What modern parent does not dream of a comprehensively developed child? It is especially important for mothers and fathers that a baby can read from a young age. It’s no secret - in most schools, first graders are welcomed, who have already mastered the skills of writing, counting, and especially reading. How to teach a child to read in grade 1? Is it too late? Maybe it's better to attend to the problem in advance?
There are no methods and systems designed to help moms and dads to independently teach their children reading skills today! Books, manuals, interactive games, special lessons for children "Learning to read." Amid such an abundance of information, many parents are in real confusion - which method to choose? At what age should I start learning this useful skill? Well, let's try to figure it out from the very beginning.
When to start training
How to teach a child to read at 4 years old? And at three? Not all mothers and fathers think that reading is a very complicated process. Its essence is not only in memorizing letters and the ability to make syllables from them. The whole point of teaching reading is to instill in the child the ability to consciously perceive the text with its subsequent reproduction. That is why it is completely incorrect to answer the question about the right age to start training in the style of "the sooner the better".
Sometimes a question: "How to teach a child to read quickly?" becomes a matter of parental prestige. Neuropathologists have already begun to sound the alarm: warnings are increasingly being heard for moms and dads that unnecessarily early reading of literacy crumbs in some cases can only hurt. As you know, the human brain, along with the nervous system, does not ripen immediately. At a certain age, a number of departments of the brain in the physiological sense are not ready for functioning "to the fullest." If at this time we begin to force their stimulation, it is quite possible to impose insomnia, neurosis and a number of serious psychological problems on the child.
6 years old child - learning to read
Any parent can determine the degree of physiological readiness of the baby’s brain for the start of training. Signs of such readiness lie in the developed and fully formed speech of the child - when he is able to not only express himself with complex sentences, but can also make small coherent texts.
Another positive sign is the full development of phonemic hearing. It consists in the independent determination of sounds in different parts of a word (in its beginning, middle, end), the correct pronunciation of all sounds without violating melodics, rhythm of speech and other speech therapy "canons". In addition, the spatial orientation of the baby should be fully formed.
How to teach a child to read quickly? According to the recommendations of reputable psychologists and educators, targeted teaching of children by parents is shown no earlier than five years of age. Normally, it was at this time that the child's brain was subject to the development of almost any sign system. However, the individuality of each baby should be considered. In practice, there are many cases of independent reading by children in younger years.
There are a great many methods to teach a child how to read. Their goal is to contribute to the baby in the quick development of reading skills with the help of mom or dad. Let us dwell briefly on the most popular of them.
The well-known technique of Zaitsev
It has been around for over 20 years. Its essence is in the study by children of not letters or sounds, but of syllables made on the faces of Zaitsev’s cubes in the form of didactic material. Syllables (or rather, warehouses) allow kids to master the language precisely at the phonetic level.
Cubes are divided into different groups (from different materials, with different internal filler). Thanks to the contrasting texture and sound, the playing child learns the difference between vowels and consonants, hard, soft and deaf sounds. Audio cassettes with special tables are also attached to the kit, which are recommended to be hung on the wall just above children's height.
How to teach a child to read in this way? According to this technique, in the process of teaching parents it is charged to hum smoothly syllables (rather than pronounce). If classes are conducted systematically, then a rather large number of syllables of the mother tongue “fits” relatively easily in the child’s head - about 246. The speed of acquiring reading skills by this method directly depends on childhood. If the baby is older than three years, the reading skill can be mastered within six months. Classes should be held at least twice a week for 15-30 minutes.
Not so simple
It should be noted that the methodology of Zaitsev, from the point of view of official pedagogy, is by no means recognized as ideal and has certain disadvantages. Unambiguously, its positive aspects include easy memorization of letter combinations in a game form, which in the future will allow the child to write correctly, lack of attachment to a specific age category, as well as the child's ability to play independently with this fascinating didactic material, imperceptibly mastering early reading skills. In addition, Zaitsev’s cubes have the most beneficial effect on fine motor skills and the development of sensory organs.
