How to teach a child to read and learn letters in a playful way - at what age to start and interest the baby. How to teach a child to read: correct and quick ways

There are many aids that will allow your child to quickly memorize the alphabet. We will present the most popular and effective of them.

  • ABC.It should have large font and bright, beautiful pictures. It is advisable that the authors place a short thematic quatrain on each page. A preschooler will easily remember it, and with it the letter.
  • Magnetic boards. It's convenient to work with them. Not only alphabetic characters are attached to them, but also images. You can ask your child to make up the name of an object, find a picture for the letter that is currently being studied, or play “dominoes” of words (each new one begins with how the previous one ended).
  • Printable templates. Large elements of the alphabet, written on A4 format, are suitable for game learning. Ask your son or daughter to decorate the “letter of the day” using various small objects. Threads, buttons, ribbons, pieces of colored paper, small sea pebbles, and beads are suitable for these purposes. When the task is completed, remove the template and offer to reproduce the graphic image of the letter from memory, using the same materials at hand.
  • Creative tasks.Mold syllables and words from plasticine, cut out from paper, build from construction sets. When your child completes the assignment, ask him what he did. If he answers, the lesson was successful; if not, reinforce the material.
  • "Alphabet" food. Look for cookies, pasta, and morning breakfasts made in letter shapes to turn every meal into a fun lesson.
  • Educational kits. They are sold in any children's store. Suitable for parents who do not want to spend time creating auxiliary materials and prefer to use ready-made ones.

How to quickly teach a child to read and understand what he reads: rules and exercises


  • Don't force it.Each baby has its own pace of development. Some children can quickly recite poetry at the age of three, while others are just beginning to speak clearly by this time. Interest in reading will awaken earlier if you work with children from infancy, develop speech, memory, and attention.
  • Read constantly.Introduce your children to the world of literature, starting from the first days of their lives. Move from simple books with bright pictures to more serious works. Read bedtime stories and on the go, replace them with cartoons and computer games. If your son or daughter is already an adult, take them to specialized stores and buy new volumes together. Let the child see that mom and dad are also reading - nothing contributes to the development of interest more than a parental example.
  • Study the sounds first.Do not explain at the initial stage how “r” differs from “er”. The teacher will do this. It’s better to teach how to add syllables and read simple words. Gradually deepen your knowledge so that the student’s head is not a mess.
  • Read aloud.Time a minute and count how many words the child managed to read during this time. Have a competition if he has brothers or sisters. For every improvement in the result, give a small gift: a new set of markers, a coloring book, a book or something tasty. Rewards may include an increase in computer time or exemption from homework (not walking the dog today, not washing the dishes).
  • Repeat.The baby will forget that the letter “y” already existed if you do not periodically remember it. Carry out small tests regularly in a playful way. Before starting class, ask your student to tell him what happened in the last lesson.
  • Learn everywhere.On the way to kindergarten, read the signs, remember the names of fairy-tale characters, the names of plants, food or animals for the letter you recently learned, draw syllables with a stick on the sand or ground.
  • Don't forget the practical value.Prove that only a literate person can write greeting cards to relatives, make grocery lists, and read instructions. Put together a family tree, find out the initials of each close relative.

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The child will be happy to learn letters from a colorfully designed book, where it will be written not only about distant great-grandparents, but also about himself, his mom and dad, brothers and sisters.

  • Exercise regularly.Learn every day and get results. Determine the exact time your child will work and stick to the schedule. Don't forget to include free days in your new routine so that your baby has time to rest.
  • Use a bookmark. If you cover a passage that has already been read, it will be easier for children to focus on the next passage.

How to quickly teach a child to read: reading methods and techniques

Glenn Doman cards

The developer of the method is an American physiotherapist. He believes that the human brain grows until the age of 7, and it is during this period that all its resources should be used. The emphasis is on visual perception of information. Parents purchase special cards: red letters on a white background. They are sold in children's stores, but if you wish, you can make them yourself. If you resort to the last option, don't go too small. The optimal size of the blanks is 50 by 10 cm.

One lesson includes three stages, 15 words each. In the first days, show your baby nouns. Speak clearly what is written on the card. Gradually increase the number of “approaches”. Add other parts of speech, demonstrate several words at once, create phrases and sentences.

During learning, the child's visual and auditory memory is activated. He involuntarily begins to correlate the graphic design with the sound shell, and learns to read without realizing it.

Despite the fact that the technique gives good results, it has many opponents. Experts rightly note that a preschooler remembers information mechanically; knowledge is encyclopedic in nature. Independent analysis skills develop poorly, creative thinking remains in its infancy. We do not encourage parents to abandon this method, but we do not recommend using it alone.

Zaitsev cubes

The famous Soviet teacher, Nikolai Aleksandrovich Zaitsev, created this famous pedagogical tool that can interest children and awaken their interest in reading. He thought about how to teach a child to love reading in a playful way and developed a set of 52 cubes. 7 of them are the same. They are included so that your baby can spell out words like “mama” and “dada.”

According to the scientist’s methodology, the basic unit of language is not a letter, sound or syllable, but a warehouse. This can be a pair of a consonant and a vowel, a combination with a soft or hard sign, or even one letter. The main thing is that the child can easily and effortlessly pronounce what is written on the edges. During the game, children quickly grasp the difference between vowels and consonants, voiced and voiceless. They begin to understand the principle of word composition.

