I first need to tell you that I am a math person. I am a certified math educator. To top it off… I didn’t start speaking until I was three years old so to say I had some anxiety about teaching my children to read is an understatement.
Then one of the moms in my homeschool group introduced me to a book that changed my world: How to Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons by Siegfried Engelmann, Phyllis Haddox , and Elaine Bruner.
The book summary states “RAs DISTARreg; is the most successful beginning reading program available to schools across the country. Research has proven that children taught by the DISTARreg; method outperform their peers who receive instruction from other programs. Now for the first time, this program has been adapted for parent and child to use at home. Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons is a complete, step-by-step program that shows parents simply and clearly how to teach their children to read. Twenty minutes a day is all you need, and within 100 teaching days your child will be reading on a solid second-grade reading level. It’s a sensible, easy-to-follow, and enjoyable way to help your child gain the essential skills of reading. Everything you need is here — no paste, no scissors, no flash cards, no complicated directions — just you and your child learning together. One hundred lessons, fully illustrated and color-coded for clarity, give your child the basic and more advanced skills needed to become a good reader.Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons will bring you and your child closer together, while giving your child the reading skills needed now, for a better chance at tomorrow.” AND IT’S TRUE!
Using that book I taught my oldest to read and I am currently using the book again with my middle child and I plan to use it with my youngest as well. It told me what to say, when to say it, how to correct, and pronunciation. It was perfect!
My only word of caution is to make sure your child is ready to read. My philosophy of education is “Better Late than Early” when it comes to formal education. With that being the case, when I first introduced my second daughter at the age of six, she was not ready. I tried again at the age of seven, she was not ready. At the age of eight she is flourishing and moving quickly through the lessons. She is excited and asks to read the Bible as well so take your time.
Here’s an insider tip: No job interview asks your child when they learned to read…they just care that they can read now!