As a parent, you want your child to be a strong reader. But teaching them to read can be daunting, especially if you’re not sure where to start. That’s where a reading program for kids comes in.
This guide will show you how to support your child’s reading journey, from letter sounds to reading fluently. Let’s get started!
Table Of Contents
- What Is A Reading Program For Kids?
- The Begin Reading Program For Kids
- Tips For Maximizing The Effectiveness Of A Reading Program
- How To Teach Your Child To Read
What Is A Reading Program For Kids?
Reading is a core skill, one of the 5 C’s — along with creativity, critical thinking, curiosity, and character — at the heart of the Begin Approach to helping kids thrive in school and life. Many parents turn to a reading program to help children learn to read.
This is a structured approach to teaching reading. These programs typically include various activities, resources, and techniques to help children develop essential reading skills.
Benefits Of A Reading Program For Kids
Using a reading program for kids has many advantages. These include:
- Structured learning. A well-designed reading program provides a clear plan and teaching tools to guide your child’s progress from beginner to fluent reader.
- Increased confidence. A reading program can help build your child’s confidence in their reading abilities by providing step-by-step instruction and practice opportunities.
- Individualized instruction: Many reading programs offer personalized assessments and learning plans catering to your child’s unique needs and preferences.
- Focus on key reading skills. A good program focuses on building key reading skills such as phonics, sight words, fluency, and comprehension. This strong foundation sets children up for success in all areas of literacy.
- Support for parents. Some programs offer resources and guidance for parents to help support their child’s learning at home. This can be especially helpful for busy parents looking to supplement their child’s education.
As you work through a reading program with your child, you’ll likely see improvements not only in their reading skills but also in their overall academic performance.
That said, it’s important to remember that each child learns at their own pace and may need additional support to reach their full potential. And that’s OK!
Reading Skills To Teach
A good reading program for kids should cover all five essential literacy components: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.
Let’s look more closely at each one.
Phonemic Awareness
Phonemic awareness is the ability to recognize and manipulate individual sounds, or phonemes, in words. This skill helps children understand the relationship between letters and sounds.
Activities that promote phonemic awareness include rhyming, sound blending, and segmenting words into individual sounds.
Phonics
Phonics is the understanding of how letters and letter combinations represent specific sounds. Children can read by sounding out each letter or group of letters in the word.
Some phonics activities include matching letters to their corresponding sounds, building words from letter tiles, and playing word games focusing on different letter patterns.
Fluency
Fluency is reading accurately, quickly, and with expression. This skill helps make reading more enjoyable since your child won’t struggle to decode every word in a passage.
To improve fluency, encourage your child to practice reading aloud and read different types of texts. You can also use repeated readings and work on sight words.
Vocabulary
Vocabulary is the understanding of words and their meanings. A rich vocabulary allows children to make sense of what they’re reading and connect what they read with their own experiences.
One simple way to expand your child’s vocabulary is to talk together daily. You can also read various books, discuss new words they encounter, and play word games.
Comprehension
Comprehension is the ability to understand and interpret what you read. It involves making connections, predicting outcomes, and summarizing information.
To improve comprehension skills, encourage your child to ask questions while reading and try to predict what’ll happen next. You can also have them summarize what they read in their own words.
The Begin Reading Program For Kids
At Begin, we believe that every child has the potential to become a strong reader. Our comprehensive reading program for kids focuses on developing the critical pillars of literacy listed above.
Within Begin’s learning products, you can choose HOMER’s reading pathway, which teaches phonemic awareness, decoding, comprehension, fluency, and writing. The HOMER app is a proven way to help your child master fundamental reading skills and gain confidence.
Using the HOMER app for just 15 minutes a day can significantly improve your child’s reading abilities. Our program is designed to adapt to each learner’s needs, ensuring they get the right amount of challenge and support.
By choosing HOMER by Begin, you’re giving your child the best chance at developing strong literacy skills that will benefit them for a lifetime. You can get a 30-day free trial, so sign up to see the results for yourself!
Tips For Using A Reading Program
Whether you choose HOMER by Begin or another reading program, here are some quick tips to help your child succeed:
- Be consistent. Set a regular schedule for reading practice and stick to it. Your child will benefit from consistent practice, even if it’s just 15 minutes a day.
- Learn together. Make reading a shared activity by taking turns reading aloud or discussing the story and characters. This can help keep your child motivated and engaged.
- Celebrate progress. As your child improves, acknowledge their hard work and celebrate their achievements.
- Encourage independent reading. Along with practicing together, children need to have time to read on their own. Encourage this by providing books that align with their interests and abilities.
- Be patient. Reading success doesn’t happen overnight. Your child will take steps forward and back as they learn and grow. Be patient and supportive, focusing on their progress rather than demanding perfection.
- Stay informed. Keep track of your child’s progress through the reading program and utilize any parent resources provided. This way, you always know what skills your child is working on and can help them through a tough spot if they need extra support.
Other Tips For Helping Your Child Learn To Read
Now that you know what a reading program for kids is, let’s look at some things you can do to help your child learn to read.
1) Read Aloud From The Start
Create a love for books by reading aloud to your child every day from the time they’re a baby. You’ll build their vocabulary and improve their listening and comprehension skills.
Once they’re old enough, let them choose the books they want to read, even if they want the same ones every day. Repetition is so important when learning to read!
2) Start With Letter Recognition Activities
Introduce your child to the alphabet and letter sounds through fun activities like singing songs, circling letters in the newspaper, or playing with magnetic letters (like the ones in the Explore Letters Kit.)
As they play, reinforce each letter’s sound and encourage them to make connections with words they know, such as their name.
3) Practice Sight Words
Make flashcards with common sight words, such as “the,” “said,” and “it.” Practice a few words at a time to help your child master them.
Since sight words make up nearly 75% of all written material in children’s books, being able to read these quickly will make reading more enjoyable.
Once your child knows a few sight words, let them read those words when you share a book together. Simply pause and point to the word so they can practice reading it.
4) Engage In Hands-On Activities
Kids love to learn through play! Incorporate hands-on activities into your child’s learning experience. Here are a few ideas:
- Create letter collages with pictures of objects starting with a specific letter
- Write letters in shaving cream on a tray
- Go on a scavenger hunt for rhyming objects
- Play sight word hopscotch
- Write a book together using words your child knows
- Sign up for HOMER Early Learning Kits
- Throw rolled-up socks at words written on sticky notes
5) Encourage Reading Beyond Books
Books aren’t the only thing your child can read. Encourage them to look for words they recognize when you’re out and about.
Point out words on signs and labels in the environment around you. This promotes reading in a real-life context and helps your child see the purpose and value of reading.
6) Seek Additional Support If Needed
As we’ve mentioned, every child learns at their own pace, and some may need extra support when developing reading skills. If you notice your child is struggling, don’t hesitate to seek help from a reading specialist or tutor.
Reading Begins With Begin!
The right reading program for kids can help build a strong foundation for lifelong learning. With HOMER by Begin, your child can gain the skills and confidence to become a successful reader.
Plus, the Begin age- and stage-matched learning membership helps kids learn the skills they need most to thrive in school and beyond.
Take our online quiz today and see which stage of the membership is best for your child. You’ll be amazed at how quickly they learn!