Large parts have hard folds, and small ones have soft folds. Explain to your child that the size of the toy correlates with how a person opens his mouth when he pronounces this or that phrase (“ba” - widely, “bya” - a little). When working with cubes, several types of sensory perception are involved: vision, hearing, tactile sensations. In classic sets, game elements are made of two materials: wood and iron. The iron ones depict voiced consonants, while the wooden ones show voiceless consonants. On store shelves you will see plastic and even cardboard options that you need to glue yourself.

The color of the toys also helps with learning: on gold ones - only vowels, on iron and wooden ones - combinations of letters, on white ones - punctuation marks. Double cubes show the child that in the Russian language not all letters can stand next to each other, some need certain pairs.

In addition to the cubes, the educational kits include tables that not only reflect the warehouses that are already on the toys, but also add new ones. Please note that the posters should be placed at the height level of a preschooler. He must see what is depicted on them.

If you decide to use this technique, follow the sequence of actions:

  1. Let your baby get acquainted with a new toy.Even children under two years of age can do this. Give the cubes to them completely, without explaining what is written on them. Let them build a tower out of them, test them, knock one against the other.
  2. When the child starts talking, start teaching.Observe which part of the set particularly appealed to your son or daughter. Look at it carefully together. ON THE. Zaitsev recommended that adults not pronounce, but sing what is written on the edges. He considered this way of getting to know the warehouses more effective and fun.
  3. Introduce working with tables at a later stage.It also involves singing together. Invite the student to find a cube with the same combinations that were just announced. Tell a story about twin lost warehouses that need help to meet.
  4. Don't forget about the gaming component.Come up with interesting tasks that your child will want to do. Invite him to build with cubesa locomotive that will travel only if you can read the resulting word together. Remember what sounds the animals make and add them up. If you run out of ideas, refer to the book by the author of the methodology “Writing. Reading. Counting”, which offers parents a lot of entertaining educational games.

Maria Montessori Method


The most popular of all, was developed at the beginning of the twentieth century, but has not lost its relevance to this day. The author believes that parents should first teach their children to write, and only then move on to reading:

  • Development of fine motor skills.To make writing with a pen or pencil easier, first teach your child to color and trace objects along the outline. A good exercise is to connect the dots to get a picture. While shading pictures, he will develop his brush and his fingers will begin to obey.
  • Tactile contact. The baby must feel the letters and understand what they feel like. To do this, purchase cubes or books with a raised alphabet or cut it out of velvet paper. By tracing individual details with a finger, the preschooler will remember the outlines, and it will be easier for him to reproduce them in the future. Invite him to guess what is written by closing his eyes.
  • Composing a word. Use the same cubes or paper cards.
  • Letter. Don't put pressure on your son or daughter. Some people start with individual elements of the alphabet, while others write sentences right away. Marina Montessori believed that an individual approach to each specific case is necessary. Diversify the learning process so that children do not lose interest in it. Little ones really like “letter on semolina.” Despite the name, you can use any cereal. Pour some onto a flat plate and invite your child to write something with a sharp stick. This exercise is also convenient because it can be done outside the home. When boys and girls write on sand or dirt, they improve the skill.
  • Reading. Children begin to put individual letters into words in parallel with the process of writing them.

Our article told you how to teach a preschooler to read at home. Remember that during the learning process you need to regularly praise the baby, emphasize his successes and gently correct shortcomings without resorting to shouting and punishment. We wish you success and believe that our recommendations will help you raise a genius.

A comprehensively developed child is the dream of every modern parent. It is especially important for moms and dads that their baby learns to read early. After all, many school institutions are waiting for first-graders who already have reading skills and can also count and write.

Today, many methods and systems have been developed to help parents teach their children to read on their own. But many parents are lost and don’t know at what age to start teaching their child reading skills and what method to choose for this. Let's look at everything in order.

When to teach a child to read

Few adults think about the fact that reading is a rather complex process, which consists not only of learning letters, the ability to form syllables from them, or even reproducing long sentences.

The essence of learning to read is for the child to be able to consciously perceive and reproduce text.

In this regard, the answer to the question of when it is permissible to teach a child to read like “The sooner the better” is incorrect. Neurologists warn parents that teaching a child to read early can in some cases harm him. After all, the human nervous system and brain develop gradually. If you begin to forcibly influence parts of a child’s brain that are not yet physiologically ready to function at full strength, then neurosis, insomnia and other psychological problems may develop.

Each parent can independently determine the physiological readiness of their little child for reading:

  1. The baby has developed and fully formed speech. He not only speaks in complex sentences, but is also able to write a short, coherent story.
  2. The child has fully developed phonemic hearing. The baby can easily independently identify the sound at the beginning, end and middle of a word.
  3. The child already pronounces all sounds correctly, and he also does not have disturbances in speech rhythm, melody, or other speech therapy problems.
  4. The baby has fully developed spatial orientation.

Educators and psychologists recommend that parents begin teaching children to read no earlier than 5 years old. At this age, the child’s brain is able to easily master any sign systems. But, every child is individual, and in practice there are cases when children begin to read independently at an earlier age.

Methods for early learning to read

Today, many techniques have been developed to help children quickly learn to read with the help of their parents. Let's consider the most relevant of them in more detail:

Teaching a child to read correctly: Zaitsev’s technique

The essence of this technique, which has been successfully used for more than 20 years, is that children immediately learn not sounds and letters, but words. Zaitsev's static cubes help children master the phonetic composition of the language.

This didactic material includes 12 groups. Cubes can be gold, wooden or iron, inside of which there is a variety of filling. Through play, the child learns to distinguish consonant and vowel sounds, as well as hard, soft and dull sounds. The set for early learning to read includes not only Zaitsev's cubes, but also special tables, which are shown to be placed just above the child's height on the wall, and audio cassettes.

