Teaching your child to read at an early age and helping them when they are learning to read in a school setting is one of the best ways to set your children up for success in school and in life as a whole.
There are many ways that you can helpteach your child how to read and assist them as they learn to read once they are in school.
Let’s take a closer look at why it’s important to teach your child to read at home and some of the best products you can buy to help you and your child on their reading journey.
Can You Teach Your Child to Read At Home? Yes!
Before we get into the importance of teaching your child to become an early reader and what products can help your child grasp the beginning stages of reading, it’s important to address the common misconception that you can’t teach your child to read at home.
It’s very possible to teach your child how to read at an early level when you are patient, dedicated and use the right reading tools to help them along.
Importance of Teaching Your Child to Read
It’s highly important that you teach your child to read as soon as they are ready to grasp letters and language. Teaching your child to read at home has many benefits, including:
Helps them get a head start in school. By the time your child is starting to read in a school setting, they will already have a grasp on their letters and the earliest fundamentals of reading. This will help them get a head start and will definitely improve their school performance.
Allows for a better understanding of language. Children soak up information like sponges in their earliest years, so teaching them the fundamentals of language, sounds, letters and other crucial elements of reading will help them develop a stronger understanding of language at an earlier age.
Reading helps improve brain power. Reading books and being read books are both crucial for a child’s cognitive development, so teaching them to read at an early age can definitely help your child develop crucial cognitive skills that will benefit them for the rest of their life.
Early readers tend to keep reading. Studies have shown that children who begin reading at an early age and whose parents foster a love for reading in them are more likely to keep on reading and enjoying books as they grow older. In today’s mobile device heavy world, anything that encourages children to put down a phone and pick up a book is definitely worthwhile.
Here’s a video you can review which also provides some helpful information:
Tips for Teaching Your Child to Read
Before we get into listing some of the essential reading products that can help you teach your child to read, take a closer look at the following tips that will help you as you utilize these reading tools and products to help your child begin reading at an early age.
Tip #1: Read to them every day
If you want your child to read, you must read to them every day—ideally more than once, if you have the time and ability to do so. Reading books with your child can help them make connections between printed letters and words and the language that they represent.
Tip #2: Surround them with accessible books
Books need to be accessible in your home in order to encourage early readers. Even if your child is still learning letters and basic phrase sounds, it’s important that they view books as something to be enjoyed and appreciated around the home in the same way they might pick up a favorite toy.
Tip #3: Set a good example
If children view reading as a chore, homework or otherwise something that isn’t enjoyable, they are much less likely to want to learn how to read. You can set a good example by reading as much as you can in their presence and by making sure that they view books as something positive and enjoyable. Have a book with you and read it during the day; even reading a magazine or newspaper can help children develop a positive mindset regarding reading and books.
Tip #4: Read to children the “right” way
When you read to your child, one of the best ways you can help promote early literacy is by reading to them in the “right” way. This means reading clearly, asking interactive questions as you read, and pointing to each word as you say it. Pointing to each word as you say it will help your child make connections between letter groupings and word sounds.
12 Essential Products for Teaching Your Child to Read
There are countless products out there that are marketed as early reader products; so many, in fact, that it is impossible to sort through them all and find which ones are truly the best choice for your child.
Thankfully, you don’t have to do that work as it’s already been done for you: the following is a carefully curated list of the essential products that can help you teach your child to read.
Remember, with any of these products, frequency and consistency is key: you need to use them as often as possible and on a regular schedule in order to help your child fully absorb, understand and acknowledge the material in the best way possible.
It should also be noted that you don’t have to stick with one single reading tool! You can use one, two, three or even four types of reading related products to help your child get on the right path for early reading.
LeapFrog Learning Friends 100 Words Book This electronic learning words book from LeapFrog is a great way to learn words in a fun and interactive way that keeps children engaged while they learn.
The book will help your child learn 100 different words through interactive play, including sounds, pictures, music, colorful lights, and much more.
The book even contains a musical keyboard on the side for added entertainment. The words covered in this book include words in categories like colors, activities, vehicles, clothes, fruit, pets, animals, food and much more.
180 Days of Reading: Grade 1 – Daily Reading Workbook for Classroom and Home This daily workbook is designed to be used during the school year for children who are in Grade 1 or the equivalent.
