Tips To Help Children Read Simple Sentences

The best time to teach a child anything is when they are very young. This is when their brains simply absorb information. In fact, this is one of the best times to ensure they are enrolled in a reputable centre, such as this childcare Chifley. It will help them to learn faster.

It is particularly important for children to learn to read, despite the world becoming increasingly digital, reading is still an essential skill. The good news is there are several things you can do to help your child learn to read simple sentences, that will prepare them for more complicated ones.

Images & Pictures

They say a picture tells a thousand words and it is certainly true that they tend to imprint deeper onto your memory than just words on a page. You can use this to help your child read. Simply write a sentence and draw a relevant picture.

For example, write “the cat is fat” and then draw a picture of a fat cat. Fold your paper so that the words are visible but the cat isn’t. Then, show your child to see if they can read the words. If they succeed they can look at the picture. You can even let them look if they are struggling as this will help them associate the word with the card and the image.

Keep It Simple

The words you use in these early sentences need to be very small, ideally, you should stick to three-letter words or shorter. This makes it easier for children to sound the words out and identify the right word.

Don’t forget, success really helps them want to do more. You want them to feel positive about the experience.

Memory Games

Another good way of encouraging reading is to create short sentences and play a memory game. You’ll want to keep the number of sentences to just four. Then, once the child has read them you remove one to see if they have memorized it.

If they have they win the slip of paper with the sentence on. By making it a game the children will be more interested in engaging.

Read To Them

Children like to mimic others, especially their parents and people they know well. To help them learn to read sentences you can read the sentence to them. Make sure they can see the book as you read and that you move your finger from word to word, pronouncing them carefully and slowly.

You can then encourage them to have a go saying the same sentence. They may remember it but they will still develop word association. You’ll find they read it better the next time.

Acting

If your child is struggling then consider acting as they read. Or, if they manage to read it get them to complete the action. For example, they need to read “I can jump” and then jump. Associating movement with the words will make it easier for the child to absorb the knowledge they need to read successfully.