Teaching a Child to Read at an Early Age.
By: ChildrenLearningReading.com
Did you know that 38% of grade four students have reading abilities below the lowest basic level as determined by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)?
This reading program has been used worldwide to teach children how to read before they are 3 years old.
The NAEP is the only ongoing survey of what students have known.
The NAEP also tracks their performance in various academic subjects for the United States.
In their report, the NAEP found that 38% of grade four students had reading achievement below basic levels, with a basic level reading score being 208.
To put things in perspective, the US reading scale has an upper limit score of 500.
With average reading scores for grade 4 (217), grade 8 (264), and grade 12 (291).
The grade 4 reading achievement levels are categorized by the NAEP as Advanced (268 score), Proficient (238 score), and Basic (208 score), and the basic reading achievement level is defined as follows by the NAEP:
“Fourth-grade students performing at the Basic level should demonstrate an understanding of the overall meaning of what they read. When reading text appropriate for fourth graders, they should be able to make relatively obvious connections between the text and their own experiences and extend the ideas in the text by making simple inferences.” [1]
Unfortunately, over a third of all grade four students read at levels even below basic.
Is your child having reading difficulties?
Research on Phonemic Awareness have found that early reading helps improve a child’s reading and spelling abilities.
You may also like: 3 best tips to teach your child how to read.
In fact, the National Reading Panel has concluded based on their massive review of over 1,900 studies that teaching phonics and phonemic awareness produces better reading results than whole language programs.
There are numerous documented benefits and advantages of teaching children to read early on.
Greater benefits are seen when teaching them to read using phonics and phonemic awareness instructions.
It is clear that early language and reading ability development passes great benefits to the child as they progress through school at all grades.
On the contrary, early language and reading problems can lead to learning problems later on in school.
For example, a Swedish study found that children with a history of reading problems at school entry scores significantly below average on reading in grade 4.
As well, children that show very low interest in books and story reading before age 5 also scored similarly low on sentence reading in grade 4. [2]
This is just one of many studies that have similar findings, and this makes it imperative for parents to begin exposing their children to books and reading at an early age.
So how early?
Good question!
There’s no set guideline on when you should start teaching your children to read;
however, you can start cultivating your child’s love for books and reading as soon as they’re born.
Obviously, very young babies would not even know what books are.
However, talking to your child and reading to your child will help them develop a keen liking for books and stories.
As your child grows and gets older, avoid TV-sitting them.
The reason is because as they develop a dependency on television as their main source of entertainment,
it becomes very difficult to dislodge that need for TV entertainment and get them to enjoy reading books.
Instead, keep age-appropriate books all around the house, and read to them often.
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You’ll find that they’ll start picking up books and pretend to read themselves, although, at very early ages, they still cannot read.
Likewise, a multi-functioning nook with a bookcase, a folding gaming sofa chair, or a colorful large floor seat cushion pillow can present a great reading environment for any child.
People typically think that kindergarten or grade one would be an appropriate time for their children to start reading; however, this is not the best approach.
Studies have repeatedly found that children with good phonemic awareness before entering kindergarten continues to outperform, and achieve exceptional reading and spelling abilities as they progress through school.
On the other hand, children who enter school with reading difficulties may continue reading and spelling difficulties.
Kids can make wonders; many surveys and stats prove that the age from 5-15 is the best time for anyone in their entire lifetime to store as much data into their brain as possible. But the very idea of introducing them to such complex topics like AI and ML can be extremely terrifying. But worry not, we are here to help you take your kids into the world of Artificial Intelligence.
Artificial Intelligence is definitely not as easy as teaching rhymes but we can make it fun. “Rome wasn’t built in a day” and hence, make sure you don’t dig deep into the topics like robots or automation. Start from the least bottom level, the scratch, start by taking an example of a toy car. Start by explaining how elements like the steering, gearbox, and clutch work in the car with certain mechanisms and now, introduce the car they see every day as a ‘machine’.
Click here to learn how to easily and quickly teach your child to read.
Stay blessed as you pilot your gifts of grace. May The Lord grant you peace and gentleness of spirit.
Notes: 1. NAEP 1998 Reading Report Card for the Nation and the States
March 1999
Authors: Patricia L. Donahue, Kristin E. Voelkl, Jay R. Campbell, and John Mazzeo
2. J Learn Disabil. 1999 Sep-Oct;32(5):464-72.
Early language development and kindergarten phonological awareness as predictors of reading problems: from 3 to 11 years of age.
Olofsson A, Niedersøe J. Department of Psychology, Umeå University, Sweden.
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