Learning to Read - Correcting Mistakes at an Early Stage

 When your young child is learning to read you should be mindful to make the process fun. Learning to read is one of life's most important skills and success will be achieved with a sensible yet enjoyable approach. No child should see reading as a chore; it should be a creative, exciting journey that allows their imaginations to blossom. Parents should however be mindful that reading mistakes should be corrected from an early stage, to prevent them developing further into the child's older years.

Most reading problems occur as the child is beginning the learning journey. Formal reading lessons should begin with the letters of the alphabet and the child should be taught not only the name of the letter, but also the sound that the letter makes when read in isolation or when blended with other letters. This forms the basis of phonic teaching. For example, the letter "S" is pronounced by its name as "ess" but sounds like "ssss".

If at an early stage the child is not taught the sounds of single and blended letters then they will not have much success with other facets of reading. By waiting until the child has mastered single letters and their associated sounds you will undoubtedly boost their confidence and their willingness to take their reading skills to the next level. As with many things in life, confidence is key, so if you child gets his letters and sounds wrong do not chastise or shout, simply correct him and move on, returning later to the problem letters.

By delaying intervention with any problems with reading you could seriously hamper your child's progression. Early problems can usually be remedied the majority of the time and remember that all children learn differently. You should pay attention to where your child is struggling and focus on these areas as part of your teaching. Make the problems fun, by incorporating pictures which will help to identify the letter and sound or use flashcards. Word puzzles are also great fun for readers who are a little more advanced.

Many UK schools now recognise the need for early intervention and if your child is deemed to have fallen behind slightly you should be able to benefit from additional one on one tutorage from the classroom assistant or teacher. Work with your child's teacher and continue the learning at home, remembering all the time that words, letters and sounds can be fun.

Article source: http://eslarticle.com/pub/teaching/reading/84085-learning-to-read-correcting-mistakes-at-an-early-stage.html