Teaching Reading to Kids

One of the most important things to teach a child is to read. Teaching reading to kids is essential to their development, giving them the skills necessary to further their education and set them up for future academic success.

But how should one go about teaching reading to kids? Literacy instruction can be very different depending on the age of the child. A preschool child needs something very different to what school-aged children require.

Teaching reading to preschoolers sometimes doesn’t look like reading at all, but educators have found that the more toddlers engage in pre-literacy activities, the better off they are when it comes to learning how to read. Pre-literacy activities include talking with your child, playing, singing, and, of course, reading to your child. Any activity that you engage in with your child can become an opportunity to develop pre-literacy skills. The larger the vocabulary and understanding of basic literacy principles kids have before learning how to read, the easier it is for them to pick up reading.

Teaching reading to older kids may look different, but literacy activities for school-aged children should be just an extension of good pre-literacy activities. Most schools use particular reading programmes when teaching reading, and research has shown that the most effective reading programmes offer instruction in five key literacy areas: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and text comprehension.

For parents looking for effective ways of teaching reading, Reading Eggs provides a wonderful resource that adeptly handles the different needs of children, depending on age and ability. Reading Eggs provides a suite of lessons ideally suited for preschool children who are yet to start to read and possess minimal computer skills. Even children as young as three have used the programme and made great leaps in their pre-literacy skills.

School-aged children also thrive using the Reading Eggs programme. Lessons include instruction in the five literacy areas helping to develop phonemic awareness, an understanding of phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension in young readers. Lessons are game-like in structure and rich in content, making them both highly instructional and enjoyable. Teachers and parents agree Reading Eggs is both an effective educational too for teaching reading, and enjoyable.

Testimonials

My child LOVES Reading Eggs! This programme has been exactly what I’ve been looking for. We tried two other popular reading programmes and while they were fun, just didn’t translate to my child becoming a reader. He’s a reluctant reader, capable but frustrates easily. With Reading Eggs I have never witnessed an ounce of frustration, just watched my son having fun. And even better – I’ve watched him start to read in such a natural progression that is a beautiful thing to watch. Thank you, Reading Eggs!

- C. Bryant

I liked the way each letter is introduced, the activities, the games, the ease of use for students, the graphics and colour, the sound and the whole overall look of the programme.

- Vicki