Do you remember struggling through early reader books back when you were learning to read? Was it all Dick and Jane? Was it … boring?
Think about this: nobody asks you now, as a grownup, how old you were when you became a fluent reader. Know why?
Because nobody cares.
What age your child is when s/he learns to read fluently (whether at age 4, or 7, or 9, or even older) doesn’t bear on their ability to read well later on. Early readers are not consistently better readers when they are adults.
What does matter, though, (and it matters a LOT) is that your child’s thirst and desire for stories is not hampered by the reading process.
We want our kids–even through the slog of learning to read (and yes, it can be a slog for a whole lot of us)–to know that reading is one of life’s sweetest delights.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
- why reading aloud is critical at this stage of the game
- why your kids need to read words – lots and lots of words! – as they are learning to read (and how to help them get that)
- my suggestions for books that your kids will truly enjoy, and that will help you build warm memories as your child learns to love reading
Helping our kids become independent readers is a hugely important job for most of us– and we want to do it well! If you have an early reader in your life, don’t miss this episode.
Click the play button below:
Listener Guide
Use the time stamps below to skip to any part of the podcast:
- 2:41 What are the stages of reading development?
- 4:48 It’s ALL OK (no really. It is.)
- 7:14 Books for kids ‘in the process’
- 8:46 You need options
- 12:40 Get the list
- 13:50 Readers by All About Reading
- 19:16 Early/easy reader books + Cynthia Rylant
- 22:14 Another favorite author/illustrator
- 24:08 Arnold Lobel – a master!
- 26:02 Little Bear
- 27:10 Mouse and Mole, Ling and Ting, and Frances
- 29:15 Fox and Crow, Inch and Roly
- 30:00 Mo Willems and reading from memory
- 31:12 Classics!
- 33:01 Let the kids speak
Books from this episode:
(All links are affiliate links.)
Want this list in printable form? Pop your email into the box below:
Get the printable booklist
Links from this episode:
- Series Books That Will Turn Your Struggling Reader Into a Voracious One (this is the list you want if your child is beyond the book recommendations in the post you’re reading now)
- All About Reading
- Curious about the idea that it doesn’t matter all that much when your child learns to read? Start here.
- Get the FREE booklist and more – go to readaloudrevial.com or text BOOKS to 345345
- Get RAR Premium
Teaching your child to read
If you’re looking for a solid program to teach your kids to read, I recommend either All About Reading or Logic of English. Just peek at both and choose the one that looks more appealing to you (they are equally effective).
If your child is struggling to learn to read, be sure to listen to our episode on dyslexia. Dyslexia doesn’t always present itself the way we expect, and the good news is: there are tools you can use to help your dyslexic students thrive!
In fact, many dyslexics go one to be some of the biggest world changers.
Quotes to remember:
“When your child is just learning to read, every time they come to the page and they’re sounding out words it’s hard. It’s like scaling a mountain for them, intellectually. So if they get a few times where they get to come to the page and know what it says without having to do all the hard work, that feels good, they feel like a reader, and those are experiences we want to give our kids.“
“When kids are just learning to read or they’re just becoming more fluent and confident readers they’re actually at a critical part of their learning to love reading journey.“
“We need to make sure we’re spending more time reading aloud to our kids than we are doing those ‘how to’ read sessions.”
