Why teach a child to read English? This question is probably being asked by more than one family that plans to give the crumbs to a children's educational center. The fact is that in the modern world without knowledge of English, a person has a hard time: even when applying for a job, a good level of foreign will be a plus, and opportunities to travel around the world open up. That is why many teachers believe that it is best to teach a child to read in English when he is still very small. So the kid will be easier to learn a foreign language at school. However, not only reading needs to be given attention, but also speaking and listening. But in this article we will talk about how to teach your child to read English so that he will have an interest in this language.
The latest technology or good old books?
So, you decided at all costs to start teaching your baby English. What method to use? To teach a child to spell or to let him remember the whole word in its entirety? Use rhymed books or educational talking toys? Of course, before you teach your child to read English, a lot of questions arise. After all, it is important not only to teach the crumb mechanical reading, but to instill in him love and interest in the language.
Forget the alphabet
Do not force your child to learn the alphabet. It will be even more difficult for children to learn how to read English, because, as you know, in this language many words are not read as they are written. Moreover, why would you then retrain the baby, explaining to him that A is, of course, “hey”, but we read it as “e.” Get magnetic letters, but not in order to memorize the alphabet with the baby, but in order for the child to simply get used to what the English letters are. It is important for you to visually introduce the baby to the letters, and you will think about how to teach your child to read in English a little later. Of course, a curious kid may ask what kind of letter is in front of him. Do not read it in isolation, explain to the child how the letters are read, only with examples of words.
We read by cards
Another common method for teaching a child to read English is to prepare colorful cards with an image of an object and a word. For example, you should have a cat drawing and the English word “a cat”. Divide the cards by topics: family, animals, vegetables and fruits, plants, clothes, furniture, etc. Words should not be too complicated, easy to remember and often found.
Spend a few minutes in English: for example, you want to learn a few words from the topic "clothing". Lay out cards with the image of the necessary things: dresses, trousers, shirts, skirts, ties. Passing by with a child, you "inadvertently" look at the words, read them to the baby and clean. Over time, the child will repeat after you: he will remember the word and its pronunciation. Then repeat the words with him in a different setting: move your finger over each letter and pronounce the whole word, that is: “cat” - “to - e - t”, “milk” - “m - and - l - to”. Subsequently, you can cut off the words from the pictures and ask the baby to put the names under the necessary images. Also, the child must pronounce the word, with which he picks up a card.
Talking toys
Many manufacturers claim that educational toys will help kids learn reading. So, the child clicks on the picture, and the toy pronounces its name in English. However, without additional help from the parents, the child does not learn to read, but to listen. The crumb still needs you to slide your finger over each letter and pronounce the word, without this the child will simply learn to perceive the language by ear, which is also useful, but will not help in learning to read.
So, if you decide to help your child learn a foreign language from an early age, remember that you should not formalize training, you need to be creative and interested in everything.