Helping your Child Sound out Words
Strategies to Improve Basic Reading Skills
Use strategies to sound out unfamiliar words and improve reading skills, comprehension and increase confidence.
Do your children struggle to read or avoid it at all cost? There are several things you can do at home that will not only help improve their reading skills, but build their confidence.
When reading with your children, inevitably they will come across a word they do not know. Do not simply say the word. This will only help you get through the book faster, and will not help them learn how to read better. Instead, have the child use two pointer fingers to bracket the word, and then identify the sounds he knows. Help them use their knowledge of phonics to learn the new word.
How to sound out a word
Ask what sound does the word start with? What does it end with? Can you sound the word out with that much information? If your child doesn’t understand or does not attempt to make the sounds, ask, what does this part sound like? If your child uses the wrong sound, help by correcting that sound, and have them follow your lead to sound the word out. For example: the word CLOCK. What sound does it start with? /KL/ what sound does it end with? /K/ what sound is in the middle? /O/ (make sure they use the short /o/, not the long /o/.) Now say the whole word while running one pointer finger along under the words as they make each sound: CLOCK.
Sounding out longer words
Break longer words into pieces by covering up part of the word. Instead of bracketing the word PANCAKE bracket PAN, sound it out and then bracket CAKE and sound it out. Then put the two together: PANCAKE. Once you have sounded out the word, re-read the sentence in order to not lose the meaning of the word in context.
Using Context
Another strategy to use is context. Do the other words on the page help you have any idea what the word could be? Look for clues on the page or in the pictures to figure out the word. If the story is about a little boy getting ready for bed, using the other ideas in the story, the pictures on the page and your child’s own knowledge of bedtime routine may help your child figure out the word TOOTHBRUSH or other similar ideas.
Using Prior knowledge
Teaching your children to use logic and their own prior knowledge about the subject they are reading about will help them figure out words they do not recognize, and enable them to better comprehend or understand the story.
When to tell the word
There may indeed be times in which you will need to simply tell your child what the word is, but this should not be your first response. Use common sense and pay attention to the cues your child gives you. Increasing frustration will be the biggest reason to tell them the word. This frustration may come in the form of anger, increased distractibility, or increased fidgeting. Knowing your child’s normal level of focus and ability to sit still will help you know when frustration is setting in. As you work with your child, and slowly help them improve their reading, they will become more and more confident in their abilities and will not become frustrated as quickly.
You may also be interested in early reading skills, or book lists for young readers.