Among the negative phenomena inherent in this method of learning is the child’s frequent “swallowing” of endings and some difficulties in mastering the composition of the word (after all, the child immediately learns syllables directly). In the first grade, such children may experience difficulties in the process of phonemic parsing. Other disadvantages include the high cost of benefits and the need for lengthy preparation for classes.
About the technique of Glenn Doman
Named after a popular American scientist, the method rejects the idea of the initial assimilation of sounds or syllables and proceeds from how to teach a child to read by automatically learning the whole word. For this, you need to have many special cards with the words and sentences depicted on them. During the lesson, mom or dad show the baby such a card for 15 seconds and read the contents loudly.
This method also requires regular training, the duration of which at first is 5-10 minutes. As a result, fast reading instruction and a good development of intelligence, photographic memory, attention and the ability to concentrate on a specific object are promised.
About the advantages and disadvantages
According to the supporters of the methodology, its advantages are in the possibility of using it almost from the moment of birth and independent organization of the process by parents without involving a specialist, as well as in the manufacture of didactic material with their own hands. It is understood that the diverse themes of cards stimulate the baby to comprehensive development.
The disadvantages of this method are also called psychologists and educators: the baby’s position in the learning process is passive, attempts to read independently do not occur, classes are limited only to listening to and analyzing information. There is no creativity in the process of learning, it is quite the same type, and sooner or later, the kid gets bored with looking at a variety of cards.
The system of Pavel Tyulenev
This technique is also called the "World". Nowadays, she is passionate about many parents, especially those who got acquainted with the author’s book “Read Before Than Walk,” in which the innovative pedagogue substantiates his own position: the children's brain is capable of learning letters and folding them into words by the age of one, by the age of two by the first reading. But, according to the author of the methodology, one should be engaged directly from birth.
How to teach a child to read according to Tyulenev? What is the essence of classes? They consist in demonstrating cards with letters with their active scoring. It is understood that the first 4 months of the baby’s life are the most important - the period of active perception by the brain of any graphic images. It is important at the same time that foreign objects (for example, toys) are absent in the field of children's vision.
The author of the methodology claims that in this way we create an environment favorable for development for the child, which will facilitate the active learning of reading skills in the future.
The classic way of learning
Let us return to the usual abc-book. Beloved by many generations of children (and parents), it is filled with a wide variety of drawings, favorite characters, etc. And the meaning of the traditional method is to master (before teaching a child to read exercises from the ABC book) the process of combining individual sounds into syllables, and then in whole words. In this case, the primer is illustrated by many examples, bearing the most diverse combinations of consonants and vowels.
Unlike in Soviet times, primers from different authors and publications are now sold. When purchasing this indispensable allowance, parents should choose the option in which the processes of acquaintance of the baby with the new letters of the alphabet and folding already mastered from them into syllables take place in parallel. Worse, when the entire alphabet is presented immediately and only then is information about the connection between the letters.
What is the use of primers
The kid is actively learning to read, mastering many options for different folding of letters and syllables among themselves. The child’s brain in this case begins to consciously perceive the basic principles of the reading process. Many note that most parents, having tried a number of modern techniques, eventually return to their "starting position" - to learning to read according to the traditional method.
You can’t call her easy. But the undoubted advantage of the “good old” approach is the ability for the kid to independently analyze the information received and a phased transition from the simplest components - letters and syllables - to individual words and small sentences.
What should parents do at home?
Let's talk about the simplest method: how to teach a child to read quickly at home? We divide the process into several stages and consider each a little more carefully:
1. First, let's try to learn only vowels. For these classes, parents should have prepared didactic special material in the form of red circles with a diameter of about 10 cm. One of the vowels is written on each of the circles - there are ten of them, as you know. Red color is not chosen by chance. This corresponds to the sound scheme of the word, where the vowel is indicated in just such a tone.
