Name: CHEC Rocky Mountain Homeschool Conference
Start: 2025-06-12T00:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-06-14T23:59:59-05:00
Location: Denver, CO

This topic has 4 replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 12 years, 9 months ago by andream.

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August 29, 2012 at 6:31 pm
dmccall3
Participant
I know someone just asked this question and I’ve searched the forum but can’t find it!
My DS is 4.5 and I want to teach him to read and write so badly! But the more I read on this topic the more convinced I am to hold off. Sigh.
I read the “teaching reading” series on the SCM blog. She (Sonya, I believe) says to do informal lessons that are more like games. In fact, Charlotte Mason recommends waiting until age 6 to start formal reading and writing lessons. I’ve read the same from others. Have some of you really waited that late?
My main question here is for letter/word games/activities. I’m not on the creative end of the spectrum so I thought you all may have come up with some good ideas.
Thanks!
Dana

August 29, 2012 at 7:47 pm
jmac17
Participant
One game my DD invented once she knew the letter sounds (mostly from playing on Starfall.com) was that she would ask me to give her a word, and she would tell me what letter it started with. She would do this for as long as I could stand it! LOL.
I believe that CM included learning letter sounds in the ‘informal learning’ category. In other words, that would be before age 6. Her “formal lessons” would be actually putting sounds together and learning words. So you can start there.
There are lots of pre-reading skills, such as being able to identify rhyming words. Here is a list I found that might give you some ideas.
http://www.familylearning.org.uk/pre-reading_skills.html
All that being said, I couldn’t have prevented my DD from learning to read before she was 4. She did it herself. Then when DS hit 4, he insisted on learning, because his big Sister could read when she was 4, so he was determined as well. I wonder if there would be advantages to having waited, but this is how it turned out for us. My youngest just turned 3, and is a very different personality and interested in different things, so she may not read for a long time. I intend to follow her lead as well.
I think the key is not to start formal lessons just because YOU want to. Forcing the issue before the child is ready is almost always counter-productive. If your son loves playing with words and sounds, go with it. Otherwise, don’t worry about it.
Joanne
August 29, 2012 at 7:56 pm
dmccall3
Participant
Right. I totally understand. The last 2 times I tried reading lessons at a white board he asked to “just do a couple words”. He wasn’t interested. So, at this age, I want to back off if I’m forcing it.
Thanks for the ideas!
Dana
August 30, 2012 at 11:32 am
andream
Participant
So far two of my children have learned all the letters and sounds from watching the leapfrog letter factory DVD, it’s really good and the kids remember it well. We have also used “Happy Phonics” which is all games, it’s really fun. If you started that now you might find you wouldn’t make it very far b/c your child is still so young, but you could at least get everything cut out and ready and since you are excited about it you could look through the games and figure out how they are played. You could also look on some of the blogs that have letter of the week. Starfall is a great website, too.
Here are a few other ideas. Go outside and look for things that start with a certain sound. YOu could also work on prereading skills like blending and segmenting sounds. WE used to play this one at bed time. I would say, “I’m going to say a word like a robot and you guess what I’m saying.”” Then I’d say each sound of the word w/ space in between “c…..a……t” and they would guess “Cat” this is a great pre reading skill. Also, you can give a word and they need to segment the sounds. just the reverse of the previous game. you give the word “Cat” and they have to say it “like a robot.” Rhyming is another great pre reading skill. YOu can put a few pictures down and you give him a word, he has to point to the picture that rhymes. Even having him fill in the ends of a nursery rhyme will help him learn rhyming skills. You can also make sure he has good auditory discrimination. So you say the same sound over and over and then throw in a different one, he has to raise his hand, or tap the drum or something when he hears a different sound. you can do the same with a word first if that is easier. Hope all that made sense!
Okay, that’s all I got for now! Have fun teaching your little one, that’s great that you are excited!
August 30, 2012 at 11:35 am
andream
Participant
oh, and don’t forget the importance of read read reading a ton of books to him so he learns to love books. also, let him see you reading for enjoyment. talk about the signs you see as you are out, stop signs, exit signs, McDonalds sign etc. so he sees the importance of reading.