In the process of learning to read, parents should not pronounce words, but sing.

In Zaitsev’s method, this technique is called “singing”. In this case, you should use tables that contribute to more active memorization of the material. As a result of systematic training, children can easily remember about 246 vocabulary of the Russian language.

It should be noted that Zaitsev’s technique is more relevant for “left-handed” children who quickly and easily perceive words and words as a whole, as well as for children with mental-emotional violations. At the same time, the speed of a child’s learning depends on his age. If the baby is over three years old, then in six months he will be able to learn to read. At the same time, you should work with your baby at least twice a week. Lesson duration is 15-30 minutes.

Teachers don't count Zaitsev's technique is ideal for a child and note both its pros and cons. On the positive side techniques are such moments:

  • the child remembers the combination of letters in a playful way and does not need to think about how to read the letter;
  • Zaitsev's cubes depict the correct combinations of letters, which will later help the child write correctly;
  • Zaitsev’s system is not tied to any age category;
  • a child can independently play with Zaitsev’s cubes, learning early reading;
  • Zaitsev's cubes have a positive effect on the development of sensory organs and fine motor skills.
  • This technique also has some negative effects:
  • a child who has learned to read using this method often swallows endings and finds it difficult to understand the composition of a word, since he studied the words immediately;
  • difficulties in the first grade with phonemic analysis of words, since in Zaitsev’s method sounds are marked with completely different colors;
  • inconsistency of method;
  • expensive benefits and lengthy preparation before starting classes.

Teaching a child to read correctly: Glen Doman's method

The essence of this popular method by the American scientist is that the baby does not memorize sounds or words, but automatically masters entire words. For this purpose, special cards are used, with images of words and sentences. Parents show the baby a certain card for 15 seconds and loudly say its meaning.

Classes using this method should be carried out regularly and initially last about 5-10 minutes. As a result, the baby will not only quickly learn to read, but he will also develop intellectual abilities, photographic memory, attention and the ability to concentrate on a specific object. Advantages of this technique the following:

  • the technique can be used from the very birth of the baby;
  • Parents will be able to organize classes independently, without the involvement of specialists;
  • didactic material can be made independently;
  • The baby receives comprehensive development, as the cards have a variety of themes.
  • Teachers identify the following disadvantages of this technique:
  • the child takes a passive position during learning;
  • the baby does not learn to read on his own, but only listens to information and analyzes it;
  • it is impossible to show creativity in the learning process;
  • the learning process is the same: you need to show your child a variety of cards every day;
  • Children over three years old are not very willing to accept this technique.

Teaching a child to read correctly: Pavel Tyulenev’s “WORLD” development system

This technique is relevant for many parents today, especially the author’s book “Read Before You Walk.” The teacher and innovator is confident that by the age of one year a child can easily put letters into words, and by the age of two years he can read fluently. To do this, you need to work with the baby from birth, namely, demonstrate cards with letters, voicing them loudly.

The first four months of a child are especially important, when his brain actively perceives any graphic images.

At the same time, it is important that no toys or distracting foreign objects come into the baby’s field of vision. Thus, a favorable developmental environment is created for the child, which promotes active learning of reading in the future. The author of the technique suggests that parents skip the figurative and sensorimotor stage of development of the baby.

Teaching a child to read correctly: the classic way of teaching - Primer

This manual is distinguished by a variety of pictures and images on the pages of your favorite characters. The principle of this traditional technique is that the baby learns to combine individual sounds into syllables, and the resulting syllables into words. In this case, the child is provided with special offers for various combinations of a vowel with a consonant sound and vice versa. It is important that the primer purchased by parents does not immediately present all the letters of the alphabet, and then provide information about connecting them together. The best option is a primer in which this process is carried out in parallel. After all, it is in the course of many foldings that a child learns to actively read and understands its basic principles.

It should be noted that many parents, having tested many modern methods, return to the traditional method of teaching reading. Of course, this technique is not easy and simple, but it gives the child the opportunity to independently analyze the information received and read the first words and words, and then small sentences.

An easy way to teach your child to read correctly

We invite you to learn the easiest way to teach your child to read. This method consists of several stages. Let's look at them in more detail:

We learn only vowels

To do this, parents must prepare special didactic material: red circles with a diameter of 10 cm. You must write all 10 vowels on these circles. This color was not chosen by chance, since in sound schemes vowel sounds are indicated by a red dot. Introduce your baby to each vowel sound separately and sing its name with him. Circles with vowel sounds can be pasted around the house and periodically ask the baby to sing a song for a particular sound. After a while, change the locations of the circles.

This technique can no longer be used if the baby remembers all the songs correctly.

Next, you can play interesting hide-and-seek games with vowel sounds with your baby. To do this, take a text with a fairly large font or write simple words yourself on separate sheets of paper. The child's task is to find the vowel letter hidden in the word. Thanks to this game, the baby will better remember the graphic representation of the letter, and also learn to isolate the letter from the word, regardless of its color and size.

Learning to read individual syllables and simple words

When the baby has completely learned the vowel sounds, you can move on to the process of combining them into syllables. In this case, use the following method. For example, today you will introduce your baby to the letter N. It should be noted that information about whether the letter being studied is hard or soft is not important for the baby. First of all, draw the child’s attention to the features of its graphic image and figure out what objects the letter is associated with. Try to create a clear image of the letter N in your baby’s head.

