Teaching Your Kids to Read This Summer

Posted by Jenny Evans Jun 22, 2009

Now that it's summer, the kids are home full-time from preschool and it's a great opportunity to work on some basic pre-reading skills together. For fun (and educational) ideas, try the articles "Games and Activities to Teach Pre-Reading Skills" and "Homemade Beginning Reading Game for Kids."

When my first daughter was 2 and learning her letters, I planned out Letter of the Day crafts. She loved displaying the finished crafts in her room, learning her letters, and spending time with mom. But I'll be the first to admit that I had a lot more time on my hands then. I'm writing more now, I have three kids, and life seems to keep getting busier. I tried to do a Letter of the Day with my second daughter, but I think it took a few months and we petered out somewhere around H...

Nevertheless, summers are a great time for reading with your child. I'm a big believer in the power of one-on-one teaching. My 5-year-old is already into chapter books (her favorite series is Rainbow Magic), and my 3-year-old is sounding out three-letter words. My degree isn't in childhood education, but I think having passion for teaching your kids is enough. These articles outline the strategies I've used with my kids, and they've been so successful that I plan to use them again in the future for my 1-year-old:

• "Teaching Alphabet Sounds to Young Children"
• "Teaching Kids to Read 3-Letter Words and Beyond"

Have a great summer with your kids and make learning fun!