Living abroad - teaching a child to read in English

[amyboo]

Not sure if this is the right place, but I figured book lovers might know where to point me for more advice/information.

DS is 2.5 years old and is starting to show an interest in words on the page. He already knows quite a few letters and the alphabet song and things. Obviously I'm not expecting him to be reading at age 2.5, but I'd like to encourage his new found love of words a bit. We don't live in the UK and will not be returning any time soon, so DS won't be learning to read and write English at school. In fact, where we live (Belgium) kids don't formally learn to read and write until 1st primary, when he'll be nearly 6.5 years old.

So, we're keen in the meantime to gently encourage him with reading in English, but aren't really sure where to go from here or what sort of activities, books etc we should be looking at. We read every day with him, and he has access to all the books on his bookshelves as well as his beloved Thomas the Tank Engine magazine. He's started saying "Mummy/Daddy read this word now" and pointing to the words on the pages. He can identify quite a few lowercase letters and will link them with objects - such as o octopus, s socks, w whale, etc.

So, I guess what I'm asking is does anyone know what we should be doing now? Should be be starting on sounds with him, or just carrying on getting him familiar with letters? Should we focus on the phonetic letters, or can we teach them traditionally (he goes to French speaking school, so we don't have to follow what a teacher does)? Should we be trying to do reading type activity sheets with him already? DH was looking at some books last time we were back in the UK but they were aimed at 3+, so I don't know if it's worth investing in some books anyway..... Any advice would be gratefully received!

Bonsoir - thanks. I'd also read that you learn most easily in your most fluent language.

Frenchfancy - there are a fair number of people in the UK who struggle with literacy as a result of not having been taught to read properly. Not half the population, but a significant number. (I suspect there are also a fair number of people learning English as a second language abroad who find it harder than they need to because they're not being taught to decode. Fortunately, English teachers here are gradually cottoning on to the need to change method).

And, as Bonsoir says, phonics teaching helps with spelling, too. It benefits nearly all children. You can see if they get by fine without it, but what's the point? You might as well use it, if it makes things easier.

Kind of you to ask Bonsoir - her writing is fine in English. Mind you wouldn't think that if you looked at her facebook page, where she writes teenager rather than English or French.

If your DD is speaking/reading/writing like a monolingual English child despite going to school in French, then she is doing brilliantly! But don't extrapolate from your own child's brilliance that all children find it as easy. As Greythorne says, there are lots of children in France with Anglo parents who can barely speak English, let alone read and write it.

Haven't read whole thread but my advice is carry on reading books to him and singing songs, nursery rhymes etc until he is about 4 or 5. Don't do anything with sheets or anything formal at all until then. Then, just gently introduce the letter names and sounds and after these are known start blending, c-a-t, d-o-g, etc. When you can blend 3 lettter words like this you are off to a good start and can read Julia Donaldson Songbirds Book 1 or other early phonics reading material www.oxfordowl.co.uk/Library/Index/?AgeGroup=3&BookType=Phonics

DS was doing this at 4.5 as a guide, but there is no rush. My niece in Sweden hasn't been taught to do it yet (in English or Swedish) and she is 6.5, but I know that when she is taught she will fly and learn to read very quickly.

I did Jolly Phonics and ORT with DD and www.starfall.com kept her busy too. (It's free)

Greythorne, how old is your DC? Mine did loads of phonics in CP and lots of revision of phonics in CE1. DS looked at phonics along with spelling in CM1 eg which letters combine with g to make a hard g and which make a soft g.