How to Teach Your Child to Read at Home for Free

by Mary Follin

​Have you ever wondered how to teach your child to read at home? Can teaching a child to read really be a DIY project?

Indeed, it can. In fact, that's how I taught both of my boys to read when they were little—at home. You don't need to be a teacher, you don't need to know phonics, and you don't need a fancy program. 

While it's nice to have the tools prepared for you, if you're on a budget, you don't need them. All you need to do is teach your child the sounds of the letters* and how to combine those sounds to make words. You can even put together your own storybooks once your child gets the hang of it.

​For those of you who want to learn how to teach your child to read at home, the only tool you will need is a dry-erase board and a wipe-off cloth. A small board that you can hold on your lap will do. Just follow the easy instructions below, and you will be amazed at how fast your child learns to read.

Wondering how to teach your child to read at home?

*It's important to pronounce the sounds correctly. If you're unsure about this, please ask your child's teacher or a fellow home-schooler to help you.

How to Teach Your Child to Read at Home Instructions:

Before beginning each lesson, make sure you have your child's undivided attention. No distractions, please, just you and your child. Lessons should only last about a minute or two, and definitely no more than five.

​Ready? Let's do it.

Day 1 
With your child on your lap, draw a lower-case ‘a' on the white board, just like the picture here. Say this to your child:

​"This is ‘a.’ Can you say ‘a’?"

Always refer to the letters by their sounds, never their names. (After all, what good does it do to know the name of a letter?) Pronounce the letter 'a' as you do in the word 'apple.'

When your child repeats the sound, you’re done for the day!

Day 2 
Repeat your Day 1 lesson. If your child knows the sound of the letter ‘a’ without prompting, you are ready to move on to the letter ‘b.’ With your child on your lap, draw a lower-case ‘b.’ Say this to your child: 

​"This is ‘b.’ Can you say ‘b’?"

Remember, you will always refer to the letters by their sounds, never by their names. Pronounce the letter ‘b’ as you do in the word ball.
​
When your child repeats the sound, today's lesson is done!

Continue through the rest of the alphabet until your child knows each sound by heart. At the start of each lesson, make sure your child remembers all the prior sounds before introducing a new one. What you will find is that your child’s ability to remember sounds doesn't require ‘recall.’ Rather, he will instantly recognize sounds in the same way he recognizes a chair as a chair and a table as a table. Correct pronunciation of each letter is key. 
​
​It's also important to go slowly; one sound a day is plenty. Don't introduce a new one until your child can demonstrate the ability to pronounce the ones she's already learned.

Your Child's First Word
After your child can instantly recognize the sound of all the letters of the alphabet, print three letters side-by-side on your dry-erase board to spell a word (e.g., c-a-t). Point to each individual letter and ask your child to tell you the sound, one-by-one.

​Do it again. Then again, a little faster.

If your child has truly learned how to pronounce the sound of each letter, she will be able to combine those sounds to sound out the word 'cat.' This step may take patience, as combining sounds to make words is new for your child. If she's having trouble, encourage her to sing the sounds, which helps the sounds to blend together more easily.

Off and Running
Now introduce another word, like d-o-g.

And then another word...you get the picture! You'll be amazed how many words your child can sound out, just by knowing how to recognize the sound of each letter of the alphabet. 

Now you know how to teach your child to read at home! But if you want to make it even easier on yourself and follow a step-by-step reading program, we'd be delighted for you to give us a try. After your child masters the beginning concepts, you will want to introduce more advanced skills, such as 'what to do when a vowel is silent.' Learn more about our online phonics program to help you learn how to teach your child to read at home. ​​​​

Learn how to teach your child to read at home.

TRY IT FREE!

Mary Follin is the founder and developer of Teach Your Child to Read™. She started her career as a systems engineer with IBM and has worked in product development, market research, and more recently provides marketing consulting to professional services firms. Beyond creating Teach Your Child to Read™, she is also the author of Ethyr, winner of the the Moonbeam Children's Book Award and the Gertrude Warner Book Award.
​
Mary is also author, with Erika Guerrero, of the advice column ASK MOM in Fredericksburg Parent & Family magazine.