Teaching a child to read syllables correctly: exercises and games

Averyanova Sveta

Teaching a child to read independently before first grade without the help of teachers and professional skills is difficult, but quite possible. To do this, parents will need teaching aids, books, and methodological recommendations from the authors of the programs. We’ll tell you in more detail how to avoid learning difficulties, when and where to start, what to do if a child refuses to learn to read.

When to start

At what age do you start teaching a child to read? There is no exact answer to this question. Letter literacy lessons are taught at 4–5 years of age, before starting school, at 6–7 years of age.

The age of a preschooler is not the main indicator of readiness to learn new knowledge and concepts. It is much more important how prepared he is for classes intellectually, psychologically, physically. Pay attention to the following indicators, which must be normal to become familiar with reading:

• The baby speaks well and uses common sentences to tell a story or answer a question.
• Phonemic hearing and articulation skills are developed according to age. Pay special attention to the correct pronunciation of sounds; a preschooler must pronounce and recognize all phonemes.
• The child maintains a conversation, clearly and consistently talks about the past day, a significant event.
• A preschooler orients himself in space. Understands the directions right-left, up-down. If the baby confuses the sides, but corrects himself, this is considered the norm.
• A kindergartener can play board games and drawing for more than 10 minutes.

If all of the listed indicators are normal or with minor deviations in a preschooler, he is over 5 years old, it’s time to think about learning to read.

Stimulate unprepared six-year-olds, attract them to the alphabet by your own example, and solve speech therapy problems. If the kindergartener is still very young, 3-4 years old, but asks to talk about letters, teach him how to add syllables, meet him halfway. Conduct classes in an easy mode so as not to discourage interest in reading due to large volumes of information and difficulties in assimilating it.

Readiness to learn

There is no need to teach your child to read fluently right away. First, he must master the reading technique, that is, learn to compose syllables independently, be able to read them, then compose words and sentences. It will be slow at first. The parents’ task is to quietly and calmly correct his mistakes, to teach him as if through play. After all, play is the absence of stress.

Readiness for training can be judged by the following indicators.

• The child is already quite independent, knows and understands a lot.
• Active speech is formed, the child speaks in complete sentences, and can compose a story.
• Good development of phonemic hearing. By about five years of age, a child can distinguish individual phonemes from the general sound stream. To learn to read, he needs to be able to “recognize” the sounds in words. You can ask him to guess what sound the word begins with, or name several words starting with this letter.
• Correct pronunciation. Existing problems in pronunciation will further complicate the perception of text, causing letters to be “swallowed” while reading and letters to be missed when writing words.
• Confident orientation in space. Concepts such as "right" and "left", "up" and "down" must be taught very clearly. Otherwise, the child may get confused about which letter to start reading from, or “mirror” words, starting to read from the end.
• It is necessary to instill a love of reading; the child should be interested in listening to new stories. Parents read at an early age. This should be done as often as possible.
• Sometimes vision or hearing impairment in children can become a major problem. In this case, you will need the help of specialists.

Readiness test

Another option for assessing a child’s readiness to read is a test. Go through it with your preschooler and answer some of the questions yourself. Each positive answer is scored 1 point, negative – 0 points.

1. Does your preschooler like to be read to?
2. Does he listen carefully to someone else's reading?
3. Can you retell the text you heard?
4. Do you like to look at books on your own?
5. Is the content more interesting to the kindergartener than the pictures?
6. Does the preschooler pretend to read? For example, reveals his favorite fairy tale and retells it with expression and demonstratively runs his finger along the lines?
7. Does he like playing with books and learning the alphabet more than watching cartoons?
8. Does a preschooler make toy books or magazines (comics) from scrap materials?
9. Does he store and examine children's books carefully?
10. Does your child have an extensive vocabulary?
11. Does he speak more often in complete, detailed sentences?
12. Knows a large number of short poems, fairy tales, songs?
13. Can you find a word starting with a given letter? For example, say a word that starts with M (substitute any phoneme).
14. Does he know the alphabet, if not, does he want to learn the letters?
15. If he is familiar with the letters, does he try to combine them into syllables himself?
16. Can he pronounce all sounds well?
17. Can you understand the difference between the words CANCER and MAC?
18. Asks to teach him to read?

Sum up your points and check out the results:

0–5 points

It's too early for your baby to learn to read.

This does not interest him due to his age and temperament. If a preschooler is under 5 years old, there is no need to be upset or worried, this is normal. Children after 5 years of age with such a test result should begin to be accustomed to books, interested, captivated by pictures, then by content. Come up with a game with collections of fairy tales, read to your little one more often before bed.

6–12 points

The desire for independent reading is unstable. Pay attention to your home library, go to a bookstore together. Buying an interesting collection of fairy tales and stories with bright pictures will help you show more initiative.

Your task is to devote more time to reading, to spark interest in the plot and composition technique. For example, not reading to the end, stopping at the moment of denouement and complaining that he himself cannot read yet, so he will only find out the ending tomorrow.

13–18 points

Congratulations! Your child is ready to read completely, is waiting for new information, wants to receive it in large quantities with the help of books, reading independently. There is no need to put off learning, start today.

On a note! By learning to read, we mean purposeful work to instill the skill of consciously putting together syllables, words and sentences. Children are ready for serious activities at 5–6 years old. Letters and elementary combinations of consonants and vowels can begin to be mastered much earlier, at 2–4 years.

How to determine a child's readiness to read?

The first thing we pay attention to is the interest of the child himself. He begins to pay attention to words everywhere - in books, on signs, on receipts. If a child often asks: “What is written here?” - It's time to learn to read.

