How to help kindergartener struggling with reading

[Anonymous]

Make sure your DC really knows all the letters and all the letter sounds. Practice this in fun ways and with song(Leapfrog’s video or Frig phonics is great for this).

Get some rhyming books. These do a great job at getting kids to hear sounds.

Once you’ve mastered the sounds take one Ending VC pattern For instance AT. Make sure your DC can pronounce, and heat the A and T sound in AT. Use it to make words with the entire alphabet. Does matter if the words are real. It’s just practice. Keep reading, including the rhyming books. Keep practicing. Once they’ve mastered that one, or are getting frustrated with it add another(AN).

Helpful hints - Be sure to not add additional sounds to the letter sounds. For instance ‘T’ sound many often drag out to sound like ‘Tuh’. Be then when a kid is trying to blend the word C-A-T, they don’t hear that ‘Uh’ part.

Also when practicing blending the letters, start by saying/singing each letter sound distinctly, then have them try to drag it without taking a breathe between sounds. (Clapping the drag slowly. Then speed it up.(clapping the beats of the drag quietly helps. Then say the combined sound. They should begin to hear the sounds.

[Anonymous]

Ignore the advice that the student will pick it up when they are ready. while this may be true for some, it's definitely not the case for all, and by the time you realize they need more intervention, they will be really behind.

the phonics approach and reading books they like has greatly helped my DC

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ignore the advice that the student will pick it up when they are ready. while this may be true for some, it's definitely not the case for all, and by the time you realize they need more intervention, they will be really behind.

the phonics approach and reading books they like has greatly helped my DC

This, except some kids learn better with phonics, some learn better with sight reading. Try both ways. Don't wait too long to be concerned as the longer you wait, the harder her is to remediate. If you are really worried get a tutor.

Otherwise, read 30 minutes a night. Either try a phonics approach or sight reading. We did it using the character step books - pick your child's favorite character and point out each word. Also, did flash cards and brain quest/Kumon workbooks.

Look for fun apps like endless reader (many others now then when my kids learned to read).

When they watch tv/movies, used the closed captioning so they can hear and see the words.

Try videos like leap frog, preschool prep and what ever the other new ones are.

Also, work on spelling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Make sure your DC really knows all the letters and all the letter sounds. Practice this in fun ways and with song(Leapfrog’s video or Frig phonics is great for this).

Get some rhyming books. These do a great job at getting kids to hear sounds.

Once you’ve mastered the sounds take one Ending VC pattern For instance AT. Make sure your DC can pronounce, and heat the A and T sound in AT. Use it to make words with the entire alphabet. Does matter if the words are real. It’s just practice. Keep reading, including the rhyming books. Keep practicing. Once they’ve mastered that one, or are getting frustrated with it add another(AN).

Helpful hints - Be sure to not add additional sounds to the letter sounds. For instance ‘T’ sound many often drag out to sound like ‘Tuh’. Be then when a kid is trying to blend the word C-A-T, they don’t hear that ‘Uh’ part.

Also when practicing blending the letters, start by saying/singing each letter sound distinctly, then have them try to drag it without taking a breathe between sounds. (Clapping the drag slowly. Then speed it up.(clapping the beats of the drag quietly helps. Then say the combined sound. They should begin to hear the sounds.

Man I did this all the time when practicing with my kid until they told me numerous times that I was saying things wrong. In retrospect, I wish that I had gone through some phonics lessons myself first. I highly recommend that any parent brush up on phonics first although I don’t have a recommended resource.

Somehow they overcame my conflicting mispronunciations and learned to read, I think it clicked more on first grade. But I probably could have just been hands off and it would have been the same way.

[Anonymous]

Kindergartners should not have required homework, period.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Truly, truly, truly--at kindergarten age, just give your kid warm, happy associations with reading. Sitting with you and enjoying books together every single day.

If you want to supplement, point at the words as you read them. Put the words into context by looking at the pictures. Ask him some questions about the book after you finish reading it. This is such a much better use of your time on so many levels. If he is still struggling half way through 1st grade, work with the teacher/school to get extra support.

1000x this. Good lord people. Just read to your 5 year old.

[Anonymous]

You help by not expecting that your kindergartener will be reading.

Our ES teacher said, if not reading by the end of 2nd grade, then it's a problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Kindergartners should not have required homework, period.

Yes, they should. It gets them used to homework, and provides more support.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You help by not expecting that your kindergartener will be reading.

Our ES teacher said, if not reading by the end of 2nd grade, then it's a problem.

Your ES teacher isn't very bright. Kids should be starting to read by K, at the latest in 1st. If they get to 3rd, someone has failed them if they cannot read.

[Anonymous]

My K in MoCo struggled with the new benchmark curriculum. We are doing phonics at home and reading has improved greatly.

It helps we have a reading specialist in the family to help…but phonics seems much more intuitive than whatever they are doing at school…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My K in MoCo struggled with the new benchmark curriculum. We are doing phonics at home and reading has improved greatly.

It helps we have a reading specialist in the family to help…but phonics seems much more intuitive than whatever they are doing at school…

Do you use a specific phonics program or just ad hoc?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Highly recommend Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. I'm working through this (very slowly) with my kindergartener and it is clicking so much! I wish I had done this with my older child who is really struggling.

+1. Discovers this this year with my 1st grader who was struggling. Game changing. We do this about 10 minutes a day.

[Anonymous]

Does Kumon actually teach your kid phonics or is it just worksheets?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Reading to your child an hour or every half-hour every night is the best method.

Please, pay attention to this, or you will create a life-long hater of reading. Read fun books to your child (let them ake the lead/pick which books). Do not make it a chore

We read to my daughter every night. Her teacher complimented her on her extensive vocabulary and comprehension skills. But that doesn't change the fact that she struggles in reading and likes to guess words

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ignore the advice that the student will pick it up when they are ready. while this may be true for some, it's definitely not the case for all, and by the time you realize they need more intervention, they will be really behind.

the phonics approach and reading books they like has greatly helped my DC

This, except some kids learn better with phonics, some learn better with sight reading. Try both ways. Don't wait too long to be concerned as the longer you wait, the harder her is to remediate. If you are really worried get a tutor.

Otherwise, read 30 minutes a night. Either try a phonics approach or sight reading. We did it using the character step books - pick your child's favorite character and point out each word. Also, did flash cards and brain quest/Kumon workbooks.

Look for fun apps like endless reader (many others now then when my kids learned to read).

When they watch tv/movies, used the closed captioning so they can hear and see the words.

Try videos like leap frog, preschool prep and what ever the other new ones are.

Also, work on spelling.

I'm pretty sure the 'some learn better with sight words' theory has been disproven. You can't memorize every word, so it's very important to teach phonics. Sight words help speed up reading with immediate recognition of common or irregular words. It isn't a substitute for phonics.

OP, get How to Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons and do a lesson every day.