With over 10 years of homeschooling under my belt, there’s one thing that new homeschoolers ask me about over and over again: teaching kids to read.
The truth is, after a kid can read, they can do a lot of their homeschooling themselves. They can read their own textbooks, read instructions in their workbooks and read the schedule you make for them.
Kids who can read make life easier for busy homeschooling moms.
But getting a child to be able to read fluently can be scary! After all, the ability to read changes your entire life and that can be intimidating!
But it doesn’t have to be.
This post is sponsored by Little Lions Library. All opinions are my own.
I received the product for free and was compensated for my time.
3 Tips for Teaching Kids to Read
Don’t Start Too Soon:
One of my biggest pet peeves is that parents tend to start too early: We expect kids to walk by the time they’re 1 and be potty-trained at a certain age. We put 3 year old kids on basketball teams, expecting them to show off skills that they won’t even develop until several years later. We expect our teenagers to figure out their life plans by the time they graduate.
We push kids before they are naturally developed, because that’s what society has trained us to do.
Bigger, faster, sooner…
Instead of expecting your child to know how to read before kindergarten, focus on building a strong language foundation.
Use big words.
Describe things in detail.
Allow them to explore the world around them.
These are things that will help build a solid foundation in language, which will make learning to read easier for your child.
Dropping unrealistic expectations will save you buckets of tears, from both your child and yourself.
Don’t Push It:
Many new homeschoolers push and push and push until the whole family is engulfed in tears.
Instead of pushing, take your time and allow your child to learn a little bit at a time.
By pushing them to read before they’re ready, you teach them to shut down mentally. Instead, take your time and be consistent. A few minutes each day will do wonders for your child!
Remember that young kids don’t have big attention spans and can’t grasp concepts until presented to them repeatedly.
Stay patient and allow your child to work at their own pace.
Make it Fun:
The main thing I see parents doing wrong when teaching kids to read is make it boring!
Kids thrive on color, fun stories and engaging characters!
One of my favorite ways to make it fun is by using the Decodable Books by Little Lions Literacy!
Teaching Kids to Read with Little Lions Literacy
Little Lions Literacy Decodable Books make teaching kids to read simple and fun! Their bright colors and fun storylines captivate the child’s attention and engage them in reading.
Fun cartoon characters and brightly colored pages help your kids stay focused on the story plot, while building on skills your child has previously learned.
This simple approach helps build confidence as your child is just learning to read.
Kids can learn to read using 3 volumes of Little Lions Decodable Books:
Set 1: Focuses on mastering short vowel sounds, diagraphs, floss rule and blends
Set 2: Focuses on long vowels, glued sounds and 2 syllables
Set 3: Focuses on long I and E patterns, vowel-team syllables, R-controlled vowels, closed syllables, exceptions and the suffix “-ed”
Each book follows a structured sequence to give kids practice and boost their confidence.
All sets have 16 books, covering topics from animals, sports, the beach, food, snow and more! All of the topics are exciting to young kids and motivate them to continue reading!
The books offer focused skills, comprehension questions and extension activities to go along with each book your child reads.
On top of Little Lions Decodable Books, they also offer more hands-on learning opportunities. The online Activities Den is jam-packed full of exciting printable games, printable worksheets and online games to go along with the topics you’re learning!
If you’re looking for a simple and engaging way to teach your kids to read, you can’t miss Little Lions Literacy Decodable Books!