It is equally important that the child is able to correctly pronounce most of the sounds of his native language. An exception can be made, perhaps, for the sounds “r” and “ry” - they are complex and often a child begins to pronounce them after 5-6 years. If a child does not make many sounds, this often indicates that he cannot distinguish these sounds well in speech. What kind of reading should we talk about then? You must first contact a speech therapist and work on pronunciation and discrimination of sounds.

It is with the distinction of individual sounds in speech that the readiness to perceive their graphic image begins. How to check? Play the game. For example, jump when you hear "I". Pronounce individual sounds first. Then the game becomes more complicated - and the sounds will be part of syllables and words. It is important to understand whether the child distinguishes between voiceless and voiced consonants. That is, does he hear the difference between [b] and [p] and others. We also test the ability to distinguish hard consonants from soft ones by ear - first in isolation, then at the beginning of a word, and then anywhere in the word.

We also teach the child to identify the first and last sounds in words. For example, the game "Ladder". You can play on the steps of the entrance or draw conventional steps with chalk on the asphalt. The task is to take a step forward if a word is pronounced with the selected sound. If you make a mistake, take a step back. The first one to reach the top wins. You can play with a group of children or with one child. Then, having reached the top, he receives a reward.

Stages of training

Even a very inquisitive, gifted child cannot be taught to read spontaneously, unsystematically. The skill will be developed sustainably if you use an integrated approach.

Do not rush to immediately give the concept of a letter, a word, how to add and read them. Use our recommendations for creating a lesson plan.

Development of phonemic hearing and imaginative thinking at an early age

This is extremely important for the perception of sounds, letters, and text. The ability to read begins in infancy, although many parents do it unconsciously.

Play noisy games with your baby, use musical instruments, onomatopoeia. Develop a sense of rhythm with the help of a ball, jump rope, singing, poems. Learn to distinguish between quiet and loud sounds, knocking, humming; there are many options for the development of phonemic hearing.

The last stage is the differentiation of sounds at the beginning and end of a word. A child should answer such questions by age 5. You don't need to know the letters to do this. Name a word starting with C (magpie, catfish), let him come up with a few more similar ones. Then use the last letter. You say HOME, he calls MOM, MOUSE.

It will not be possible to cope with the last task right away. Don’t insist, practice on the way from kindergarten, ask to repeat the correct answer after you, spend more time studying unfamiliar sounds in nature, at home.

Getting to know sounds

Before you get acquainted with the appearance of the letters, tell your child about the sounds. Divide them into several groups. For example, vowels - they can be sung, voiced sounds - show them using the example of sounds of nature (thunder rumbles, a tiger growls), unvoiced ones relate to quiet, non-melodic sounds (shhhh, puff).

At this stage, it is important to form an image, a phonetic shell of letters.

This will help the child perform syllabic and phonemic analysis of words at school.

On a note! To distinguish between voiced and deaf when speaking, use your fingers to your throat. When pronouncing R, D, M and other voiced consonants, there will be vibration under the fingers. When pronouncing deaf words (SH, P, S, etc.) there is no vibration.

Learning and remembering letters

Start getting acquainted with letters by setting goals. Explain why you need to know this. Tell us about the possibilities that the book opens up, about writing, the culture of different peoples. The main task is to interest the baby.

Continue the motivation with simple examples of letters. Start with vowels, for example A, U. The kindergartener will quickly remember them, learn to write, and be able to read the first word: AU!!! When he realizes that reading is not difficult at all, the lessons can be entertaining and fun, move on. Combine new letters with adding syllables and simple words.

Another option for learning about letters is studying with reference to a picture. For this you need primers or ABCs. M - cars, T - cake, V - crow, etc. This method is necessary for visual children. To quickly memorize symbols and write the alphabet, use modeling, coloring letters, and tracing them in copybooks.

On a note! Nikolai Aleksandrovich Zaitsev, the author of the method of teaching reading by letters using cubes, believes that there is no need to teach knowledge about letters gradually. He suggests memorizing the entire alphabet, and then moving on to warehouses.

You can agree with his opinion or not. Focus on the temperament and abilities of your baby.

Adding the syllables

Your baby has learned to combine two vowels and can easily read AU and IA. Move on to merging vowels and consonants. First teach to read open syllables, then closed ones. Make the first words from identical combinations: MA-MA, BA-BA. Use the reverse options: AH, UM, AM, OH.

Show how to sing the syllables. Focus on the fact that the sounds run after each other. This is well shown in the ABC of Nadezhda Zhukova. After this, you can connect several syllables together and put another consonant between them: ZHU-CH-KA.

The easiest way to automate reading by syllables is syllable tables. These are cards with columns of syllables. If you read them daily, gradually accelerating the pace, the child will easily recognize them in words. We advise you to print out syllables for teaching children to read on sheets of paper and give one option per lesson.

Making up words

For this stage, cut cards with syllables will be useful. At first, take 3-4 pieces, then you can have more. Give the task to compose words from the cards received; it is better if there are several options. For example, on the table are the syllables MA, RA, ZI, PO. Let him make up the words: WINTER, TIME, FRAME.

You can download cards with syllables below, click on the picture, download and print.

The next stage is composing words with closed syllables. You will need separate letters and cards with open syllables. For example, MA, PA, SO and the letters on the cards K, F, M. You get the following set: MAC, SOK, PAGE, COM.

After 2-3 lessons, offer to compose words of several syllables. Choose simple lexemes: HOUSE, GRASS, SHOVEL.

