Pointers for Parents
| Reading Reform Foundation gratefully acknowledges the work of Emily Goldberg and Sylvia Goldsmith in creating Pointers for Parents. |
| Letters Have Sounds Teach that the letters have sounds and that when you put the sounds together, you make words. While your child needs to know the names of the letters and the sequence of the alphabet, this will not help him or her learn to read. The sounds of the letters will help. Do only a little bit of this teaching at a time, and don't push the teaching if your child seems puzzled or restless. Different children are ready for this idea at different ages. |
When Your Child Wants to Learn to Read Success is important for your child's self-esteem. Don't ask your child to do things that you know are too difficult. Instead, plan the task step-by-step, teaching the easiest things first, slowly and thoroughly. |
Teach the Sounds of the Letters in this Order: a, t, m, s, l, c, d, i, g As soon as your child has learned two or three sounds, have him or her put the sounds together for spelling and reading: For example, with a, t and m you and your child can spell and read the following words: at, am, mat. After teaching a (as in apple), teach six or seven consonants before teaching another vowel. Teach confusing consonants far apart: (g-q), (b-d), (m-n). Teach short e last. |
Teach the Most Useful Sounds of the Letters First: Here are the sounds which will help your child learn to read: |
| a | (as in apple) | n | (as in nail) |
| b | (as in ball) | o | (as in octopus) |
| c | (as in comb) | p | (as in pencil) |
| d | (as in dog) | q | (as in queen) |
| e | (as in elephant) | r | (as in ring) |
| f | (as in fork) | s | (as in soap) |
| g | (as in gold) | t | (as in table) |
| h | (as in hat) | u | (as in umbrella) |
| i | (as in igloo) | v | (as in violin) |
| j | (as in jeep) | w | (as in watch) |
| k | (as in key) | -x | (as at end of box) |
| l | (as in lemon) | y | (as in yarn) |
| m | (as in monkey) | z | (as in zipper) |
Summary If you talk and read to your child when he or she is young, you will be helping your child learn language. If you teach that letters have sounds and that these sounds combine to make words, you will be teaching the most important thing your child needs to know in order to learn reading. He or she will be well on the way to success in reading. |