Yahoo Answers is shutting down on May 4th, 2021 (Eastern Time) and beginning April 20th, 2021 (Eastern Time) the Yahoo Answers website will be in read-only mode. There will be no changes to other Yahoo properties or services, or your Yahoo account. You can find more information about the Yahoo Answers shutdown and how to download your data on this help page.

Teaching my 4 year old to read-Need help?

I need some help with teaching my 4 year old daughter to read. She does not attend any kind of school but she does know her ABC's and what sound each letter makes. She knows a few sight words but when I show her a beginning BOB book she cannot seem to understand the sounds all together make a word. I am not sure what to do next and would really appreciate any advice. She is extremely smart and picks things up quickly.

6 Answers

Relevance
  • Pippin
    Lv 7
    5 years ago
    Favorite Answer

    Is there some pressing reason you seem to feel the need to teach her to read? 4 year olds do NOT have to be reading, and she is likely feeling stressed and pressured that you keep pushing it.

    If she knows her letters and the sounds they make, she is more than on track. Being able to read words (and understand what she reads) is a developmental stage that she may not be cognitively ready for. No matter how 'smart' she is.

    For now, what you need to be doing is reading TO her. Let her learn that books are fun, and stories are interesting and exciting. She will begin to read when she is ready.

    (FWIW, when my daughter was young, we were sure she would be a very early reader. Both her parents read voraciously, and we have a house full of books. We read to her often from infancy, she had dozens of books of her own, and she went to preschool. But, while I DIDN'T ever push her, she seemed unable to make the leap [on her own] from knowing letters and sounds, and having a handful of sight words, to reading.

    When she was 5 1/2, just a couple of months before she started kindergarten, SOMETHING clicked in her brain, and she could suddenly read. By the time she started kindergarten, she was reading simple story books, and from then on, through school, she consistently read several years ahead of grade level -- and got a 750 on the verbal SAT.

    Not being 'an early reader' didn't hurt her one bit. And it won't hurt your daughter either.

  • 4 years ago

    1

    Source(s): Reading Lessons for Kids http://emuy.info/ChildrenLearningReading
  • Anonymous
    5 years ago

    Reading skills develop between age 4 and 7. Early readers are not necessarily better readers. I'd just keep reading her stories and those BOB books.

    She should learn the soft consonant sounds and short vowel sounds at the very most for her age. Next, she starts to understand two letter sounds together make a work. ( a t ) ( i n ) ( o n ) When she can blend two sounds together, then she may be ready for three letters.

    Reading is taught in Kindergarten and 1st grade. It's rare to find a 4 year old that is ready for reading instruction.

    Source(s): Some countries start reading instruction at age 6 or 7. These late-reader kids outperform US kids in reading skills by 6th grade.
  • 5 years ago

    What I remember about my kids reading is that we would read simple books with lots of large pictures to them everyday. You can use your finger to follow along with the words as you read. At some point this should help your child start to recognize some words.

    There are also many apps available for beginner readers which take you and your child thru the process digitally. She is kind of young to read, take it slow and don't pressure her.

  • How do you think about the answers? You can sign in to vote the answer.
  • 5 years ago

    Teach her works on a dry erase board. Start with "at" sight words. This is how my son started reading. He also is reading BOB books. We started with at and then Id add a C in front of it and he would sound it out and say CAT! same with Mat, Hat, Pat, Sat, etc...Sight words are key. Maybe get her a sight word BOB book

  • 5 years ago

    You just have to keep working with her. My daughter was reading at age 3.

    First, she memorized the books because "we" read her favorite ones every night. Then, I started teaching her what she was "reading".

Still have questions? Get your answers by asking now.