After composing words on your own, you can move on to studying books with short texts. First, the baby reads individual words with one syllable, then with two or three. There is no need to rush, scold, or suggest.

Reading the proposals

When your preschooler easily reproduces simple words, move on to sentences. At the initial stage, use familiar combinations: MOTHER, FOREST, WATER, CAT. Select material with short texts of 2–3 sentences. To ensure that the student enjoys reading and does not want to be lazy from boredom, use poems and jokes with meaning. For example:

Vanya has new books!

The son eats the soup himself. Mom is happy.

Teddy bear collected pine cones

And he tore off all the trees.

The next stage is expressive reading of texts of 5–10 simple sentences. Use entertaining tasks, pictures, riddles, and exercises so as not to turn the learning process into a tedious task. Remember, children learn best through play.

Reading by syllables as preparation for school

A first-grader who cannot read in a modern school is immediately doomed to lag behind his classmates. Nowadays, schools require that a child, upon entering primary school, already be able to read at least syllables. Moreover, formally the school provides time for learning to read. But the experience of teachers says that children loaded with other subjects, who are also in a state of stress, do not have time to firmly master the necessary skills in the couple of months allotted for studying the primer. And the teacher, focusing on the bulk of reading children, quickly drives forward, trying to leave more time for studying complex issues of the Russian language and teaching writing.

That is why learning to read by syllables is one of the main aspects of preparing for school.

In addition, the process of learning to read involves many other important aspects that are necessary for the future schoolchild - memory improves, concentration improves, the child learns to put emphasis on words, work is being done on the correctness and accuracy of pronunciation of sounds, etc.

How to train a child

So, the preschooler learned to read. It's time to pay attention to the speed of word formation in order to meet the standards of reading technology at school. Use the following exercises to improve your speed at playing passages out loud.

Reading syllabic tables

The table can be printed in large size, click on the image and download it:

An effective means of transition from syllabic to word-by-word reading. If you train regularly, the future first grader will automatically form words from syllables.

Read the tables in columns (vertically), for 30 seconds each at the initial stage. Record the time spent in a diary and note your progress. After 7–10 days, the preschooler should achieve the following result: 3 tables in 30 seconds, that is, he will practically learn them by heart. Train every day 2 times.

Wave

Place the book on the table in front of the child, the text should be small. Let him read at a pace that is convenient for him. Then turn the textbook 90° and ask them to read a passage or the entire text. Then place it upside down and repeat the task. Increase the volume of text gradually.

Reading in passages

The exercise is suitable for children with a medium or fast speech rate. The task of the parent or teacher: to maximize the result. When choosing a training text, take into account your current reading technique and add 30 words to your result. If a preschooler reads 20 words, give the text for 50 units, if 30 words - for 60 units.

The training consists of three stages. First, the child will read the given passage without assignment, in his usual rhythm. Then he tries to keep it within 1 minute, using two attempts. Increase the number of words in the passage when the preschooler calmly and effortlessly copes with the task. Carry out the training every day 2 times (morning, evening).

Retelling the text read

This activity is useful for students with any reading rhythm. Learn to retell what you read paragraph by paragraph, then by page, then completely. If the kindergartener reads very slowly, syllable by syllable, reproduce the text out loud yourself. Let him tell you what he heard and understood. Then he will read it on his own.

Important! At the initial stage of learning to read, prioritize understanding the essence of the text, not the number of words. Move on to increasing speed after practicing automatic folding of syllables and words into sentences.

Training Options

Parents do not have to work with their child on their own. The choice of options for preparing for school is now quite large. Let's take a closer look at them with all their pros and cons.

Parents at home

So, homework with parents. One of the advantages is maximum comfort for a shy, introverted child who studies in a familiar environment with a loved one. It is easier for a child to relax, he is less afraid of making mistakes.

Another plus is the cost. The classes are free or practically free - you will need to buy a couple of books (you can download them from the Internet or use old school textbooks inherited from older children).

Many parents will also appreciate the state of confidence - they know exactly what and how the child is learning, at what stage he is.

However, for many, it is not so much the learning itself that is difficult - in many manuals all methods of work are described in great detail - but the division of the roles of parent and teacher. The child may not take classes with his mother seriously. But my mother lacks the rigor to insist and the ability to organize an interesting lesson. As a result, such learning becomes painful for both parent and child.

Whatever you say, organizing homework requires time and effort from the parent . And if we are talking, for example, about a working mother who needs to pick up her child from kindergarten in the evening, cook dinner, feed the whole family, clean up, prepare clothes for tomorrow, etc. – even finding 15 minutes to study, and at the same time being cheerful, cheerful, full of energy – becomes a problem. Sometimes you don’t even have enough time, but physical and moral strength. I want to just sit and relax for at least half an hour. And the child is tired in the evening, which makes classes even more difficult.

And even if a mother does not work, the circle of household chores can completely absorb her attention, leaving no energy or time for additional activities.

In all these cases, it is better to consider other options than to create learning problems for yourself and your child in advance, up to and including an aversion to reading.

Tutor

Usually, people with psychological and pedagogical education are involved in preparing for school. Individual work is good for children who are easily distracted. It is easier for the teacher to adapt to the child; the training program will exactly match the child’s characteristics. Most likely, the process will go much faster, and his knowledge will be deeper and more durable. Typically, such classes, in addition to directly teaching reading, include general speech development, elements of speech therapy work, and broadening the child’s horizons. This is an excellent option if you can get to a good specialist and your parents can afford it.