Next, we attach the letter being studied to the ready-made red circles with vowel letters and read the formed syllable together with the baby. You can sing the resulting syllables, pronounce them with different intonations and use other techniques so that the baby understands the principle of syllable formation. This activity should be carried out in a playful way and should not exceed 10 minutes.

After the baby masters two or three consonant sounds, you can learn to form simple words of three or four letters. For example: so+k, so+n or but+s. For these purposes, you can prepare cards with syllables and letters or use a magnetic alphabet.

Reading difficult words

When your baby learns to read individual syllables and small words, you can begin to read complex words consisting of 6 or more letters. For faster results, write familiar words for your child on a piece of paper and stick them around the house.

Read all the new words together several times with your little one. Then repeat these words several times throughout the day in a playful way. In this case, you can change the location of the leaves with words. When you and your child have already mastered the first group of words, proceed to new words.

In addition, periodically repeat previously learned words.

The above method will help your child quickly learn to read syllables first, and then words. It is enough to pay attention to this technique for 15 minutes a day, and your child will soon read individual sentences and short stories.

Rules for Successful Learning to Read

  1. A child’s education should be carried out in a playful way, since in this age period it is play that is an active form of learning about the world.
  2. Interest in classes should be constantly supported by multifunctional aids and exciting didactic material.
  3. The most effective for your baby are short, consistent sessions.
  4. Your explanations should be clear, short and concise, since a preschooler is not able to comprehend long and hours-long instructions.
  5. Start teaching your child to read only if his oral speech is fully developed and there are no defects in sound pronunciation.
  6. The structure of your lesson should include not only the training part, but also short warm-ups, physical education sessions, finger gymnastics and other activities.
  7. During the lesson, be consistent, flexible and patient.
  8. Don't compare your child's reading achievements to those of other children. After all, each child has his own individual pace of acquiring reading skills, which depends on many factors.
  9. Do not start working with your baby if he or you are in a bad mood. These classes will not be effective and will negatively affect the further development of the baby.

It should be noted that the process of learning to read is a long and multifaceted process. At the same time, the baby develops his own pace of learning the basics of reading.

Parents, first of all, should focus not on fashionable early learning methods, but on the individual characteristics of the child’s development of thinking, memory and attention. After all, how correctly you teach your child to read depends on whether he will grow up to be a literate and thoughtful reader.

In elementary school, teachers often use reading techniques as a criterion for assessing a child's skills and performance. From time to time, children should read the text for a while. First, an excerpt from a familiar work is selected, and during subsequent checks an unfamiliar text is given.

The reading technique should determine how many words a child reads per minute and whether he understands the text read. This also takes into account the correct pronunciation of words and endings, the presence of errors and repetitions.

Correlation between class and required reading speed:

  • 1st grade – at least 3 words per minute;
  • 2nd grade – more than 50 words per minute;
  • 3rd grade – from 70 words;
  • in 4th – early 5th grade – more than 100 words per minute;
  • in high school - from 120-150 words per minute.

The indicator you need to strive for is 150-180 words per minute. This happens when reading unfamiliar text.

You need to teach your child to read quickly as soon as you start teaching him to read in general. When the child already knows all the letters and can read syllables, you can begin to do exercises to increase attention, expand your vocabulary and improve diction. All this will help you master speed reading in the future.

The more difficult question is when to start learning to read. It is best to do this when the baby can already speak, expressing his thoughts logically and in the form of a short story. This is approximately 4-5 years.

Reading speed affects a child’s overall development and school performance. Why you may need the ability to read quickly:

  • increasing vocabulary;
  • development of logical, spatial thinking;
  • reading speed directly affects the amount of information absorbed; at a high reading speed, 80% of the text is perceived, while at a low speed only 60% or less;
  • Reading skills allow you to better master other school subjects.

Slow reading, including reading by syllables, not only acts as an obstacle to the development of any abilities, but also to overall academic performance and getting good grades. Low speed also has its own reasons, the elimination of which will already solve half the problem:

  1. Low memory level. During childhood, a child’s memory is not yet well developed. When the baby reads the 4th-5th word, he no longer remembers which one came first. As a result, he loses his thoughts and does not understand what is being said. This not only affects the assimilation of the material, but also interest in the process.
  2. Distracted attention. The speed of thought processes is high, and when reading slowly, the baby begins to think about something other than the text. He gets distracted, gets bored and loses interest in books and learning.
  3. Low volume of operational vision. When reading a text, the baby sees only a few letters (1-3), and not the whole word.
  4. Recurrent eye movements. When reading, the child begins to return his eyes to the text he has already read and re-reads the word again.
  5. Underdeveloped articulatory apparatus. In this case, children find it difficult to pronounce words and because of this, their speed decreases.
  6. Literature chosen not in accordance with the child’s age and knowledge base.

Where to start learning

To teach your child speed reading, you need:

When reading quickly, a person is able to guess the next words and the continuation of a thought, which significantly increases speed. For the development of this quality, memory, vocabulary, attention, a high level of operational vision, and developed thinking are important.

These are the ones that need to be developed; simply increasing the text you read will not help improve your performance.

How to teach a preschool child to read quickly

A child of preschool age is just beginning to learn and this process is still difficult for him. Therefore, it is important to constantly maintain his interest in the process and present games in the form of play and entertainment.

Three games that will help develop the skills needed for speed reading:


Methods and exercises for teaching children 6 and 7 years old to read quickly

With children 6-7 years old, you can use more complex exercises. But don't forget to keep things interesting by making your activities fun and competitive.

