How to teach 3 year old to read...?

[LimeSlice]

DD is 3, and she desperately wants to learn how to read.

So how do I go about teaching her? Any advice, help, resources appreciated!

Please none of the "she is too young", "let her just be a kid" stuff - she has asked for this repeatedly over the last couple of months and is now getting quite upset about not being able to read her stories to herself and it is making her sad. So she is ready.

TIA!

[BrightSparkles]

We got some of the Nursery Rhyme books that have maybe 6 or 7 words to a page. I sit with Miss J and point as I read and then she repeats what i'm saying and she points at the words as well. (Yes I know she is 2.5 years but LOVES books). She recognises some of the words in the books now too. I have words stuck around the house as well so she recognises these words to read too.
Things like door, chair, table, fridge, cupboard etc.

I'll have a look and see what brand the books are and let you know.
HTH and good on your little girl for wanting to learn to read! xx

[Babyluv]

I would start by teaching her the names of the letters and their sounds. This is the letter 'A', 'A' says a, a, a,. Then you could show her some 'A' words and pictures will help. Ant, Apple etc. She needs to be able to recognise the letters & know the sounds first. Maybe get some flash cards with bright pictures and simple words on them.
You could also have a list of golden words that you could begin practicing together such as 'at, is, in, I, me' etc. I'm sure if you googled them they would come up.
3 isn't too early especially if she wants to learn. Good luck

[LimeSlice]

Love the words around the house! What a top notion!
Cheers Will put some up.

Thanks a bunch hun! x

ETA: Thanks Babyluv She knows all the letters, we are working on sounds at the moment. She has some flash card things, but I found she was just repeating the picture, not actually looking at the word. Would that matter? I thought perhaps I need to get some without pictures on them?

[BrightSparkles]

The books are from 5 Mile press and they are written by Trace Moroney. We have pat a cake, Hickory D**kory Dock and 2 others I can't remmeber the names but I know there are a few in the series.

[~me~]

Have you tried the D I C K and Jane books? I got some from The book depository and they were great. Start off really easy and then progress on.
A website called Reading Eggs is also good, it's a young readers site and progresses on also for school age.
Some books like the Who's Nose and toes? by John Butler are great, as they are repititive and he also has other one's like Who's baby am I?
When I was at school, my English teacher taught his 2yr old to read. Never too young to start the passion for reading.
My Mum has also bought us some great books, such as a picture then the word, this helped my DS2.

[Babyluv]

What a clever girl, she can look at the letters and knows what they are?
If that's the case yea maybe some flash cards without pictures or even some reader books, like what they use in prep that repeat words on most pages with only one or two different words on each page and pictures that give her clues as to what it's about.

[Mum2Romone]

we have lots of books

But the best thing that helped DS to learn his sounds and letter was a puzzle

I found a wood alphabet puzzle and over three months ...DS learned every sound, name for the letter and sounds or words associated like c, car, cake, cookie....etc

He started doing the puzzle by himself with my help
Then he did it by himself
Then he made the sounds by himself
Then associated words

Now he reads two and three words per page.... Small books and of course I don't know if it's memory or reading .....lol

But we are working our way through books with a whole sentence on each page.... Sounding everything out...and he gets it...

He's 2 years and 2 months old now. We start red this about 1 and a half..... Hope that helps

[Little Chicken]

There is a webpage that my teacher MIL recommended is called starfall (google it). Goes through all letters and numbers and different words starting with that letter as well as a little puzzle game for each. Can also teach computer skills at the same time.

[StrawberryMumma]

Hey LS

Haven't had time to read the other responses but I just thought I'd mention that our kindy uses 'Letterland' (google it). Not sure if that would be helpful to you or not..
GL!

[ladybird11]

I've found those really repetitve books like 'Brown Bear, Brown Bear, what do you see, I see a yellow duck looking at me' type books, anything that rhymes - DD has picked up so much by ready 'predicatable books'...