Typically, lessons with a tutor are the most expensive option. In addition, a good specialist has a very busy schedule, so there is no question of rescheduling classes due to your circumstances - you will have to follow a strict schedule. Sometimes even classes missed due to illness have to be paid for.

In addition to the high price and not always convenient schedule, there is also such a thing as contact between the teacher and the child. If you notice that after 3-4-5 lessons your child is reluctant to attend them, you need to find out what’s wrong. It is important that parents, at least in the first days, attend classes. And the tutor should have no objections to this.

Kids club

The most common option. Now in every more or less large locality there is a choice of such clubs. But the qualifications of teachers do not always correspond to those stated. Moreover, it happens that a young girl, with no education at all, turns out to be a wonderful teacher, gets along well with children, and the results of her classes are noticeable quickly. And it happens that a teacher, “hung with regalia”, with experience and a bunch of diplomas, is far from being so good.

Reviews will help. Many clubs offer free classes or hold open lessons and master classes. Be sure to take advantage of this opportunity. And look at more than one option.

Please also pay attention to the club's terms and conditions. Even if it’s a small rented room, you should at least have the opportunity to wait for your child in a room with sufficient comfort; the club should have children’s furniture of the appropriate size, a toilet, an opportunity to wash your hands, a place where you can undress and leave your top clothes and shoes.

Preparatory classes at school

Most schools now also do not leave the preparation of future first-graders to chance. In September-October or spring, they open training groups. Usually such classes are paid. Moreover, in many schools, without attending these classes, you simply cannot get into a “good” class.

On the plus side, classes are usually taught by the teacher who will subsequently take the children in first grade . That is, you can get to know the teacher, methods and approaches to children in advance - and if necessary, there is still time to choose another option quite painlessly.

In addition, children are usually taught exactly what they will need later and will make it easier for them to enter school life. The child not only acquires knowledge, but also gets used to discipline, he is taught to sit correctly, hold a pen and pencil, etc., which is especially important for “home” children who did not attend kindergarten.

One of the disadvantages - in addition to the cost - is that the child actually “sits down at his desk” a year earlier (or several months). Moreover, such classes take place in the afternoon, being a significant burden for an already tired child.

Will a child learn to read syllables using video courses and educational cartoons?

Numerous cartoons, videos, and children's programs have become a significant help in learning to read.

But we must understand that all these manuals, firstly, cannot be the only way of learning, and secondly, they are intended for an adult to work with a child, and not for independent viewing.

For example, when studying letters, you can show your child a couple of cartoons to reinforce the material. But the main method of teaching will still be working with an adult’s child. If left to chance, such viewing will bring little benefit. And of course, a child will not learn to read, even if he watches educational programs from beginning to end every day.

If we are talking about special educational programs created for teaching reading, then they are clearly designed for joint work between an adult and a child. After all, even the best program will not be able to give the child feedback - that is, determine how correctly he read, what his mistake was.

In addition, the psychological characteristics of a preschooler do not contribute to independent learning. To maintain interest and motivation, he necessarily needs the active participation of an interested adult.

Useful tips

Teaching children to read can be a struggle for first graders and their parents. To avoid scandals, disappointments and not discourage your desire to master literacy, use these little tricks:

1. Exercise regularly. Lessons conducted sporadically or poorly organized will not give the desired effect. The child will simply forget all the information. Make a study plan and follow it strictly. Sometimes take a vacation for a couple of days.
2. Learn through play. For example, build houses from letter cubes and transport them on a truck to form syllables. Without strict rules and sitting at a table for 30–40 minutes, information will be absorbed easily and with interest.
3. Follow the sequence of training. The plan may look like this: sounds - letters - syllables - words - sentences - texts. Move from simple to complex consistently.
4. Use video tutorials to practice at home. This option is suitable for older preschoolers; use it for self-education for parents.
5. Review what you have learned regularly. Use different methods for this: print out cards, make drawings, learn riddles, songs.
6. Look for letters everywhere.
   To practice reading, it is not necessary to have a book or blocks at hand. During a walk, ask your child to point out familiar symbols on the bulletin board, on the price tag in the store, on house signs. This is a great practical experience.
7. Don't force reading if your child doesn't want to study. You definitely shouldn’t teach syllabic reading to 3-4 year old children, they don’t need it and aren’t interested. It’s time for preschoolers, 6–7 years old, to learn to read. But if the kindergartener doesn’t want to, use different methods of motivation to revive interest: your own example, rewards for hard work, praise.

Tips for parents

Start learning with sounds, not letters. Otherwise the child will get confused.

Eliminate any negative emotions during the learning process. They scare the child and discourage learning.

For many children, the words “study” and “lessons” cause protest. Conduct classes in a playful way so that the child has fun and, most importantly, interesting.

No need to force. Learn to negotiate. For example, suggest playing letters first and then going to the park.

Games and exercises

To memorize letters, syllables, develop memory, and attention, it is useful to use a variety of games and exercises. They help overcome fears, doubts, and automate reading skills.

To learn letters

1. Together with your child, create a collection of homemade letters from paper and plasticine. Play with crafts, try to add syllables, name the sound they represent.
2. Memorizing poems, songs into individual letters, sounds.
3. Letter lotto.
4. Who is bigger? The one who remembers more words starting with a given letter wins. You can use the opposite option: we name words that end with a certain sound.
5. Say the opposite! Speak short words (mouth, poppy, house). The child must say them backwards.
6. Spell the word. Take small word forms into parts, naming the sounds: D-O-M.