In addition to different reading techniques, you need to use various exercises:

  1. Improved articulation. Pronounce different tongue twisters, making sure they are performed correctly. You can arrange a competition, and whoever does the best job will receive a small prize.
  2. Development of intelligence. Take a piece of paper and write pairs of words that are similar in spelling and sound, but differ in meaning by one letter, for example, cat - sweat, forest - weight, sleep - tone, etc. Ask your child to find the difference and explain the meaning of each word.
  3. Development of the visual field. Take a table, start with 5 columns and 5 rows. Write a letter or syllable in each cell. Ask your child to read them all to himself, and then, when asked, name their order, find a specific letter, or name the letter adjacent to the given one. To increase difficulty, increase the number of letters or use syllables.

Reading fluency program for children over 8 years old

For example, you can write some long word (diamond, agricultural, etc.) and offer to form 5 other words from its letters. You can gradually complicate the task by increasing the number of words.

But first try to compose them yourself, so as not to demand the impossible from your child.

Other exercises to develop reading fluency:

  1. Development of anticipation (prediction of the next word, semantic guess). You need to write out sentences and omit letters in some words, and then ask the child to read it, inserting the missing parts along the way. Over time, increase the load by removing entire syllables from words.
  2. Deformed sentences. You need to write out sentences with broken word order. For example, instead of “Nikita went to the forest to pick mushrooms,” write “Nikita went to the forest to pick mushrooms.” Make several different cards, and then ask your child to write the sentences correctly.
  3. Writing out loud. The essence of the exercise is that you need to give the child an initial phrase or question and 5-10 minutes to think about it. And then he must express his attitude to the problem or tell an invented story. It is necessary to monitor the harmony and logic of the narrative.

In addition to exercises, there are also a number of text reading techniques:

  1. "By the top." You need to take an opaque ruler and cover the bottom of the text. The child should read the text only from the top of the letters. After this activity does not cause any difficulties, close the top part of the text.
  2. Changeling. This technique is performed in three stages. First you just need to read the text, then the book is turned over 90 degrees. After a few sentences, turn the book 180 degrees and the words are perceived “upside down.”
  3. Role reading. Reading with a change in intonation allows you to better understand its essence and remember it. In this case, children concentrate on what is written, and new words are better remembered.

How to quickly teach a child to read English

Three methods that will help you teach your child to read English:

  1. Learn letters. Learn the alphabet before you start reading. You need to know it very well and pronounce individual letters calmly.
  2. Choose words that are short and have a clear pronunciation. In order not to confuse the child at the very beginning and not to “discourage” his interest in learning, find a list of simple words. They should correlate writing and reading, this will allow the child to take the first steps in learning.
    Examples of suitable words to start with are: pot, spot, dog, box, etc. Gradually you need to move on to reading more difficult words in their entirety. Make sure your child remembers the correct pronunciation and does not make mistakes.
  3. Reading with understanding. Once the basic words are learned and easy to read, you can move on to short texts. Ask your child, after reading, to talk about what he read.
    Don't demand a perfect translation, you want to achieve a meaningful reading, not just a mechanical reproduction. Ideally, the child should then read the foreign text, understanding everything as he goes. Just like when studying material in your native language. This will allow him not only to read well, but also to master English.

When teaching a child, you need to constantly maintain interest in the process and not overtire the child.

It is better to do several short classes a day than one long one. This can lead to the child developing aversion to learning and boredom in the process.

A few more important points:

And most importantly, do your classes regularly. Optimally, there will be 3-4 lessons per week in combination with school assignments. You can periodically replace some exercises with others, making the classes more varied and interesting.

For more information on learning to read, watch the following video.

Hello, dear readers of my blog! With you is psychologist Irina Ivanova. I am sure that you all know about the current trend in the early development of children.

Perhaps among your friends or work colleagues there are mothers vying with each other to discuss which developmental center or early development school they take their baby to, when to teach the child to read (write, count, distinguish a circle from a square, etc.), and is it not too late to start this training at 3-4 years old?

We take into account age characteristics

Some take care of their child because it is prestigious, but most mothers, having heard about the difficulties of learning in primary school, want to make it easier for their child to adapt to school life. Unfortunately, during early learning to read, the opinion of psychologists is not taken into account, and they all, as one, argue against such an escalation of natural processes.

Both now and 50-100 years ago, the mental capabilities of young children have not changed at all. The natural process of development of a healthy child can neither be accelerated nor stopped. His nervous system is genetically programmed for certain stages of maturation of brain structures. For example, until the age of 5-6 years, a child is not able to assimilate abstract images.

He operates only with specific categories, those concepts that he sees now, or what he saw, heard, felt during his little life. He is at the stage of visual-figurative thinking, and no “magic” techniques can change this pattern.

At the age of 3-4, a child is simply not able to understand what a “sound”, “letter”, “word”, “syllable” is. Yes, he may be able to form letters into a syllable if he can memorize their spelling mechanically. But hardly one three-year-old child out of a hundred can read a simple sentence to the end and understand what it says. He will simply forget its beginning before reaching the point.

And the second, no less important aspect: early and middle preschool age is the time for Play with a capital G. It is in the game that one can most firmly assimilate knowledge, skills, and the ability to emotionally understand the world. Unable to understand the feelings of others, unable to express his emotions, the child will remain a “moral invalid,” no matter how cruel it may sound.

The real problem of all child prodigies is the inability to establish contacts with others, the inability to determine their place in society. Depression, mental disorders, neuroses, inadequate reactions to ordinary situations, adherence to bad habits - this is the price that a child has to pay in the future for the ambitions of adults.

