My child should be reading by Kindergarten… That Sounds-Write!
By Speech Therapist from Allied Health Partnerships, Nicole
“When should my child be reading by?”
“Why can’t my child read yet?”
“How can I tell if they’re having trouble with reading?”
“How can I help my child’s reading difficulties?”
These are just a few questions that I am frequently asked by parents working in schools and at the clinic as a speech therapist, and you may have even wondered these yourself. They are all really great questions and all valid, especially now that we are living in a generation where every child seems to have their eyes glued to a screen.
We are living in very different times now in 2024. No longer are children discovering the joys of playing outdoors and building their curiosity and learning through flipping pages of a book. Despite the simplicity of this, it is extremely important for children in developing their pre-literacy skills to become proficient readers.
Don’t get me wrong, having technology can be very convenient and there are many advantages of having access to information (and entertainment) right at your fingertips. But being able to read and spell are still critical skills that children must develop and will impact on them academically and socially throughout their schooling and later on when they enter the workforce as adults.
Interestingly, a recent report showed that one third of children are struggling to read well (Grattan Institute report, 2024). Let’s just let that sink in for a moment… that means that one in every three children are failing to read at the level expected for their age. This is an alarming statistic that you’d want to avoid your child falling victim to. But the good news is, there are things you can do to help. Here are some easy tips you can start doing with your child to guide them and put them on the right road to promote reading success.
Make it a routine, read to them every day. Even if your child cannot read themselves you can read to them! Starting with picture books with simple text for your younger ones is a good starting point. Doing this for just 20 minutes a day will help with improving reading skills and foster a good habit of regular reading.
Engage in Interactive Reading. When reading together, use different voices for characters and involve your child by asking them to read parts of the text (if they can). This makes reading an enjoyable, shared and interactive experience.
Practice, Patience & Encouragement. Learning to read can be challenging. Be patient and offer lots of praise and encouragement to build your child’s confidence and motivation.
Teach your child the sounds, rather than letter names. It may seem like your natural instinct to teach your child letters of the alphabet, even popular children entertainment programs do it. But contrary to popular belief, learning letter names can actually hinder and become a little confusing for children when they go to learn how to read and write at school. I have personally had experiences where a child will go to try and blend the sounds in a word like ‘mat’ and instead of saying the sounds /m/ /a/ /t/ > ‘mat’, they use the letter names instead and end up with… /em/ /ay/ /tee/ > ‘emaytee’(??)- good example to show why they need to learn the sounds, not the letter names!
Upskill yourself! So you’ve discovered that your child is having trouble with learning to read and you want to do something about it, great! You may have heard of the term “phonics instruction” around schools and I know it may sound complicated. But it’s just a technical term educators use to describe a method of teaching children to read by helping them learn the relationship between letters and sounds of our speech. There is strong evidence and research supporting this way of teaching and it’s made major waves in the education system. In an effort to ensure that teachers were using effective methods to teach children how to read, there have been changes to the NSW curriculum with a heavy focus on phonics.
A successful reading program that falls in line with using phonics effectively to help children learn to read and write is Sounds-Write. This high-quality program has been expertly constructed and has been endorsed in schools across the world with results that speak for themself. It teaches children the important skills and concepts needed to master reading and spelling in a clear and logical manner. I’ve used Sounds-Write in my own practice and have seen the amazing difference it’s made. I was working with a student in Year 5 reading at a Year 1 level and by the end of the year they were able to read a whole book on their own without any support. They were beaming ear to ear and the sense of pride and gratification they felt was priceless and makes me such a strong advocate for the program.
The other great thing about Sounds-Write is that not only teachers or professionals can complete the course, it’s even opened to parents and in fact it’s encouraged (see www.alliedhealthpartnerships.com.au/workshops/ to register)! If you’re interested in finding out a little more about the program visit www.sounds-write.co.uk. They are also currently also offering a FREE course (at www.udemy.com/course/help-your-child-to-read-and-write/) for parents and carers where you can get a little taster and see what it’s all about.
I know it’s not easy being a parent or carer these days and you already have enough on your plate as is, so if you are ever in doubt, feel free to reach out to our team at One Stop Allied Health for professional support and advice. We have trained practitioners in Sounds-Write that are ready to go and our friendly and knowledgeable team are here to help you and your child reach their full potential!
References
Grattan Institute. (2024). Australia needs a reading revolution. Retrieved from https://grattan.edu.au/australia-needs-a-reading-revolution/