For learning to read syllables

1. Make up a word. You will need cards with syllables and letters. The child himself will select the desired option and read it. You can add pictures to the task, then the child will make up a word on a given topic.
2. We are looking for short words in long ones. From the letters of the word TRUCK you need to make one-syllable words: load, call, circle.
3. Table walkers. Draw a movement diagram, write syllables in the cells. The child reads the chips every time he moves.
4. Search for syllables in texts. Take any work of art, a fairy tale. Let him look for a familiar syllable in words, circle it with a pencil. If you manage not to miss a single syllable in the passage, the student receives a reward.

To develop reading skills

1. Find the extra or missing letter. Write the misspelled words: GU-ZO-VIK (the letter P is missing), YAM-BLO-KO (the M is extra). The exercise develops attention and spelling vigilance. This will be very useful in Russian language lessons in first grade.
2. Make a menu. The child becomes a cook and creates a menu for the family for the day. His task is complicated by the fact that dishes must begin with the same letter, for example K.
3. What do you see with the letter..? Think of any phoneme, ask the student to name all the objects that he sees around him that begin with this letter (K ​​- books, cat, pan, etc.).
4. Who is faster? Write words starting with one letter on a card: chalk, moth, soap, honey, stranded. The goal is to read the list the fastest. Reading speed, attention, and mental abilities develop.

Reading using the Doman method and our not very successful experience

Of all the methods, reading according to Doman seems to be the most unusual for our understanding. In this system, whole words, many words, are shown to the baby at a fast pace on cards! According to Doman, the child very quickly begins to remember the spelling of the words shown to him and gradually comes to read them. “But it’s impossible to remember all the words of the Russian language!” - you must be thinking now. However, Doman argues that in the process of repeated exposure, the child does not just photographically remember words, he learns to analyze their composition. And after looking at a lot of words, the baby soon begins to understand how the word is constructed, what letters it consists of, and how to actually read it. And, having mastered this, he will be able to read not only the words that you showed him, but also absolutely any.

For a very long time I was skeptical about reading according to Doman, it seemed completely unnatural to me, but nevertheless, the example of those children who learned to read using this method pushed me to start classes. Since I doubted it for a long time, my daughter and I started only at 1.5 years old (Doman recommends starting at 3-6 months). Indeed, soon after the start of classes, the daughter began to recognize the words shown to her. All I had to do was put 2-4 words in front of her and ask where it was written, for example, “Dog”, she showed it correctly in 95% of cases (even if I asked her about words that she had not seen before!), but the daughter herself read never started. Moreover, it gradually began to seem to me that the further we moved, the harder it became for her. More and more in her eyes I saw an attempt to guess, and not to read.

If you look for reviews about the method on the Internet, you will meet both people who are completely disappointed in the method, and those who really taught their children to read and not read easily, but at a fairly decent speed. And here’s what I noticed: all the people who have achieved success in this difficult task have one thing in common - they started classes very early, up to eight months. It is this age that Doman calls optimal, and it is no coincidence: the younger the child, the better developed is his ability to perceive the image of a word as a whole, gradually this ability is lost, and closer to 2 years the child increasingly needs a letter analysis of the word.

So, it would be wrong to call the technique complete nonsense, as many immediately do. The mass of children who have learned to read all over the world speaks in its favor. But I won’t persuade you to take it, because Taisiya never learned to read from it. I can only say one thing: if you haven’t started Doman classes before the age of one, then don’t start, don’t waste your nerves or your child’s.

Basic techniques

There are really many methods for early learning to read. They can be divided into traditional and non-traditional.

The first ones, easy to use at home, are suitable for children from 5–6 years old. These are ABC books.

The second ones are universal and can be used at an early stage and closer to school age. These are cards, cubes.

To master the teaching methodology in a non-traditional program, you will need deep knowledge of child psychology, sound features of vowels and consonants. Let's take a closer look at some of the author's methods.

Primers and ABCs

They are convenient because the child learns letters and sounds at the same time, gradually putting them into syllables, then into words. Each alphabetic character is accompanied by a picture. An elephant is drawn next to the letter C, and a watermelon is drawn next to the A. Syllability goes parallel to memorizing letters. That is, the set of phonemes for reading increases in the process of recognizing the alphabet.

There is an opinion that this method of teaching reading is too complex, requires perseverance, and is suitable for children with a great thirst for knowledge. But he was the main one in the Soviet school.

The arguments against book learning can be argued. For example, Zhukova’s primer clearly shows children how to read sounds together without naming them separately.

The ABCs are accompanied by bright pictures and plot drawings based on the text. By the end of the course, the preschooler will read not only syllables, but also large passages, know what a syllable is and stress. It is impossible to achieve such a result with the help of cubes and cards alone.

On a note! In addition to the primer by Nadezhda Zhukova, textbooks for teaching reading from an early age by Dmitry Fonin, Vseslav Goretsky, and Nadezhda Betenkova are popular among teachers and parents.

Voskobovich's tower cubes and folding cards

Cards with pictures are intended for teaching children from 3-4 years old. They have bright pictures and warehouses painted on them. The cards come with a CD with songs, the text of the verses is written under the pictures. First, the child sings the words, then finds them in the text and gradually learns to read.

Voskobovich's tower cubes are designed for kindergarteners over 4 years old. The set consists of 12 cubes with a cavity with consonants written on them, and 12 cubes with vowels. The child’s task, after becoming familiar with the Russian alphabet, is to create a warehouse with which any word begins. This can be one letter or a pair.

Then syllables are studied. Children match the vowel to the consonant and assemble a syllable from two cubes. Then words are made from several cubes.

