Struggling Reader? 5 Reasons Why Teaching Phonics at Home is So Easy
by Mary Follin
|
The reports from Ryan’s first-grade teacher were getting worse. In October, he was falling behind in reading, but now that the semester was over, it was clear to Ryan’s teacher that without intervention, Ryan was going to struggle with reading over a period of years. “How do you feel about teaching phonics at home?” she asked Ryan’s mom.
Tiffany had an easy answer for that one: “Terrible. I don’t know anything about phonics.” Like Tiffany, most parents don’t know much about phonics. At least, they think they don’t. But if you can read, you actually know quite a bit about it. English is a phonetic language, and whether or not you were taught to read with phonics, your brain has learned phonics on its own. Some kids do this, too, and don’t need a direct-instruction phonics-based approach to learn how to read. |
Teaching phonics at home helps struggling readers.
|
But for many kids, unless they're specifically taught phonics, they’re unable to decipher the code. They simply may not possess the natural ability to discern the sounds, patterns, and rules. If your school system doesn’t teach reading with a systematic, phonics-based approach, don’t worry. Teaching phonics at home is actually pretty easy to do.
Teaching Phonics at Home is Easy—5 Reasons Why
Parents have been teaching phonics at home since the pioneer days. Fortunately, you now have plenty of programs that prevent you from having to figure it out on your own. There are a lot of phonics programs out there to help with teaching phonics at home. The biggest challenge is deciding which one is right for your child, but after that, all it takes is a commitment to stick to it. Please see my review of 5 top phonics programs, all of which have free (or $1) trial periods. Choose the best program for you and your family and have fun teaching phonics at home!
- Phonics takes a step-by-step, linear approach to teaching reading. Once you’re done, you're done! It doesn't get more difficult or confusing as you progress, rather, it's 'more of the same' until your child has developed his or her reading skills.
- Lessons can be easily compartmentalized. In just a few minutes a day, you can build a foundation of knowledge that will set your child on the path to reading.
- Phonics is consistent. If your child is struggling with reading, they might be ‘guessing,’ or tackling a new word as though they’ve never seen it before. If your child knows phonics, you can point to the blends, the patterns, and the rules, which makes it easy for your child to "sound it out."
- You will see phonetic rules and patterns everywhere you go: stop signs, grocery stores, billboards, and books in the library. You will find the world is full of invitations to practice. Rather than being inundated with the thousands of words a day that your child doesn’t know, you can easily point out words that contain the letter pattern your child is working on in the day’s lesson.
- This final one may surprise you. Because YOU are a reader, you actually know a lot about phonics. As soon as you start teaching phonics at home with your child, a lightbulb will go off. You'll suddenly see WHY teaching phonics at home is so easy, and why very small children are able to learn it.
Parents have been teaching phonics at home since the pioneer days. Fortunately, you now have plenty of programs that prevent you from having to figure it out on your own. There are a lot of phonics programs out there to help with teaching phonics at home. The biggest challenge is deciding which one is right for your child, but after that, all it takes is a commitment to stick to it. Please see my review of 5 top phonics programs, all of which have free (or $1) trial periods. Choose the best program for you and your family and have fun teaching phonics at home!
Teaching Phonics at Home? Try Our Program!
|
Founder and creator of Teach Your Child to Read™, Mary Follin began her career as a systems engineer with IBM. She has experience in a variety of industries: product development, market research, and provides marketing services to service firms and The George Washington University medical school. She is also the author of Ethyr, winner of the the Moonbeam Children's Book Award and the Gertrude Warner Book Award. Mary also writes, along with Erika Guerrero, a column titled ASK MOM, an advice column featured in Fredericksburg Parent & Family magazine and winner of a 2021 Parenting Media Association award.
|