You Can Teach Your Child To Read! Week 3

This week your child should easily recognize the sounds for these letters: h, p, o, t, and n.  Now you are ready to teach her how to blend these sounds into words. First, review the sounds. Then sound out two letters and blend the two letters together. Finally, add a third letter and blend the three letters into a word.

Do not drag out the sounds of the consonants because that will distort the sound and make words hard to recognize.  So, do not say:  huh – aw – tuh.  Instead, say the first consonant sound quickly, do drag out the vowel sound a little bit, and then say the final consonant sound quickly, like this:  /h-aaaw-t/.

Day 1 – Review the sounds of the letters: 

Show your child how to blend just two words:  hot and pot.  First you say the sound of each letter. Ask your child to repeat each sound after you:  /aaw/ - /t/, and then blend the sounds together:  “ot.”  Move your finger under each letter from left-to-right as you say the sounds so your child will be learning to look at and connect every letter in the word from left-to right. Repeat a few times. Do this again later in the day a couple of times.

Day 2 – If your child can  sound out the two words from yesterday, hot and pot, then teach her to sound out two more words: on and top. See if she can do it by herself.  If not, show her how to do it, and then ask her to repeat it after you. After a time or two, she should be able to do this alone.

First, sound out each letter, then blend the letters into a word:  /o/ - /n/   (aww - nnn).

Day 3 – Review the sounds of all five letters, review all four words and then read the phrases.