Dynamic Minds

Teaching Children to Read Using Games

Reading is a very important foundation to learning.  The wonderful news is that you can teach children to read using games and activities.  Doesn’t that sound fun?  It sure is.

When I was a child, for the life of me, I can’t recall games and reading being put together in the same space.  So the kids today have a lot of advantages since educators and parents are aware about having fun while learning.  When kids learn to read, it can open the doors to the wonderful world around them.

Here is what you need in teaching children to read.

A.  Creativity — being creative simply means using the games and activities that we know and using it to incorporate reading.

B.  Materials — yes you would need materials.  If you have the budget, you can easily buy flashcards and letters and words to aid you.  But otherwise, you can make it yourself.

C.  Have fun - ease up on the pressure.  The goal is to enjoy as you play the activity.  The more you do it, the more your child will be exposed to the letters or words.  And this paves the way to learning and having fun at the same time.

Sample game or activity:

For a beginning reader, start by introducing the letters and the sounds of the letters.  This is called the phonetic approach.  Next is choosing a game that is appropriate for a child’s age.  For a two year old, you can play choo choo train.  Write each letter on a piece of paper and post in on the walls around you.  You don’t have to write all the 26 letters of the alphabet.  You can simply start off with A to E.

Play your child’s favorite nursery song and start moving around the room holding him as you say, “Chooo–chooo!  Let’s look for letter A Chooo Choo” and the trains marches here and there until you reach letter A.   “Oh there’s letter A.  Let’s touch letter A. Get letter A and place it on the table.”

And then you ride the train again and so on… That wasn’t so difficult right? Teaching reading to kids can be an enjoyable one.

Related Articles:

• Get Your Child into the Reading Habit
• Teaching Children How to Read Through Games (Included also is a step by step guide on how to make the materials.)
• Improving Reading Skills:  Why is My Son Having Reading Difficulties?