency. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we explore the importance of developing reading skills, it’s important to understand the foundational concepts that guide effective reading instruction. Louisa C. Moats,<\/a> a respected expert in the field, highlights a core principle known as the Simple View of Reading, which suggests that “reading comprehension<\/a> is the product of word recognition and language comprehension. Without strong skills in either, an individual\u2019s reading comprehension will be compromised.” This underscores the importance of a balanced approach that enhances both phonetic skills and comprehension abilities, ensuring a well-rounded development in young readers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Strong readers comprehend what they read, moving fluently from word to word and sentence to  sentence. Each child learns at their own pace, so be patient while they\u2019re learning to read. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s how to get started.<\/p>\n\n\n

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1. Read Together Every Day<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Emphasize the importance (and enjoyment) of reading by exploring books together every single day. The American Academy of Pediatricians encourages parents to begin reading to their children from day one. This helps little brains begin to recognize speech patterns and sounds. As infants begin to sit up and take notice<\/a>, they\u2019ll take more interest in books, learning to turn pages and look at pictures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shared reading is a great way to engage with your child and build these early literacy skills. Learn more about shared reading and its benefits here.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Choose reading material<\/a> on a wide variety of topics, and give them lots of options to pick from. Point to words on the page as you read, to help children make the connection between written and spoken language. As your child learns to talk, ask them to re-tell the stories back to you, or act them out together. This is the start of reading comprehension\u2013understanding what they read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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2. Develop Phonological Awareness<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

By the toddler years, your child is ready for pre-reading activities. The first concept to work on is called \u201cphonemic awareness<\/a>,\u201d which means understanding that words are made up of individual sounds (called phonemes). It seems like a very obvious concept to adults, but this is a major step toward connecting written language with speech. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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As you work on alphabet skills, introduce kids to the concept of consonants and vowels. Unlike most consonants, vowels can make different sounds depending on where they occur in a word and the letters around them. This can be confusing to kids, but most words follow some simple vowel rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learn more about preparing your preschooler to read here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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3. Learn the Letters and Sounds of the Alphabet<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Preschoolers continue their pre-reading skills by learning to recognize the letters<\/a> of the alphabet, both uppercase and lowercase. They also master the sound<\/a> (or sounds) each letter makes. Making the connection between letters and sounds is known as phonics<\/a>, and it\u2019s one of the foundational skills we use to teach a child to read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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