Stages of Reading: Beginner Readers

Playing word games together is a fun way to promote word awareness. Eye Spy is a terrific game for this. As they are still learning how words begin, use phonetic sounds to play, especially earlier in this stage. Eye spy... something beginning with ssss. They feel happy to play when they can recognise words by their starting sound. Reading road signs is another fun game you can all play and is a great way to relieve boredom on long trips. Rhyming games are fun. Choose simple words with lots of rhyming choices in them, such as run, cat, dog, car, etc. Try your local library for books with more suggestions.

This is a stage where the mechanics of reading are taught. While school is most often responsible for teaching these skills, there's no harm in you backing this learning at home. But be aware of not pushing your kids too far. Give them room to play, make mistakes and enjoy the experience. If they feel like giving up for that particular session, it's no indication they want to give up entirely. Keep reading to them, as often as you're able. It's reassuring and comforting when you take over this responsibility, especially if they're tired, feeling ill or just plain sick of trying for the day. If you homeschool there are various books and tapes available with songs and activities for children in this age group. Make use of the library if you're on a tight budget. If you feel the need for a particular reading curriculum, they can be expensive, but are probably one of the more worthwhile investments. This may ease your mind if you're worried your kids might miss out on some important skill. This is a stage where some children really struggle, so do everything in your power to help them through this stage.

Heather Goldsmith © 2001

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