Teach Your Child How to Read Using Letters and Sounds

All parents want their children to be the best that they can be. To give their children the best possible opportunities, moms and dads really go out of their way to tutor their children and help them with their homework. This is based on the belief that the child must somehow always be more successful than his or her parents. Having a solid foundation in reading, spelling, and comprehension is something that every child needs to succeed.

Whole Language vs. Phonics
Phonics teaches the child to dissect and sound the words into parts. In contrast, whole language focuses on comprehension and asks the child to do this intuitively. Right now, phonics is enjoying a resurgence as a teaching method, because so many children had atrocious spelling when the whole language method was used alone. Here are several reasons why purchasing phonics books and tutoring your child at home is a great idea.

Phonics Pays Attention to Pronunciation
Exercises in phonics books break down the word in several parts. If it is an audio book or a computer program, it will voice each syllable by itself and then say the entire word. Because phonics books focus on a particular sounds for each story, your child learns how to say it. There are double vowels, short vowels, consonants, the silent e, and many other sounds that a child should know. Because the child is taught a rule as well as the exceptions to the rule, it becomes easier for him to read on his own.

Your Child Becomes a Better Speller
Being poor in spelling can hold a child back in school and in life. Effective leaders and communicators are expected to have an excellent grasp of the written word. Some children may find phonics boring and formulaic, but that is only if you do not figure in some fun while they are learning it. Buying phonics books that uses humor or stimulates the imagination is a great way to sharpen your child's spelling.

Phonics Helps Children Decode New Words Faster
When children are exposed to sound-spelling patterns and relationships, they often find it easier to spell unfamiliar terms with relative ease. Spelling and pronunciation rules is a lot like training wheels on a bike. It may seem horribly complicated at the beginning, but eventually it becomes rote memory. The goal is to get to the point where your child does not need to remember the specific rules on how to pronounce or spell certain words. Ask any adult today and most will no longer be able to tell you the specific rule, but they will know how to pronounce it.

Children who have a solid foundation in words and communication have an easier time expressing themselves and making friends. While verbal intelligence is not the only form of intelligence, society certainly regards eloquence as a sign of education. Creating the foundation for verbal intelligence starts when your child is still learning to read. You can do this by combining both the phonics and the whole language method and creating an environment where he develops a love for reading. Spend some time practicing on his Letters and Sounds through phonics books today.