This is the opinion of researchers on early development: the famous psychoneurologist Professor V. Garbuzov, the German scientist Dr. H. von Kohl and many other authoritative experts.

How will be correct?

The main thing that parents who decide to teach their child to read needs to determine for themselves is whether he wants this himself? It is impossible to make someone happy under pressure; at the heart of all events and actions, even the smallest ones, there is a stimulus. Usually, the desire to read and become familiar with letters appears by the age of 6-7, less often by 5 years. This is the sensitive (most favorable) period for starting to learn to read.

It is best if the baby’s parents also love reading and regularly read the best works of children’s literature to their child. The cult of a good book will be passed on to the growing reader, because he so wants to be like his mother or father.

To involuntarily memorize letters, you need to hang a children's alphabet near the crib. When going to bed, the baby will see the letters and remember them faster. Choose this alphabet carefully. You can often see how, for example, the letter “O” accompanies an image A chkov (glasses), or Apes (monkeys).

Where does learning to read begin? Do you think by adding letters into syllables and words? By no means, reading syllables is far from the first stage. It is much more important to teach a child to isolate a sound from a word or syllable by ear, divide words into syllables, be able to find the first and last sound, and come up with words for a given sound.

It is from this preparatory stage that impeccable writing begins. You can devote only 5-15 minutes a day to such exercises in a playful and competitive form, and the benefits from such preparation will be enormous.

Parents who have small children are often interested in at what age can a child be taught to read syllables, and what is the best way to do this?

Pros and cons of homeschooling

Some of the positive aspects of teaching reading at home include:

  1. Floating schedule. Mother and child do not need to rush, adjust to the schedule of the teacher or courses.
  2. Ability to use different techniques. Usually teachers and training centers specialize in a narrow area. For example, they work with children only with Zaitsev’s cubes, or according to Zhukova’s method. At home, through trial and error, you can choose the most effective technique specifically for your tomboy. But this takes time.
  3. Individual approach. At home they do not study in groups, but one-on-one. You can devote exactly as much time to a topic as a single student needs, without waiting for those who are lagging behind and without rushing after those who are running ahead.
  4. Contact with parents is maintained. A preschooler is emotionally comfortable being with his parents in difficult moments, and learning to read is a responsible undertaking.

There are not many negative aspects, but they do exist. Among the disadvantages of learning to read at home are:

  • Lack of training of parents
    Unfortunately, mothers and fathers who do not have special education make a lot of mistakes when learning to read. For example, they name letters with overtones, make pauses between phonemes in the process of adding syllables and words. Children get used to reading incorrectly, and it is very difficult to retrain them.
  • The child is not socialized
    In pedagogical centers, the child communicates with other adults, gets used to the school environment, responsibility, and learns behavior. He won't get that experience at home.

Where and how to teach a child to read is up to parents to choose. If you have a difficult financial situation, then the only option left is at home. In this case, spend time studying books and methods of working with preschool children. This will help teach a kindergartener how to read and instill a love of literature.

Preparatory stage

Undoubtedly, it is difficult to try to explain something to a one-year-old baby and teach him to pronounce words or parts of them, although it is possible. According to the latest research, experts believe that some children can start learning simple words and connecting syllables as early as 2 or 3 years old.

However, at such an early age you should not overload children with information that is unnecessary for them, but devote more to the preparatory stage: help the baby develop and learn letters.

The development of phonemic hearing is facilitated by reading and memorizing nursery rhymes, short poems and songs.

It is better to study letters.

Creative tricks for memorizing letters:

  1. Trace, color, shade letters with pencils.
  2. Sculpt letters from plasticine and kinetic sand.
  3. Lay out letters from sticks, mosaics, cubes.

Techniques for memorizing letters for preschoolers: modeling with plasticine

When is a child ready to learn syllables?

  • the baby can already pronounce words quite well;
  • pronounces individual sounds more or less clearly without swallowing them;
  • pronounces the letter “r”, or tries to do so;
  • does not have significant distortions in pronunciation.

Why is it important that early reading instruction occurs at the right time? We learn to read letters and syllables with speech skills. The fact is that if you teach a 2, 3 or 4 year old child to read and form letters without teaching him to speak correctly, the same errors may appear in reading tasks and in subsequent writing. In the future, the baby will confuse sounds and letter symbols, and relearning is much more difficult than initially teaching correctly. Therefore, you should immediately tune in: learn syllables correctly.

Another important factor in successfully teaching preschoolers to read is the ability of children to analyze text, to understand that in front of them there are not just pictures, but letters, which, in turn, indicate specific sounds. And only then comes the realization that letters can be combined together and form syllables for learning to read. Such understanding usually comes no earlier than 4-5 years, and sometimes at 6 years old - this is the age that is considered ideal for learning. How to teach a child aged 5-6 years to read?

It’s worth noting right away that teaching preschoolers to read is a rather painstaking and responsible process. Just because they are ready to learn to read at age 5 does not mean that they will learn to read quickly and effectively. You should not immediately overload children with read information and teach them to read words syllable by syllable from morning to evening.

You should adhere to the following pace: read, repeat several times, rest.

Techniques

What is the best and most effective method of teaching reading? There are many opinions on this matter; a lot of arguments are put forward in favor of certain methodological developments and approaches. Most experts are inclined to believe that the first thing you should start reading by syllables is use a primer for learning to read or cubes, where letters and syllables are accompanied by colorful images.

Training using the Doman method

Glen Doman spent a long time researching the intellectual capabilities of children and came to the conclusion that basic information is stored in the brain before the age of 6, and it takes a minimum of time to master.

