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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

starting to help four year old to read

5 replies

united4ever · 26/09/2013 18:39

My son started in reception this month. The school give him books and letters to focus on at home. I try to do it with him. The difficulty is that my son gets irritated when i say the words , sounds and letters he doesn't know. Of course i encourage him to do it by himself but sometimes he doesn't know the letter or sound so we are completely stuck unless i tell him the letter or sound. He then says angrily that he wants to say it, and tells me not to say it.

any ideas on this?, of course when he has learnt all the letters we can break the words down and i work through the letters to get the word.....but for now we are still learning letters and sounds. Is there a way to give a hint for a sound, letter perhaps. He likes to be independent so doesn't appreciate help sometimes.

thanks in advance

OP posts:
SamPull · 26/09/2013 18:55

Can you try and mouth them without saying them perhaps?

Or have a mime - perhaps pretend to bounce a ball for 'b' for example?

WowOoo · 26/09/2013 19:01

He's only 4, so I'd just read to him for enjoyment now. There's no rush, really.

You want to be encouraging a love for reading and books and knowledge and take the pressure off him. When he's in the right mood, do some letters and sounds.

I have a 4 yr old who is totally different to his older brother. I know that it will all come in his own time!

louby44 · 26/09/2013 21:03

Is your school not following a phonics programme? I teach reception and we follow Jolly Phonics and learn 3 sounds each week. I send home a little book with the letter/sound in it and the action that goes alongside it.

We then begin to blend words using the sounds we've learnt and I begin to send flashcards home with relevant words e.g. words like can, am, at

Once my children begin to blend (sound out) simple CV/CVC words confidently I send home a reading book.

CecilyP · 26/09/2013 21:33

I would be inclined to leave the reading books until he has learned bit more at school. If he wants to do it all himself but doesn't yet know enough, I can't see there is much more than you can do.

AbbyR1973 · 26/09/2013 21:41

When DS's were learning sounds from jolly phonics I used to sometimes do the action without saying the sound to help them to remember.

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