Everyday, he reads a few pages from the book out loud to me. He is reading fluently and very confidently. He can read about 300 words in less than 10 minutes. On every page, there are usually only 2 or 3 words which he needs help with. Due to his strong foundation in phonics, He is able to figure out how to read certain words even though he has never seen them before.
Before reading My Father's Dragon, he has finished reading 3 books by Roald Dahl:
I am surprised that he is able to read those books before the age of 5. All thanks to the Ladybird Key Word (Peter and Jane) series, as well as phonics ! Check out my methods here :
He has never attended any enrichment classes to learn phonics and reading. I have single-handedly taught him to read at home. It may seem that I have spent many hours a day teaching him. But the fact is that I am a full time working mommy, I can only afford to spend 15 minutes or less teaching each child (my girl and my boy) :
My son is an average learner who needs many repetitions to learn something new. He also has a very short attention span and cannot sit still. I am amazed that he can finish reading Ladybird book 11a, and go on to read the books above, all before the age of 5. It proves that if we use the correct methods, and teach the child consistently, any child can read very well before he/she enters primary school !
7 comments:
Hi Tamarind,
Thank you for your wonderful blog & sharing with the rest of the parents on guiding & teaching your kids to read. I am one of your avivd reader! :)
My gal is 4 year 6 months old now, she is reading book 8b, may I know what other story books do you let your children read? Do you start them on other books only after they finished P&J?
I also have a pair of twins , turning 3 in Nov, one of the twins knows most of the lettersounds, and the other needs more guidance as she can hardly sits still. Did you start your children on P&J Eg: 1a once they know the 3 letterword?
Hi Irene,
I am glad to know that you find my blog useful. You girl is doing very well !
After my girl finished reading book 12b, I let her read Charlotte's Web.
For my boy, I let him read up to book 11a, then I asked him to read the Roald Dahl books and My Father's Dragon.
Read these pages about the books that my kids have read. These are all wonderful children's classics:
Reading Confidently at a very young age
Great books for confident readers
The above are books which I ask my kids to read out loud to me, a few pages every day. They have all the freedom to read any book from our home library on their own (even when they were still reading Peter and Jane).
There is no need to finish all the Peter and Jane books, unless your girl is very interested in reading them. I think reading up to books 9 or 10 are more than enough. The child will be able to read any book.
My advise is to start reading the Peter and Jane after the kids know how to join 3 letters to form words using phonics techniques. Then it will be so much easier for them to learn new words when reading the Peter and Jane series.
But do note that some kids learn very well by remembering sight words, and may be able to learn to read without knowing any phonics. Every child is different !
Basic knowledge of phonics is still very important, and will make spelling very easy for any children.
Hi Tamarind
I've been trying to get my girl to read independently for a few months now.
She just turned 4 last mth.
While she already knows her phonics (learnt thro' leapfrog dvd just after she turned 3, plus she learns it in school) she doesnt' like to attempt reading on her own.
She can spell many words like cat, dog, fish, stop but then when it comes to picking a book up and actually reading or just reading any book, she just doesn't like it.
I've tried many ways to reward her but it doesn't seem to work.
Her spoken vocab is very wide, and encompasses alot of 4 - 5 syllable words but she just won't read!
She learns best thro' songs.
I have a few questions
1. how can detect if my girl is dislexic?
2. are there kids who just prefer to be read to instead of readng by themselves?
thanks,
Pam
Hi Pam,
You can go to the following websites to find out more about dyslexia.
Dyslexia Association of Singapore
Kids Testing & Dyslexia Centre
I think your girl cannot be dyslexic. It is very common for kids at 4 years old not to show any interests in books. As parents, we should try to make it a routine for the child to read. I make sure that my kids read at least one page out loud to me everyday.
There are many English words which are not phonetic. A child who knows phonics very well, may not be able to read fluently because many words cannot be decoded using phonics techniques. It is very important to let the child read a good graded reader like the Ladybird Key Word series.
Key Words with Ladybird
Thanks to this series, both my kids are able to read very fluently. As the child reads more, she will discover a whole new world of fun within the books. It is also important to find books that she is interested in.
Before the age of 5, it is very common for kids to prefer to be read to. I don't expect kids to be able to read by themselves at this age. There may be words which they cannot understand, and they may get discouraged.
I still make my kids read a few pages out loud to me every day, even though they can already read independently. I want to make sure that they pronounce every word correctly, and that they have a good understanding of what they are reading. And most importantly, this is a great way of bonding with the kids !
Thanks for sharing your blog. My son's not 2 yet but it's been good learning from mums like you how to start them off on their learning journey.
I keep a blog too but haven't got to the stage of sharing 'academic' stuff:)
Hi Tamarind
Has been following your blog cos I find it very motivating and informative!
Saw this and maybe your children will be interested!
A play on Charlotte's Web
Dates: 17 May - 30 May 2010
Venue: Ulu Pandan CC Theatrette
5th Floor, Ulu Pandan Community Club
2170 Ghim Moh Road
Singapore
Ages: For ages 5 & up
Refer to the following website for more info:
http://www.theplayerstheatre.org/
Regards
Mrs K Wong
Dear Mrs Wong,
Thank you for your information :)
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