2. The kid should be introduced separately to each of the vowels. Its name must be "sung" with the child. All received circles can be hung on the walls of the children's room with a periodic reminder and asking the baby to "sing" a particular sound. The location of the circles is worth changing from time to time.
3. If the material is mastered, you can refuse to use this technique. Then you can play hide and seek with vowels. Stock up on text in large print, or on separate sheets of paper with simple words written by your hand. And the baby’s task is to find the vowels "hidden" in the words. The goal of the game is to contribute to better memorization of the graphic image of each letter and to teach the selection of individual letters from the composition of the word, regardless of size and color.
Educational games for children - learning to read syllables and single words
After mastering a tiny amount of vowel sounds in full, we proceed to the next stage - joining into syllables and words. The technique here is this: suppose today we are studying the letter M with a child. Do not overload the baby’s brain with information about the hardness or softness (and the like) of the sound being studied. Pay attention to the peculiarities inherent in his graphic image, think together - with what objects M evokes associations. It is important to create a clear image of this letter in the child’s head.
We go further. The studied letter is alternately substituted for each of the finished red circles with the image of vowels. An educated syllable is read with the baby. You can sing them, speak with a variety of intonations, or come up with any other tricks for the child to better master the principle of syllable formation. The duration of each such game session should not be more than 10 minutes.
From the first two or three mastered consonants in combination with vowels, it is already possible to teach the baby to make the easiest words containing four or even three letters. For clarity, it is better to prepare the appropriate cards or take a magnetic alphabet.
We turn to reading complex words
When the stage of learning to read individual syllables and easy small words is left behind, we proceed to read more complex "constructions", the number of letters in which is six or more. To accelerate the result, words familiar to the child can be written on sheets of paper and pasted around the apartment. All new words should be read several times with the baby. Then during the day they should be repeated in the form of a game. Leaflets with words can be interchanged.
Having mastered the first group, prepare, hang up and study the next - new words. At the same time, you should periodically return to the previously studied. Thanks to the application of the above method, the baby quickly learns to master syllables, then long words. This technique requires no more than 15 minutes per day. Soon your child will be able to please you by reading whole sentences and even small texts.
What rules are important to follow?
There are recommendations of teachers regarding the rules that parents should follow in order to help the child quickly and successfully learn to read. Here are the main ones:
- All training is carried out without fail in the form of a game. Indeed, for this age period, this is the main and almost the only form of development of the surrounding reality. The game for children "learning to read" can be disguised as "classes" in a "real" school, because it is so important for a child to feel like an "adult" student. But it’s even better when everything happens supposedly spontaneously, especially while the child is still small.
- So that interest in classes does not fade, it should be supported using a variety of multifunctional aids and didactic material, which must be fun for the child.
- The most effective at this age are classes of short duration, conducted regularly and sequentially.
- Avoid long explanations! You should talk with the baby briefly, concisely and as clearly as possible. Long instructions by preschoolers are perceived extremely poorly.
- Do not start learning reading skills until spoken language is fully developed and there are defects in sound pronunciation.
- In the structure of the lesson, in addition to the training part, be sure to include small workouts in the form of finger gymnastics and physical education.
- Parents should show flexibility, patience and, most importantly, consistency in the classroom. Never compare the achievements of your own baby with the successes of others. Do not forget about the individual pace that is characteristic of each of the children and depends on a huge number of factors.
- Do not force your child to work if he or you is in a bad mood or health condition. This will not give any positive effect, but may have a negative impact on the subsequent development of the child's psyche.
What else to know
Remember that the process of teaching this fundamental skill is multifaceted and lengthy. Never rush things and do not look for a "magic wand" that can educate your baby in a short time! Parents should focus not on new-fangled methods in the field of early learning, but on carefully identified features of their own baby - his memory, attention and way of thinking.
There is no single universal methodology suitable for every child. How correctly you choose the occupation options for your own crumbs depends on you and only on you. Ultimately, it is in the power of any parent to grow from a son or daughter a thoughtful and interested reader.