Learning to read books- 4yo

[LilaGrace]

My DD (who'll be 4 in May) is showing great interest in learning to read. Can anyone recommend a great series of books which have simple words for her to read herself (with my help) along with a story? Ideally ones where the books in the series gradually get harder. I remember the Peter and Jane ladybird books from when I was a child and was hoping for something like those (but more modern!)

There's a great blog by Gregg Ashman entitled "I learnt to read by standing in custard" quite possibly a better reading strategy than flash cards

Read to her. Let her choose books, you read, you can even point to the words as you read. Or let her do it. Just let her enjoy books and point out stuff as you go around in the world e.g. push or pull on a door handle. Just point to it and say it.

Flash cards and reading books was how we were all taught, no idea why it's so frowned upon. Some kids need phonics, some kids are screwed up by phonics and struggle, you can't guess which method your child will have more success with. Let her enjoy books though, just have plenty around, read them to her, with her and let her join in as she pleases. If she reads before school, they will fill her in with any phonics stuff they feel necessary, so don't worry on that front. If she reads before school, then doesn't matter how she did it. Some kids are just curious or determined to know what all the squiggles mean and will happily work it out for themselves.

Keep it fun and it'll be good.

"no idea why it's so frowned upon." Because it left thousands illiterate

" and we are doing some flash cards with sight words" oh dear 

Not overly helpful.....

Reading is an intellectual exercise using all sorts of strategies. Book language (hearing/sharing stories) recognising whole words, using phonics and syntactical cues. Then there is repetition of phrases, the familiarity of stories. All these things build a child's confidence and willingness to interact with the written word. It is incorrect to say that children should only use phonics. Sounding out can take time and if there are no other strategies to hand the short term memory can become overloaded so that the sense of a sentence and content is lost. Be careful you do not teach your children that reading is "hard".

Oh dear do you intend to teach every word in the English language (1000000+) at the last count using sight words ?
Better?

Other strategies ...you mean guessing?

Well I'm certainly not an expert, just another mum with a dd in reception but her reading seems to be a real mishmash. She has learnt a lot of phonics but does also bring home the (apparently) dreaded flash cards with sight words. She doesn't like doing them much but I don't know how else she will learn words like "the, one etc". I certainly don't want to harm her development but this is what the school want us to do so I assume they know something about it.

Just because it left thousands illiterate doesn't mean it didn't teach many to read. I'm not saying phonics shouldn't happen, but if the OP has a child that wants to learn to read, then any way that works is good. I don't think it has to be phonics and I don't think they need to wait until start school. Before school it can be entirely child led and if the child loves flash cards and learns to sight read, then why not? It did work for many people. I haven't the first idea how to use phonics as makes no sense to me. I have never had any trouble reading.....nor have my peers or any of my family. It doesn't mean it's not important or not worthwhile, just not the be all and end all. What works for the OP's child is what works. To me, the enjoyment of books and what they can do for you (disappear into a new, exciting, fun world of fiction or learn about a million new things in both fiction and non-fiction) is vital so anything that enables that is good.

Whynotnowbaby - don't get me started on my son coming home and telling me 'the' was a 'tricky' word. Made me guffaw. Thought 'Christ, what will the kids think when they have to start spelling words that actually are 'tricky''. Was an interesting use of vocab I thought.

"I assume they know something about it." Unfortunately they often know less than well informed parents so never say just another mum.

Paperkins- yes, exactly 😊

" doesn't mean it didn't teach many to read" are you willing to risk your child being one of the fortunate ones who learns to read despite poor methods?

https://www.nifdi.org/resources/news/hempenstall-blog/hempenstalls-referenced-documents/299-illusory-phonics/file

Yeah, worth a gamble - mixed methods only confuses one in five, doesn't it? Odds are your child won't be part of the 20%.

Definitely worth a flutter.

My daughter asked for flash cards, I bought them for her brother but she is just desperately keen to read and wants to learn. I'm only encouraging her. She learned all her letters herself.

MrsMarigold, there are children who are naturally talented decoder/learner. My ds was one of them. Your dd may be one of them.
I came to realise what worked for my ds may not work for everybody, and stopped recommending things we did. It may damage some children's learning completely.

Mrz, Feenie, Rafa, these posters are the great teachers who teach many children everyday, and have much more experience than any of us "just mum"s. I would listen to them.

That's Irvine but never say just mums because I know many mums who are far better informed about reading (research and evidence) than their child's teachers.

Thanks not that's

So I've ordered jolly phonics workbooks, activity books and story. Also Oxford reading tree books. Is this a good combination (reinforcing phonics before moving on to ORT)?
I'm not a teacher so need helpful guidance

I'm afraid not one I'd recommend to anyone.
Jolly Phonics is a very basic phonic programme and doesn't teach to the depth required. ORT books were written in the 80s for the now discredited Look and Say method. There are some newer ORT phonic books but they wouldn't be my choice.

I'd still recommend songbirds over ORT. I heard there are bob books too which are supposed to be phonetic.

I think a lot of teachers recommend songbirds and reading chest.

ORT are what her school uses- didn't want to confuse her by using different methods....?