by Sarah Major, M.Ed
Is your child always on the move? Does he find sitting still for long periods of time difficult and loves to make things with his hands? If these are true of your child, likely you have an active learner on your hands who will learn to read most easily through non-traditional methods.
After all, let's face it. Learning to read the traditional way would try the patience of a saint and is best matched to left brained learners who are patient while learning scads of rules. Sounding out words after learning mind-numbingly boring phonics rules is not super compatible with bright, active children. We have to try new strategies with these learners if we want to make learning as effortless and fun as it can be!
Following are a few things I've found to work well when teaching active learners to read.
First of all, incorporate body motion into every part of the learning, from hand motions for the letters/sounds he will learn first, to motions that act out the meaning of sight words once he is learning whole words. Body motions make sure that the attention of your active learner stays with you as you teach, but even more importantly they'll enable your active child to learn the way that comes most naturally to him.
Another great way to engage active learners is to use visuals whenever you can. One way you might do this is to show your child a new word, tell her what it says and then ask her what the word reminds her of or looks like to her. Then, have her draw a picture that has to do with the meaning around the word, incorporating the shapes of the word into the picture. Embedding the new word in this way will let your child instantly snap a mental picture of the new symbol that will stick in her head.
You might also try using a whiteboard and dry erase marker so your child can write new words as he learns to read. If his hands are involved as he says sounds and words, and his eyes are tracking his writing, the experience will truly be multisensory.
Another effective way to engage your active child is to use games to teach as much as possible. Games involve active children and keep them moving while learning which does wonders for cementing the new information in their brains. For instance, once your child has been introduced to some new sight words and is ready for review, grab the words that your child decorated and write those same words on 3 x 5” cards. Spread both sets of cards randomly on the floor. Then call out words and have your child find both the plain word and the decorated one. This game will be fun for reviewing sight words, allowing her to be active and involve both hands in the process.
To teach reading comprehension and reinforce it, you might also try having your child read a phrase or sentence and then act it out for you to show he understands what he read. This will be fun, but also build the important skill of visualizing what he's reading.
If your child likes to draw, let her illustrate often to reinforce what she is learning to read. Illustrating is hands on and also challenges your child to think about the meaning of what she's read, another way to build reading comprehension skills.
While reading is definitely an important skill, use humor frequently in order to engage and delight your child. There is nothing fun about phonics rules to an active learner, but if you use humor as much as possible, it will help!
Another effective way to engage your active child is to take the learning outside whenever you can! Changing the location adds interest and novelty, which helps to engage your child’s brain in the learning process.
And finally, use rewards lavishly. I have been astonished over the years at how hard a child will work for the littlest of rewards. As long as there are goals to shoot for and levels to master, motivation will soar.
To sum up: use lots of body motions and hands on activities to capture the attention of your active child and take the learning deeper. Use plenty of visuals and illustrating to give her ways to respond to new information. Most of all, don't forget to have fun!
Sarah Major, CEO of Child1st Publications, grew up on the mission field with her four siblings, all of whom her mother homeschooled. As an adult, Sarah homeschooled a small group of children in collaboration with their parents, and has taught from preschool age to adult. Sarah has been the Title 1 director and program developer for grades K-7, an ESOL teacher, and a classroom teacher. As an undergraduate student, Sarah attended Wheaton College in Wheaton, Ill. and then received her M.Ed. from Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, MI. In 2006 Sarah resigned from fulltime teaching in order to devote more time to Child1st, publisher of the best-selling SnapWords™ stylized sight word cards. In her spare time Sarah enjoys gardening, cooking, pottery, quilting, and spending time with her family.
Child1st Publications, LLC
www.child-1st.com
704-879-4047
3302 S New Hope Rd
Suite 300B
Gastonia, NC 28056
Is your child always on the move? Does he find sitting still for long periods of time difficult and loves to make things with his hands? If these are true of your child, likely you have an active learner on your hands who will learn to read most easily through non-traditional methods.
After all, let's face it. Learning to read the traditional way would try the patience of a saint and is best matched to left brained learners who are patient while learning scads of rules. Sounding out words after learning mind-numbingly boring phonics rules is not super compatible with bright, active children. We have to try new strategies with these learners if we want to make learning as effortless and fun as it can be!
Following are a few things I've found to work well when teaching active learners to read.
First of all, incorporate body motion into every part of the learning, from hand motions for the letters/sounds he will learn first, to motions that act out the meaning of sight words once he is learning whole words. Body motions make sure that the attention of your active learner stays with you as you teach, but even more importantly they'll enable your active child to learn the way that comes most naturally to him.
Another great way to engage active learners is to use visuals whenever you can. One way you might do this is to show your child a new word, tell her what it says and then ask her what the word reminds her of or looks like to her. Then, have her draw a picture that has to do with the meaning around the word, incorporating the shapes of the word into the picture. Embedding the new word in this way will let your child instantly snap a mental picture of the new symbol that will stick in her head.
You might also try using a whiteboard and dry erase marker so your child can write new words as he learns to read. If his hands are involved as he says sounds and words, and his eyes are tracking his writing, the experience will truly be multisensory.
Another effective way to engage your active child is to use games to teach as much as possible. Games involve active children and keep them moving while learning which does wonders for cementing the new information in their brains. For instance, once your child has been introduced to some new sight words and is ready for review, grab the words that your child decorated and write those same words on 3 x 5” cards. Spread both sets of cards randomly on the floor. Then call out words and have your child find both the plain word and the decorated one. This game will be fun for reviewing sight words, allowing her to be active and involve both hands in the process.
To teach reading comprehension and reinforce it, you might also try having your child read a phrase or sentence and then act it out for you to show he understands what he read. This will be fun, but also build the important skill of visualizing what he's reading.
If your child likes to draw, let her illustrate often to reinforce what she is learning to read. Illustrating is hands on and also challenges your child to think about the meaning of what she's read, another way to build reading comprehension skills.
While reading is definitely an important skill, use humor frequently in order to engage and delight your child. There is nothing fun about phonics rules to an active learner, but if you use humor as much as possible, it will help!
Another effective way to engage your active child is to take the learning outside whenever you can! Changing the location adds interest and novelty, which helps to engage your child’s brain in the learning process.
And finally, use rewards lavishly. I have been astonished over the years at how hard a child will work for the littlest of rewards. As long as there are goals to shoot for and levels to master, motivation will soar.
To sum up: use lots of body motions and hands on activities to capture the attention of your active child and take the learning deeper. Use plenty of visuals and illustrating to give her ways to respond to new information. Most of all, don't forget to have fun!
Sarah Major, CEO of Child1st Publications, grew up on the mission field with her four siblings, all of whom her mother homeschooled. As an adult, Sarah homeschooled a small group of children in collaboration with their parents, and has taught from preschool age to adult. Sarah has been the Title 1 director and program developer for grades K-7, an ESOL teacher, and a classroom teacher. As an undergraduate student, Sarah attended Wheaton College in Wheaton, Ill. and then received her M.Ed. from Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, MI. In 2006 Sarah resigned from fulltime teaching in order to devote more time to Child1st, publisher of the best-selling SnapWords™ stylized sight word cards. In her spare time Sarah enjoys gardening, cooking, pottery, quilting, and spending time with her family.
Child1st Publications, LLC
www.child-1st.com
704-879-4047
3302 S New Hope Rd
Suite 300B
Gastonia, NC 28056