Cards must be shown daily, holding eye contact for a couple of seconds. The amount of material shown increases gradually. For example, in the first 3 days, show 2-3 cards, at least 2-4 times a day. For days 4-7, 5 cards each. And so on.

Don’t expect lightning-fast results, but in a month or a month and a half, the child will already know and read more than 30 words. You can start learning from diapers.

Reading by syllables

All parents own it. It was according to this system that children were taught to read in Soviet schools. First, the baby learns the alphabet, then puts them into syllables, simple words. This is the best option for home learning process. It is understandable to non-professional teachers and children. It is easily absorbed and brings good results in a short period of time.

Reading by warehouse

The child needs to learn vowels. Secure them firmly. Then move on to mastering consonants, while simultaneously adding melodious sounds to them for reading.

When reading, the word is divided not into syllables, but into clauses. For example, CHA-SH-KA. Each consonant is responsible for one warehouse.

The set contains 52 units of demo material. These are square cubes with syllables. They are of different sizes and colors. 7 of them are repeated. The cubes sound: they make noise if they have a voiced consonant written on them, they jingle if they have a voiced consonant. They cannot be used to form words that are spelled incorrectly. For example, there is no syllable ZHY, SHCHYA. The baby gains literacy skills.

In the first lessons with children 4-5 years old, you should invite them to play with blocks, without focusing on letters and syllables. The child himself will understand that they are different from each other.

In the following lessons, the child can begin to put words together according to a pattern and begin to read. It is important for parents not to force them to learn, but to give them knowledge gradually, by prompting and telling them during the game.

Zaitsev's kit includes tables. They are hung at the baby's eye level. The information is remembered automatically.

Methodology of N. Zhukova

Zhukova’s method of teaching reading for preschoolers is considered the most effective, since teaches a child to read from sounds to letters. This is important, because in this case the child learns to first hear the sounds in the word, and then the letters.

Studying the ABC book with your child, say sounds out loud, not letters: the sound “M”, not the letter “EM”, the sound “S”, not the letter “ES”. This will allow the child to avoid mistakes when connecting letters into syllables.

Zhukova’s method of teaching reading for preschoolers is considered the most effective, as it teaches the child to read from sounds to letters. This is important, because in this case the child learns to first hear the sounds in the word, and then the letters. The baby first learns to read individual letters and then connect the letters into syllables.

Nadezhda Zhukova’s primer is the most effective method of teaching reading to preschoolers

When using Zhukova’s primer, be sure to read the author’s recommendations on how to start learning correctly. They are located at the bottom of the primer page.

How to teach a child to add his first syllables?

You should not learn the alphabet in order. The first sounds with which you should start quickly learning to read are vowel sounds: “A”, “O”, “U”, “E”, “I”. Kids can pronounce them and even sing them.

Then the iotated vowels should be gradually added “I”, “E”, “Yo”, “Yu” and sound “Y”.

Having mastered vowels, you can move on to consonants. Start with sonorant and voiced consonants, gradually moving to voiceless ones.

Sonorant consonants: “L”, “M”, “N”, “R”

Voiced consonants: “B”, “C”, “G”, “D”, “F”, “Z”

Voiceless consonants: “P”, “F”, “K”, “T”, “W”, “S”, “X”, “C”, “H”, “Shch”

The study should be completed with letters “Y”, “b” and “b”– you also need to know about their existence.

How to quickly teach a child to read

How to teach a child to connect different sounds and pronounce them together?

  • First teach your child to combine vowels and pronounce them together: AU, UA, OU.
  • Then move on to syllables that combine vowels and consonants: MA, BA, DA.
  • It is better to start teaching your child with the letters “M” and “A”, since their combination is familiar to him from birth, it underlies the simplest word - “mother”.
  • Draw out the first sound, and then attach the second to it: M-M-M A-A-A, MMMAAA. Please note that in Zhukova’s ABC book the picture shows how the letter “M” runs to the letter “A” and then they are connected to form the syllable “MA”.

Primer by Nadezhda Zhukova

  • After the child masters direct syllables (consonant - vowel), move on to studying reverse syllables (vowel - consonant): AM, UM, US.
  • Connect letters according to the voiced – unvoiced principle, alternating and combining: PA-BA, ZA-SA.
  • Read syllables starting with consonants also slowly, in a chant.
  • Pronounce and read consonants as sounds: M-M-M, S-S-S.
  • Teach your child first to read simple words consisting of 1 syllable:
    HOUSE, CAT, ROM.
    Then from the word 4 letters, 2 syllables: MOM, BABA, DAD, SOAP
    Then from 3 syllables or more: MILK, FORTY.
  • Teach your child to read simple texts and fairy tales with a repeating plot: “Ryaba the Hen,” “Kolobok,” “Turnip.”

Among the useful and popular methods are games for teaching reading, educational cards, courses for children 5 years old and younger. I read by syllables, in which children learn the basics of word composition in a detailed and visual form; they are taught to read books by syllables.

A set of cards “Funny syllables for children” for studying at home.

Set of cards “Funny syllables for children”

Of course, it is important not only to know how to quickly teach a child to read syllables, but also to let him understand that the words we use every day do not consist exclusively of easy elements that are convenient to pronounce, and gradually teach the child to add syllables ending in consonants sounds.

At first, children may make mistakes, long pauses, and confuse certain letters. In no case should you scold them for this, but be patient and continue learning to read step by step, using flashcards and other materials.