The book contains a daily lesson plan activity that will help reinforce what children have already learned, while also having them repeat lessons that they will be learning throughout the school year.
Activities in the workbook include reinforcing word comprehension, practicing phonics, and other activities that will help them stay on the right reading path.
ThinkFun Zingo Sight Words Early Reading Game This highly unique game was a Toy of the Year Finalist when it was released, and for a good reason! It is a highly educational game that allows children to develop a stronger connection with common sight words.
The game is designed to be played by children in pre-kindergarten all the way through 2nd grade or the equivalent. ThinkFun will make learning and memorizing sight words fun and exciting, so children won’t even realize that they are learning!
VTech Touch & Teach Word Book For children who love to play with tablets and other electronic toys, the VTech Touch & Teach Word book is a great way to get started learning words.
The electronic book includes four different play modes: music time, find the word, letter fun, and “what’s that word,” which have children identify words on the page. The pages are highly interactive and include music and sounds that will keep children engaged while they learn.
Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons This reading workbook is contains 100 lessons for parents to cover with their children in order to teach them the fundamentals about reading.
This is an ideal workbook for parents who want a comprehensive, school-based workbook that will help children grasp fundamentals and develop language in an interactive manner.
Little Champion Reader Teach Core Vocabulary Toddler Learning Kit 8 This highly unique kit contains everything you need to help your toddler or young child improve their vocabulary and reading skills.
This particular kit covers the parts of speech, adverbs, pronouns, verb action words and prepositions. The kit contains everything you need to help toddlers and young children learn these parts of speech, including: posters, flashcards, and 6 different books.
ABC Sound Book for Children This electronic sound book is perfect for children who love a high level of electronic interaction. The sound book will help children learn their letters while also helping them learn the different sounds that each letter makes.
The sound book contains other activities as well, including activities to help children learn numbers, shapes, colors and animals.
Early Reading Program for Baby, Toddler, Preschool, Kindergarten This comprehension early reading program is designed to help children read through an expansive series of tools, including: flash cards, DVDs, books and more.
The set is designed for children as young as infancy all the way through kindergarten. This particular set includes everything parents need to help their children learn to read through activities, games, as well as workbook lessons.
4 Weeks to Read | Reading System for 4 to 7 Years Old Kindergartners This unique reading system is designed to help children from 4 to 7 years old learn to read in as little as 4 weeks.
This reading system contains 50 different books, a teaching manual for parents, workbooks, as well as reading activities.
Bright Signs Learning Early Reading Program for Babies, Preschoolers and Toddlers This comprehensive early reading program is designed to help children, from infants through toddler age, learn to read at an early age.
The program is a comprehensive program that will help teach basic reading skills, including: sight words, letters, phonics, numbers, counting, colors, shapes and much more. The program includes 4 educational DVDs, an activity guide, flash cards, an activity guide and more.
Your Baby Can Learn! Deluxe Kit This deluxe reading kit is designed to help children from 3 months to 5 years learn to read. This comprehensive kit includes 5 different DVD volumes, multiple books, parental instructions, as well as word cards.
This system is intended to help children learn about written language as well as develop their receptive and expressive language skills.
Hooked on Phonics Complete Learn to Read Kit This is the classic “learn to read” kit that most people think about when they consider products that will help children learn to read.
The Hooked on Phonics learn to read kit teaches children to read by introducing them to phonics as the basis and foundation for understanding the written language.
The Hooked on phonics program is designed for children from pre-school age through the 2nd grade. It includes 8 DVDs, 8 workbooks, 36 original storybooks, stickers, and flashcards.
You will help them stay ahead in school, foster a love for reading that will likely continue through the rest of their life, and you will help them develop crucial cognitive skills that will benefit them in school and outside school.
You can help teach your child to read by making sure you set a good example by reading books yourself, making sure you read regularly to your child, and in general making reading as fun and accessible as possible.
You can also help your child learn to read more effectively through a variety of educational products, including products designed to help children reinforce their current reading schools; as well as products designed to help children develop those initial, fundamental crucial steps towards becoming an early reader.
If you are looking for educational products that will help you teach your child to read, make sure that you consider one or more of the above products.
