by Pat Lamb (Author of: Let the Children Come; Children, Come to Me; When the Stars Fall Down; Widening the Church Doors to Teach the Narrow Way; My Thinking Book; Love is…) Books are available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and www.patlambchristianauthor.com
Helping Children with Reading
Many parents shy away from helping their children with homework. Often, this is because they are afraid they will not do it the way the teacher wants, or perhaps they feel inadequate. There are six basic subject areas for which children may receive homework. They are reading, math, language, social studies, writing, and science. In this column, I would like to make comments about helping children with reading.
It is helpful to understand how reading is taught in schools today. In the past there were arguments about whether sight reading or phonetic reading was best. Actually, both are used. There are certain words that children should simply memorize and learn by sight. A good basis of phonics is absolutely necessary for a child to be able to decode words on his/her own.
One of the best ways to help a child with sight words is to use flash cards. Teachers can give parents a list of words that children should know by sight. Children can make their own flash cards or flash cards may be purchased. The advantage for a child to make the cards is that the child learns about spelling and writing at the same time as the words are learned. The advantage of purchasing the cards is that the print is similar to what the child sees on the pages in books. Either or both are helpful.
If a parent feels inadequate to teach phonics, that parent can ask the child to teach the parent. The child learns the sounds at school and usually knows them but simply needs review and practice for reinforcement. Sometimes a parent may need to put a finger over part of a word to help the child break the word down. Much of reading depends on the vision of a child…both the physical vision and the way the child sees the word in his/her mind. By covering part of a word, the child can see parts of the word in the mind rather than just seeing a bunch of letters of the alphabet.
The best thing any parent can do to help with a child’s reading is simply have that child read, read, read. Older children can read stories to younger children or to the parents. The children need to be familiar with the local library and have enjoyable books on hand to read at all times. Reading at home should generally be easy reading. If a child does not know five words to a page, that book is too difficult for the child. Reading easy books develops a feeling of self-satisfaction. The child becomes more fluent and develops speed. Usually, it is best to leave the difficult books for the school to handle. Encouraging a child to read enjoyable and easy books develops a good foundation for reading in years to come. If reading is always difficult, the child will shy away from it.
Parents should see that books are available for children all the time. Books should be in the car, so that when a child has to wait for a parent somewhere, the child can be reading. Children can help make and read grocery lists. They can read directions on packages to mom or dad when meals are being prepared. Parents can find many opportunities to help children with reading and need not hesitate to do so.