Zaitsev cubes

Zaitsev's method is based on reading by syllables, do not confuse it with syllables. A warehouse can consist of one letter or several. For example, in the word SANKY there are 3 warehouses: SA-N-KI, in the word MAMA there are 2 warehouses: MA-MA. According to the author, it is easier for a child to learn to read by words than by syllables. And this is confirmed in practice.

The training set includes 52 cubes: all the letters of the Russian alphabet, combinations of consonants and vowels. They are different in shape, filling and tactile sensations.

For example, voiceless consonants are indicated on cubes with pieces of wood inside, while voiced consonants are filled with metal parts. That is, the child does not know that this letter is voiceless or voiced, but hears what type of sound it makes. Additionally, tables for warehouses, audio cassettes with songs, and a manual with descriptions of lessons are used.

In the form of a game, the child gets acquainted with the alphabet, and with the entire set of letters at once. Then he independently combines them into words, smoothly sings the lines with the help of special chants, and works with the table.

The Zaitsev teaching method is suitable for children who do not like and cannot sit still for a long time. Static lessons can be easily replaced with a dynamic game.

Chaplygin cubes

Suitable for children from 4 years old. The set consists of 10 cubes, 10 blocks. The preschooler spins the cubes, looks for the necessary syllables, and reads them. Then he makes up simple words. Simultaneously with reading, the outline of letter symbols is learned.

During the game, motor skills, thinking, memory, and attention are involved. According to parents and teachers, this technique is effective and easy to do at home.

Doman cards

The author of the program, American doctor Glen Doman, suggests teaching children to read whole words when they do not yet know letters and do not even know how to speak. Parents need to purchase a set of cards, show them to the newborn for a couple of seconds, pronounce what is written, quickly changing to the next one.

In the first lessons there will be 15 of them, then the number increases. New material is presented after repeating what has already been covered. At 1.5–2 years old, the child will be able to say for himself what is written on the card.

According to psychiatrists and neuropsychologists, the Doman card training system is based not on reading, but on automatic memorization of visual images. If you offer a child a word that has not yet been shown to him, he will not be able to read it.

Method of reading syllables by Elena Bakhtina

The author's methodology is based on syllabic reading. The child is offered cards with letter combinations. The student must read them fluently and recognize them automatically. Then you can start composing words and texts.

For ease of memorization, the letters on the cards are painted in different colors: blue - consonants, red - vowels, ь, ъ - black. Read open and then closed syllables first. Leave combinations of vowels and sibilants for the last stage, they are much more difficult to pronounce.

On a note! You don’t need to look for books and educational kits in the store. Order them online. There you can also read reviews from parents and early development center methodologists about practical experience in using each program.

How to choose a technique?

Choosing a method for teaching reading is a difficult task even for a specialist. If someone tells you that the technique he proposes always works for everyone, run away from such an adviser. No one technique is ideal for everyone . Much depends on the personality of the teacher himself, his ability to find a common language with children. The age of the child must also be taken into account. And not so much physiological as psychological. The characteristics of nervous activity, the type of information perception, the development of memory and concentration are important.

On the other hand, no one bothers you to try several different methods: one doesn’t work, let’s try it differently.

You shouldn’t just teach your child letters at home. Exactly the letters, as they are called. If your child is persistently interested, name the letters with the sounds with which they are read: not “be”, but “b” (in short, without “e”).

It is also important to consider whether you are going to study with your child at home yourself or plan to take him to classes with a professional teacher. Usually, the choice of options for group classes is quite limited, even for large cities: it is unlikely that anyone will take a preschooler to even the best teacher if the journey takes more time than the lesson itself. When choosing a group or individual lessons with a teacher, write down as many realistic options as possible in terms of location, price, and availability. Find out what techniques they use there. Chat with teachers. Please note: not with the administrator, manager, but with the teacher himself. Try to find people who have already visited this teacher - and listen to their feedback.

As for the specific methodology, usually group classes using classical methods and their variations are almost a lesson: children sit at tables, teacher at the blackboard. Children have worksheets or notebooks with tasks that they complete. From the description it is clear that this option is perfect for diligent children who enjoy drawing and coloring. And they are very unsuitable for children who are active and easily distracted. It is better for an active child to start learning using Zaitsev’s cubes (if he is not afraid of possible further difficulties, but they are quite surmountable).

If a child has problems with speech - he speaks little, poorly, does not pronounce many sounds - try to find a Montessori group. The development of fine motor skills, which is given special attention in this method, gives an effect that is unexpected for many parents - the child simply experiences a qualitative leap in speech development.

If we are talking about home exercises, then, despite active advertising, I would not recommend Zaitsev’s cubes. The fact is that the technique itself requires quite serious training, and parents do not always have the time and energy to learn new skills. In addition, organizing active one-on-one play with a child is also often difficult for a mother. But the mere presence of cubes is not learning to read. And often the set serves as building material, but does not contribute to reading in any way.

Still, at home, the best option is a time-tested classic. One of the best manuals - just take it and do it - in my opinion, is G. Glinka’s book “I will speak, read, write correctly.” All work methods for parents are written directly on the page with tasks for the child. Convenient division into lessons. Parallel development of speech, phonemic hearing, many skills that will later be needed at school - all in one book.

If a child already knows the letters or part of them, but is uncertain, connects syllables, but reluctantly, Burakov’s syllabic reading manuals would be an excellent option. There are quite unusual tasks, completely different from the standard ABC or Primer.

Books on the topic

There is no way to do without books and collections of texts when teaching reading at home. Please take a look at the following collection of useful tutorials.