After some time, you will see noticeable results, since children very quickly grasp and process any information that is new to them. Very soon your child will be able to proudly declare: “I read syllables!”, and demonstrate his skills to an enthusiastic public.

This is an auxiliary teaching material necessary for teaching speed reading and instilling the skill of a good rhythm of assimilation of information. The syllabary table consists of columns of vowels and consonants.

You can use it immediately after learning a new phoneme. For example, a preschooler has mastered the letter N. He can immediately begin reading syllables with this consonant. During classes, the baby will learn what an open syllable is, how syllables and words are formed. If you read syllables from the table regularly, the pace and rhythm of reading increases and literacy becomes automated.

Comparison of techniques

Comparison table of popular reading teaching methods.


Method
Benefits for home use
Disadvantages for Homeschooling
You can practice from infancy. There is no need to obtain additional education or teaching skills.

Classes are held daily, without special preparation for parents and children.

The method is based on photo memory. In the future, you will have to teach your child to read in a more classical way.
Suitable for hyperactive kids. The first lessons can be taught at an early age, after the child learns to sit.

The technique combines the development of motor skills, speech apparatus, literacy, and phonemic hearing.

The technique is more effective when practiced in a group.
Reading by syllablesA simple technique known to all parents and grandparents. It is easily absorbed by preschoolers and does not require additional literature or equipment. Handmade cards, a notebook and a pen are suitable for lessons.It is considered a universal technique, the best for Russian schools and home classes.
Reading by warehouseEasily absorbed by children in a playful and serious form.Most likely, the child will have to relearn at school, since reading is quite slow.
Zhukova's techniqueThe sound is emphasized, not the syllable. The child’s psyche is better prepared for this method. The primer is illustrated with bright pictures; it is interesting for a child to study with such a book.

Zhukova does not advise rushing a child in learning to read; the transition to complex tasks is very soft and unhurried.

Parents should ensure that classes are regular. Before starting Zhukova's alphabet lessons, you need to introduce your child to the alphabet.

Games

Game-based learning is considered the most effective. Do not waste time on educational entertainment for preschoolers, forget about boring lessons, then you will achieve success faster.

Letter learning games

  • We draw letters, paint them, sculpt them.
    Use coloring books, prepare stencils yourself.
  • Puzzles. Assembling letters from parts. Make the puzzles yourself and cut them into large pieces or buy teaching material at the store.
  • Memory. Write down the letters on small pieces of paper. Lay out the cards on the table. Let the baby remember, then turn it over. Let him look for the desired letter according to the model.
  • We write on sand and semolina. Attaching letters on loose material trains memory and motor skills at the same time.

Games for the ability to add syllables

  • Collect the word. Syllables are laid out on cards in front of the preschooler. Task: collect words, one or more.
  • Guess a riddle. In front of the baby there is a path of words, among them you need to find the hidden word.
  • Word in word. The child is offered a long word, 12-15 letters. You need to make smaller words from it.
  • Walking games. Prepare the playing field yourself. Write the letters in the empty cells. When walking the chip, the child reads the sounds, putting them into syllables.

To develop reading skills

  • Sounds in a circle. Children need to come up with words that begin with the last letter of the previous word. For example, window-OSA-Album, etc.
  • Reading with adults. The book is placed on the table so that the text is visible to the parent and baby. When one reads, the other follows. Stop unexpectedly and ask to continue. Attention and visual memory develop.
  • We are looking for an error. Parents give the child a text with errors and catches. For example, KoSa ate all the grass in the field. Sol(b) was spilled onto the table. The child’s task is to find and correct the mistake while reading.
  • Who's speaking? Animal toys and clean leaves will come in handy. Together with your child, sign the cards: Mee, Oink, Mu, etc. Empty will substitute the required syllable for the toys and read.

Exercises

  • Reading "Tug"
  • Divide into syllables

The game is played orally or in writing. Start with simple words, gradually move on to more complex ones.

  • Let's catch up with the letter

M………., A, S…………….O The baby should pull his finger along the path, pronouncing sounds.

  • How the letters became friends

Draw letters and pull their handles towards each other. You can use simple arithmetic schemes C+O=CO.

  • What's extra?

From the words written syllable by syllable on the sheet, you need to cross out the unnecessary ones. For example, apple, pear, tomato.


Books

During the homeschooling process, parents will need methodological support. To do this, you can use the following manuals:

  1. O. Uzorova “Quick learning to read.”
  2. N. S. Zhukova “Primer”.
  3. I. Brodsky “Working ABC”.
  4. G. R. Lazgdyn “Speech therapy alphabet”.
  5. Kozhevnikova A. Yu. “Battlers.”
  6. Teacher's aids from the set for Zaitsev's cubes and Doman's cards.

  1. Name sounds to children clearly and clearly, without trying to deliberately distort them to make it easier to pronounce. When your baby hears it from you for the first time, he will remember it. Try to read clearly.
  2. If mistakes occur, do not scold the children, but carefully correct them, making sure that in the end the sound is pronounced correctly, and then the whole word, even if this is already the fifth or sixth attempt.
  3. As soon as you see that the baby is already tired and has difficulty perceiving new information, immediately take a break, play other educational games with him, or even better, switch his attention and just take a walk outside. Walking in the fresh summer air has a beneficial effect on the perception of new information and improves overall well-being.
  4. Make the most of games with syllables for preschoolers, interactive ways of learning in a playful way, cards. Often the words “let's play” have a magical effect on children.
  5. Anna Rovenskaya

    Teacher of Russian language and literature, employee of the Educational Center for Early Development.