Teaching a preschooler to read

DS just turned 3 and he is suddenly very interested in trying to read his stories to us, instead of us reading to him We started with him telling us about the pictures (and tbh - he knows most of them by heart so he says them along with us too). I also have started dragging my finger along the words as I read to him, but he's hungry for more.

Do I need to start with the alphabet / sounds as building blocks? He's not quite as interested in that piece.

I know I was reading long before I started kindergarten but according to my mother I "just started" on my own Highly doubtful but I guess that means she did something without even realizing she was doing it, so she's not much help

Any ideas?

Re: Teaching a preschooler to read

bump

Re: Teaching a preschooler to read

Your mom sounds like my dad. I just 'started' all of a sudden.

I had an older brother tho (4yrs older) so I was always trying to copy him. Very competitive were we!

For AJ we use sight words and point to a word and yes we do the letters = sound and then ask what the word is.

so yes we do phonics (leap frog) and its "D" "O" "G" ... dog. etc.

now she sees the words and says "dog"

Still think its mostly memorization

However, I have 101 dalmations and she 'knows' the word "DOG" is nowhere in it.

Re: Teaching a preschooler to read

We have the letter factory which teaches them the letters and their sounds, we also got the building words factory because teddy loved the letter factory so much. We have bow wow books which have 1 word on each page and we teach him to sound it out. KWIM? Letters first, sounds of letters, and then words together so he can sound it out. HTH

Re: Teaching a preschooler to read

I was reading in two languages, by 4, a lot of it was because I was being read to. No one intended for me to learn that early, they just wanted me to hear the languages, because they were new immigrants, and challenged themselves with learning English, while trying to preserve the old language. I also didn't have a lot of toys, so books where my main toys. It was almost like I had to be able to read to play.

I didn't know what the letters where called till I started school. When they asked me what sound letters make, I was confused, because of letters like c and s, and sh, I was like your stupid, give me a word!

They put me in 1st grade at 5. I learned the letters, and then in Hebrew school learned to read Hebrew. At 6 was reading 3 languages. And then sort of forgot everything and became a math wiz instead.

eta: sorry what the heck was I rambling about, I think my point is make up games that require reading to play along

Message edited 2/18/2011 3:23:05 PM.

Re: Teaching a preschooler to read

DS is the same way. He is dying to learn to read, keeps saying he has to go to school so he can learn to read.

Anyway, DS knows his alphabet and most of the letter sounds (leapfrog's letter factory is to credit) so we are just going over that more and working on some sight words to start...

Not sure where to go from there however!

Re: Teaching a preschooler to read

We use BOB books, and they've been fantastic. DS is 4 and has breezed through the first 3 sets and kindergarten sight words. He loves reading to me at night now

BOB books

Re: Teaching a preschooler to read

These are all great ideas