Fedina Olga and Sergey “How to teach a child to read”

Textbook for preschoolers from 4–5 years old. The authors of the methodology took as a basis the syllabic method, which, according to parents, is the most effective and easiest way to teach reading. The book comes with useful tips for conducting classes; the lessons are divided into blocks, each accompanied by bright pictures.

Uzorova O. V., Nefedova E. A. “100 educational texts for teaching children to read”

The collection of texts is suitable for preparing six- and seven-year-old children for school. The educational material is accompanied by entertaining tasks and exercises for developing horizons, memory, attention, and fine motor skills. For ease of reading, words in the text are divided into syllables by vertical bars. Short stories are dedicated to the animal world, fish. There are coloring pages at the beginning or end of the text.

Baranova E. E., Razumovskaya O. K. “How to teach your child to read”

The collection of tasks is suitable for children aged 4–5 years. The authors use the syllabic method of teaching reading and invite children to play train with letters. You need to cut out a paper toy from a book yourself, put cards with letters in it and play with syllables. Classes are held in a playful way, so information is remembered quickly and easily.

Zhukova N. S. “Primer”

The textbook is based on the traditional syllable-by-syllable reading method. You can start lessons without knowing the sounds and letters. Learning the alphabet goes parallel to the formation of the skill of putting letters into syllables. The book is written in large print and illustrated with bright pictures. Zhukova’s primer is recommended by the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation and has been used in kindergartens and development centers for more than 10 years.

How to teach a child to read while playing

1. In order for your child to better remember the letters, make them yourself and better than using rough paper. This way, the child uses not only vision, but also tactile sensations. Moreover, when the child himself participates in the production, he understands the world better.
2. Learn one letter in different ways: drawing in the sand, laying out cereals, pebbles, modeling from plasticine, drawing with your left and right hands...
3. Give a special massage. Write a letter on the child’s back and he guesses. You can change places, because the baby is interested in giving tasks himself.
4. Hang the letters and written words around the room and pronounce them. Letters and words should be bright and written in two colors (vowels in red, consonants in blue). This is necessary to make it easier for the child to learn the rules of grammar.
5. For this game you will need a magnetic board with letters, or a refrigerator with magnetic letters. Place several consonant letters vertically, those sounds that the child pronounces well. Place one consonant next to it. This is an elevator where the vowel letter rises and falls. At the same time, we read the syllables (first the adult, and then the child). For example, MA - PA - TA - NA. Then you can replace the letters in the elevator and put vowels, and the consonant will rise and fall.
6. When the child masters reading straight syllables. you can go to the reverse. For example, an airplane is the letter A. The airplane lands at different airports and the syllables are formed: AN; AP; AM...So the baby will understand. what are back syllables and learn to read them. First, of course, the adult reads, and the child listens. Next, you need to introduce it to repetition.
7. You should not play the same games every day; you need to alternate them so as not to lose interest.
8. It should be read emotionally and not monotonously. Read as if in a chant, emphasizing the accents. First, the adult reads, and the child listens, then repeats.
9. Make sure your child finds it interesting. If interest is lost, then you should stop so as not to discourage desire.

You will also be interested in the educational educational video Luntik learns letters . The video will help you quickly and easily learn letters and prepare your child for school.

Mobile applications and simulators

If it is impossible to sit the baby down with books, they do not like to play with cubes or cards with letters, use interactive simulators to teach reading. You can download them to your tablet, mobile phone (iPhone and Android), play at home or on the go.

Luntik. Let's learn to read!

With your favorite cartoon characters, your child will learn to recognize letters, put them into syllables, and read words. The application is suitable for both one-year-old children and future first-graders. The program is divided into 10 levels: 4 simplest and 6 more difficult.

Talking ABC

The preschooler will learn the alphabet with the help of songs and plasticine helpers. Bright animation and fun games make lessons entertaining and not boring.

Learning to read by syllables

The application is designed for kindergarteners aged 5–7 years who know letters. The teaching methodology is based on Zaitsev’s program. Users make words from warehouses, cards with letters and syllables. With the help of simple games and entertaining tasks, the future schoolchild quickly learns to read and divide words into parts.

ABC for children! Let's learn the alphabet!

The letters are hidden in colored boxes with pictures. The task is to catch them and form a word. The game is designed for children aged 2–3 years in the “Learning Letters” mode, and preschoolers aged 4–7 years in the “Read by Syllables” block. The app has received a lot of positive feedback from parents.

Learning letters is fun!

The program is useful for kindergarteners unfamiliar with the alphabet. The games are divided into three parts. In the first, the child gets acquainted with letters using pictures, learns to pronounce them, and recognize them. In the second, he consolidates the acquired knowledge and composes words. In the third, smart coloring pages and favorite cartoon characters await him. You need to color the pictures using letters.

With the help of computer games, even a weak child can learn the alphabet and learn to read syllables, words, and sentences. In addition to educational exercises, the educational site has a lot of tasks to develop attention, memory, and reaction speed.

Best age

So, experts are sure that teaching the science of reading should begin in preschool age. At school, a child will encounter many innovations, first of all, his main activity will change, and he will unexpectedly move from playing to learning. It is not simple. You have to sit at your desk for a long time, concentrate on what the teacher is talking about, learn to communicate with previously unfamiliar peers, and look for your place in society. The student becomes more independent, he now needs to behave in a disciplined manner, become familiar with arithmetic operations, learn to draw, make crafts, and so on. Therefore, acquiring another new skill - reading - will cost a lot of effort. And those parents who feel sorry for the child, do not want to read with him, strive to extend his childhood by at least a year, are actually doing him a disservice - time is wasted, their child will have to study hard and intensely at school.