[Indadhanu]

I like the idea of words around the house. Maybe make some simple books with her, draw the pictures with her, if she can remember the relation between the written words and the pictures, she might remember the words by sight. Make up some cards and laminate them, that say things like "fork" or "spoon" or "milk" and when you're in the kitchen say "can you get me one of these" and give her the card, it'll take a little while but eventually she'll pick it up. Does she have a little kitchen? Or a toy set? You could make some simple cards up and 'label' things - not literally, but lay the cards out and get her to get the toys that are written on the cards. Eventaully you'll be able to move to two and three word sentences like "find ___" and then "find two ___". etc. If she wants a BOOK and not just cards, make a book out of it.

Match or snap with words on cards instead of pictures can be good too. How is she with letters? Does she want to READ or is she interested in individual letters and writing too?

Hope this makes sense! Biggest thing is use it all in context, rather than just flash cards on the lounge room floor. Do it when she wants to do it, and stop once she's bored

[Shanti]

I've found those really repetitve books like 'Brown Bear, Brown Bear, what do you see, I see a yellow duck looking at me' type books, anything that rhymes - DD has picked up so much by ready 'predicatable books'...

Yep same here!!

[LimeSlice]

Thanks girls!!

She is fab with letters, knows the whole alphabet and has since about 18/20 mths. I downloaded an app for the phone she loves where she traces the letters and they use the sounds of letters as well as the names, and she has that down pat (the sounds relating to each letter) and will happily play is for 30 mins lol... But she wants to be able to read.
I can get her to try and make up the story by looking at the words and she babbles off making up all kinds of things, and I know she remembers the stories by heart a lot of the time, as she will repeat them almost word for word from just us having read them so often, but she has no comprehansion (I don't think?) of linking the words she is saying to the actual written words on the page. Although I can go through each word and she will spell it, she doesn't know their sounds etc to read them.

I have no problem with her learning words initially by memory rather than phonics etc, as I think she will combine the two anyhow once she starts.
I don't think she is particularly interested in writing them yet, she doesn't have the fine motor skills I don't think to grasp writing them yet.

Will be looking at those websites and get some cards made up for around the house, and look around the library for some old school prep readers like "Look!" and "Dark Dark Wood" lol I can have a trip down memory lane too

[~Jayne~]

LIMESLICE _ Congratulations on having such a bright & competent young lady on your hands! She is a product of you & you should be very proud of her achievements. I was going to suggest ensuring she knows the 'sounds' of the alphabet first & then go from there. I have the ABC Reading Eggs program on my computer for both of my girls & they absolutely love it! Not only is it teaching them to read, but also to navigate their way around the computer & it keeps them so entertained. Even now that they are both in school, they still both use the program at least 4 times per week.

You can also 'label' items around your house. Such as 'fridge', 'light switch', 'oven', 'door', etc...

There are some great flash cards that teach the sounds of the letters as well as the sounds of 'oa' 'ee' 'ou' and things like that.

Best of luck with everything & most of all, have fun with it!

Love Jayne xx

[CrazyLady]

Mem Fox is also a repetitive author and has smaller words. She also has lovely illustrations (Helen oxenbury is the illustrator). Dr Seuss is recommended as well for the repetitiveness but you might want to check which ones look like they have few enough words. Hop on Pop is a story that jumps to mind.

[LimeSlice]

Thanks Jane She is so smart sometimes it is scary, fascinated by learning anything.
I was reading at 3, as was my mum and cousins, I taught my little sister the alphabet and the sounds etc when she started grade 1, no idea how though pmsl.
I want her to stay all little, but clearly she has other ideas! And given she is starting school next year I really don't understand why I wouldn't go where she wants to with the reading.

CL - I just bought her a box set of Dr Seuss for Christmas, about 20 books lol and she loves them, so will read some of them more often with her.

[CrazyLady]

Pixie is OBSESSED with Dr Seuss!! It's a good thing DP likes them too