Value Bookshop's Reading Notes

When we start teaching our children to read, we usually start with having them recognize the alphabets and then associating them with the corresponding sounds right? But how do you start them reading a book on their own?

Just want to share what I did to get my son reading on his own.

• I got him to memorize some high frequency words, also known as “sight words” or “Dolch words”. I made them into flash cards or just printed them onto an A4 paper and put them on the wall. I would go through the list with him about twice a day and put a tick on the ones that he already know (*seeing all those ticks was a great motivator and helped his confidence).
• Once he knew a majority of the words, I read simple books together with him, letting him read the words that he just learned.
• And then praise, praise, praise! I would say things like “Wow, you know so many words already”, “You almost read the whole thing”, “See, you CAN read” or “Thanks for helping me, you will be able to read the whole book by yourself soon.”

Sight words such as “the”, “and”, “you”, “is”, “a” occurs so often when you read, the repetetiveness provides many opportunities for reading practice. And when your child tastes the little bit of reading succuss, it will spur their desire to read more.

MORE TIPS:

1. Start with a really simple book – not that many pages and 1-2 lines per page.
2. Choose a book they like and read it again and again and again. The repetitive reading increases their familiarity with the story and words. It’s okay if it looks like they are memorizing the story instead of reading the words. What you want is for them to be excited about their ‘new’ ability to read.
3. I recently put up a piece of paper on the wall listing down all the books that my son is able to read by himself. As soon as he masters one book, I add it to the list. The lists acts as a visual motivator – like displaying your trophies on the shelf.

You can start with books like this Ladybird’s “Let ‘s Read Together” Series.

This book pack is currently available at Value Bookshop for RM28.80

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