It’s better to start at 4.5-5 years old. At this time, the child is able to concentrate for about 10 minutes, which is quite enough for learning. You can learn letters earlier - at 3-4 years old, the baby has all the reserves to become familiar with the alphabet and gradually memorize letters.

In your baby's room you should hang a beautiful, bright poster with letters on it. Gradually they will be deposited in the head thanks to passive memory and become recognizable.

It would be useful to let a child of 3-4 years old play with cubes, on the edges of which letters are written and an object is drawn, the name of which begins with each of them (for example, K and cat). As the child builds a fort out of cubes, during the game he will gradually remember what the letters look like and what they mean.

It is equally important to form a sustainable interest in the book. Parents of preschoolers have a great responsibility: if they force their child to read, yell at him, and get nervous, then there is a high risk that the child will forever be disappointed in reading and even in adulthood will be extremely reluctant to open a book. This can be avoided if you regularly praise him, and the process itself, despite its seriousness, is transformed into an exciting game.

Answers to frequently asked questions

How long does it take to teach a child to read?

Learning to read from scratch can take 6-8 months with a 4-5 year old child. An adult child, 6–7 years old, masters the skill faster, in 3–6 months. If you attend classes at a development center, a tutor, and read additionally at home, the period is reduced to 2–4 months.

Although in this video you can get acquainted with the real story of how a child was taught to read syllables in 2 hours.

How to teach reading if a child doesn’t want to?

A categorical refusal to study with books, tables, and cubes can be overcome by increasing motivation. Interest a reluctant woman in a bright book on her favorite topic, tell her why it is useful and necessary to be able to read. Look at pictures in books every day, read in the evening, during the day, discuss the plot.

When the first signs of interest appear, try playing with letters, solving puzzles, and using coloring books.

Can a child learn to read on his own?

This option is possible if there are older children in the family. The kid watches homework being done and begins to imitate the school students. When it turns out that the baby has learned the letters himself, parents only need to speed up the process a little.

Buy an ABC book, give some theory, apply several speed reading methods. If a preschooler is inclined to self-education, is diligent, and will show good results.

Should educators teach children to read?

Reading lessons are not included in the mandatory kindergarten curriculum. Teachers in the preparatory group can give a small amount of information about sounds and letters.

Reading is taught in elementary school. The exception is specialized or private kindergartens, where parents pay for additional classes in preparation for first grade.

When is a child ready to learn syllables?

In order to teach a child to read syllables easily, the child should be taught at the right time, which can be determined by the following main features:

• 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 the 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.

When teaching a child at 5 years old, it is recommended to conduct daily lessons for no more than 15 minutes at a time, as the child begins to get tired and may lose all interest in reading exercises.

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

Stage No. 3. Introducing the letter

Now it's time to learn the letter. To do this, you can invite the child to find the desired picture among the cubes or on the alphabet (for example, an orange). It should be explained that since the name of this object begins with the sound [a], next to it they wrote the letter that denotes this sound.

Examples:

• Crumb cubes “ABC in pictures” in the OZON.ru store.
• Educational wooden toys ABC cubes.
• ABC cubes, 12 pcs.

Invite your child to carefully examine the letter and determine what parts it consists of (sticks, ovals, hooks). Discuss with him what the letter looks like. It is recommended to use special pictures in which the letter is depicted as a real object. If possible, you can create such pictures yourself directly during class. It will be very interesting for the child to watch the transformation of the letter.

You also need to ask the baby to write a letter. This can be done in different ways:

• draw with chalk on a blackboard;
• write with your finger in the sand;
• mold from plasticine;
• lay out with buttons;
• twist from wire, etc.

The child will really like such exercises and will help him remember the letter better.

What can't you do?

How to teach a child to read quickly? Many parents think that this requires forcing them to read many pages at a time. But in the end, you risk running into resistance, which can lead to isolation and aggravated by a reluctance to learn further. There is no need to suppress the child’s will!

How much to read? The main thing is not to impose demands and standards on children who do it poorly. A child should read as much as it does not cause rejection.

So, you need to read:

• short words for those who have just learned (3 and 5 letters) and as many as they can;
• short texts for those who read 30 words, gradually increasing the volume;
• 1-2 pages for those who read 60-80 words, starting with one page and, if the child is not tired, you can give the second; allow these children to read to themselves;
• 2-8 pages for those reading more than 120 words, starting with two pages and gradually adding more.

If the school assigned 10 pages, and this is too much for your child, you can change with him - he reads one page, you read the next, and so on. This way, you will give him the opportunity to rest, and the process will not cause hostility in him.

Glen Doman's method of teaching reading

The teaching method according to Glen Doman is popular among modern parents. According to it, you need to start working with the heir or heiress right from infancy. The method is based on showing cards with different images. These can be letters, numbers, animals, plants and much more. It depends on what you want to teach your little one.

As for reading specifically, Doman has his own guesses and statements: the child first needs to memorize the first few dozen words. Mom just shows the picture on the card for a few seconds. There may be many such cards, or there may be few. In general, the technique advises quickly changing pictures.

This technique also has a beneficial effect on the breadth of your horizons. Thanks to Doman, children literally from the cradle begin to master and “study” the surrounding objects and even what he has not yet seen at all.

Whatever method or method you choose, or even a separate manual, there are many of them now, remember one thing - do not rush your baby, let him enjoy a carefree childhood, start classes and serious training when he is completely ready for it! Feel each other...