How do you teach a child to read?

[littlemissbossy]

ok, this may be an obvious question, but how do you teach a child to read? my ds, aged 4, started reception in September and only knows a few letters of the alphabet but is expected to read (and I mean read the words himself!) at least two books a week (Oxford Reading Tree). When I spoke to the teacher about this at parents evening, she explained that they have no time to do individual reading in class so it must be done at home(which I understand) but I'm not a teacher ... and I'm not thick but I really don't know where to start and he's really struggling. So are there any mumsnet teachers who can give me some lessons on how to teach my son to read ... please??
TIA

I bought this great book by Mem Fox called Reading Magic - How your child can learn to read before school - and other read-aloud miracles. I just started reading it this morning and it is great. It stresses that it doesn't take any special techniques and training but just lots of fun reading aloud with kids.

aloha - which jolly p books do you have? is there a 'starter' book IFYKWIM? Also does the McGuinness book explain the correct phonetic sounds for each letter?

aloha - if you're around - see my question

ds1 (3.5) is "ready" to learn to read. He's using his knowledge of letter sounds and blending them together to "decode" cvc (consonant/vowel/consonant) words eg cat, pig, mat etc, and is identifying words around him eg wipes, nappies, biscuit, sausages, using his knowledge of letter/sound correspondence and semantics. The semantics bit is part of the process our brains use to decode words - this is a pack of wipes, I can see a word beginning with "w" which is the first sound in the word wipes, the last letter in the word is "s", I know what sound that makes, I guess the word must be wipes.

The teacher in me (who WAS taught how to teach children to read ) is itching to do it, but I have decided not to.

School for very young children is SO formalised now that I'd rather focus on other aspects of his development at this stage and support/supplement his reading when he begins to be formally taught in reception.

So for the moment we're sticking to lots of puzzles & games, role play, construction toys, art, cooking, listening games etc.

There's so little time left for these things in school now, we're "making hay while the sun shines".

Check out this lovely website for Mem Fox . Chapter Three is on reading-aloud and Chapter 4 is for Parents and Teachers.

I got the Jolly Phonics books from Amazon - the workbooks come in order and do tell you how to say the sounds correctly (I was saying Suh, not Sssss, for example. Doh!)
I wouldn't bother if ds didn't think it was enjoyable or interesting. I remember myself getting a lot of pleasure out of reading before I went to school - I liked it more than running around and I suspect ds is like me in many ways (not all good by any means!) and just wanted to play with letters with him, alongside all the other stuff. I don't get out my cane, honest!

Also because ds finds puzzles and construction toys so difficult due to motor coordination problems, they can actually feel more like work to him than looking at letters in a book.

thanks aloha - I believe you honest. I'm sure you don't have aloha junior sitting at a desk doing the phonics drill.
I agree that it's entirely pointless and unneccessary to even try unless they instigate it. Very intresting thread this.