How to Teach Kids to Read

Most kids start developing pre-reading skills in the preschool years, then begin learning to read in earnest in kindergarten. They develop more advanced reading skills throughout the elementary years, sharpening their reading comprehension and fluency. 

As we explore the importance of developing reading skills, it’s important to understand the foundational concepts that guide effective reading instruction. Louisa C. Moats, a respected expert in the field, highlights a core principle known as the Simple View of Reading, which suggests that “reading comprehension is the product of word recognition and language comprehension. Without strong skills in either, an individual’s reading comprehension will be compromised.” This underscores the importance of a balanced approach that enhances both phonetic skills and comprehension abilities, ensuring a well-rounded development in young readers.

Strong readers comprehend what they read, moving fluently from word to word and sentence to  sentence. Each child learns at their own pace, so be patient while they’re learning to read.

Here’s how to get started.

1. Read Together Every Day

Emphasize the importance (and enjoyment) of reading by exploring books together every single day. The American Academy of Pediatricians encourages parents to begin reading to their children from day one. This helps little brains begin to recognize speech patterns and sounds. As infants begin to sit up and take notice, they’ll take more interest in books, learning to turn pages and look at pictures.

Shared reading is a great way to engage with your child and build these early literacy skills. Learn more about shared reading and its benefits here.

Choose reading material on a wide variety of topics, and give them lots of options to pick from. Point to words on the page as you read, to help children make the connection between written and spoken language. As your child learns to talk, ask them to re-tell the stories back to you, or act them out together. This is the start of reading comprehension–understanding what they read.

2. Develop Phonological Awareness

By the toddler years, your child is ready for pre-reading activities. The first concept to work on is called “phonemic awareness,” which means understanding that words are made up of individual sounds (called phonemes). It seems like a very obvious concept to adults, but this is a major step toward connecting written language with speech.

As you work on alphabet skills, introduce kids to the concept of consonants and vowels. Unlike most consonants, vowels can make different sounds depending on where they occur in a word and the letters around them. This can be confusing to kids, but most words follow some simple vowel rules.

Learn more about preparing your preschooler to read here.

3. Learn the Letters and Sounds of the Alphabet

Preschoolers continue their pre-reading skills by learning to recognize the letters of the alphabet, both uppercase and lowercase. They also master the sound (or sounds) each letter makes. Making the connection between letters and sounds is known as phonics, and it’s one of the foundational skills we use to teach a child to read.

Use Online Learning Tools

You don’t need specialized software to teach reading, but using a tool like ABCmouse can make it a lot easier! Through a variety of interactive online games and videos, combined with printable offline worksheets and more, ABCmouse is designed to teach children to read in a fun and engaging way. Beginning with preschool pre-reading skills, the program addresses age-appropriate concepts at a pace that’s comfortable for your little learner.

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4. Recognize Vowels and Consonants

As you work on alphabet skills, introduce kids to the concept of consonants and vowels. Unlike most consonants, vowels can make different sounds depending on where they occur in a word and the letters around them. This can be confusing to kids, but most words follow some simple vowel rules.

Consider using a set of alphabet manipulatives that uses one color for consonants and another for vowels.  Once your child recognizes which letters are vowels (a, e, i, o, and u), you can begin learning about the different sounds each one makes. Discuss long and short vowel sounds, and practice saying them together. Explore more about teaching kids vowel sounds here.

5. Begin Decoding Simple Words

The big moment is finally here–your child is ready to start blending letter sounds into words! The process of translating written words into speech is known as “decoding.” Start decoding with two and three-letter words, focusing on what are known as CVC words. This stands for consonant-vowel-consonant, and includes words like “cat,” “big,” and “sit.”

Show your child the letters that make up a CVC word like “sit,” keeping the letters separate at first. Have them say the sound for each letter (using the short vowel sound), one at a time. Then, move the letters closer together, and have them say the sounds more quickly. Finally, move all the letters together, and ask them to blend the sounds together into the word itself. Now your child is reading!

Check out our list of 23 ways to help kids practice decoding here.

6. Introduce High-Frequency Words

English is a tricky language, full of words that don’t follow the typical rules. That’s where high-frequency words come in. These are common words that kids won’t be able to easily sound out, like “would” or “people.” High-frequency word lists also include everyday words that are helpful to know right off the bat, like “the,” “and,” or “how.”

Learning high-frequency words combines phonics with memorization. While children are encouraged to sound out the words they see, recognizing these words on sight can help speed up the process of teaching a child to read, and makes it more fun and less frustrating for the learner. Children will find they can move on to more interesting reading passages and books once they have more of these words under their belt. 

Kids can start learning high-frequency words in preschool or kindergarten, and the process continues through at least second grade. Get more insights on teaching sight words here.

7. Tackle More Advanced Reading Concepts

CVC words and sight words give kids a good decoding foundation. Once they’ve developed some comfort with those, you’re ready to move on to more complex concepts.

Some of these include:

8. Read Aloud for Fluency

Throughout the process of teaching a child to read, it’s important to read out loud together. Parents should read aloud often, modeling fluency and expression. Kids can read out loud to you, to themselves, to friends, and even to their toys.

Make videos or sound recordings of your child reading, and watch or listen to them together so you can identify successes and challenges. If your child is stuck and feeling frustrated, return to earlier recordings to show them just how much they’ve improved.

Remember that reading doesn’t have to be limited to books. When you’re out and about, ask your child to read out signs, menus, and more. This helps them understand the importance of reading as a real-life concept.

9. Talk About Books to Practice Reading Comprehension

Sounding out words is just one part of reading. It’s also important to ensure kids understand the text. Ask questions as you read, such as “Why do you think this character did that?” or “What do you think will happen next?”

A family book club can be a terrific way to practice reading comprehension. Choose a book to read out loud together; you can take turns reading aloud with kids as they gain reading skills. Talk about the book as a family, discussing what happened and how it made you feel. Plan activities to accompany your reading, like visiting places from the book or eating foods the characters enjoy. Show kids how reading can help us all feel connected.

10. Make Reading a Fun and Engaging Activity

Some kids might be reluctant readers, you can draw them in with books on subjects they enjoy; many developing readers are especially engaged by non-fiction about their favorite sports, foods, or activities. Don’t be afraid to let them read comics or graphic novels–all reading counts.

While any reading is worthwhile, do be sure to push your child a little bit out of their comfort zone as they learn. Put books on their stack that are just slightly challenging, enough to help them learn but not so hard they give up. Introduce them to a variety of genres and let them find their favorites. Remember: the right book is the one your child is eager to read!