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April 8, 2013 | 49 Comments

50 Ways To Teach Your Child To Read

Learning to read is not a crash course that kids take and are done with once they can read Dick and Jane without any help. Learning to read is developmental and starts when a newborn looks at you and hears you talking to them. Below are 50 pieces to the reading puzzle. 50 ways that you and your child can have fun knowing that they are working on early literacy development and learning to love books. This is not a definitive checklist it’s a buffet of options to help support your child as they develop literacy skills and become independent readers. Find ideas that work for your family in this list of 50 ways to teach your child to read, every idea won’t be right, but some will! Click through the linked items for more details and how to do the activity with your child.

50 ways to teach your child to read

This list includes affiliate links.

  1. Read to your child.
  2. Play rhyming games.
  3. Sing the alphabet song with them.
  4. Label things with their names from an early age.
  5. Go to the library even when they are at that loud voice only stage.
  6. Have nonfiction books as well as fiction available.
  7. Tell stories.
  8. Have books all over your house.
  9. Teach the letter sounds by emphasizing the sounds in words they often hear from a young age.
  10. Provide fun and exciting books for them to read.
  11. Get a magazine subscription and read it together.
  12. Make play dough letters.
  13. Play the alphabet game on road trips.
  14. Read the mail together.
  15. Make a reading nook.
  16. Clap out syllables.
  17. Make letter crafts.
  18. Make reading playtime.
  19. Notice letters in the environment.
  20. Learn about how books work and other concepts of print.
  21. Let them choose their books at the library or bookstore.
  22. Leave them notes in their lunchboxes.
  23. Play with foam letters in the bath. Use bath toys to make up and tell stories.
  24. Make your own books.
  25. Play eye spy with letters and letter sounds. ” I spy something that starts with the letter B. Buh book!”
  26. Give your children books as gifts.
  27. Make up silly songs together.
  28. Ask them to read the pictures to you before they can read the words.
  29. Play library.
  30. Read the book, then see the movie for a family treat.
  31. Play with word families.
  32. Read books with no words and share storytelling duties.
  33. Let them see you reading for fun.
  34. Read nursery rhymes.
  35. Explore and trace tactile letters.
  36. Play listening games.
  37. Retell and have your children retell stories after reading them.
  38. Ask your child questions about elements of the story as you read with them. This works on comprehension.
  39. Read books at lunchtime.
  40. Take books with you when you travel.
  41. Build with letter blocks or make your own.
  42. Do word searches.
  43. Play sight word games.
  44. Download an e-reader app on your smartphone, and instead of handing it to them to play a game, make it a treat to use it to read.
  45. Read comics and graphic novels with them.
  46. Talk to your kids using regular words, not “kiddie” words.
  47. Read them poetry.
  48. Get their bodies moving to learn letters.
  49. Read them their favorite book over and over and over even if it’s making you want to poke your eyes out.
  50. Make reading part of their bedtime routine from day one.
For even more tips for reading, check out my book Raising A Rockstar Reader! raising a rock-star reader

Filed Under: Age Preschool, Age: Elementary, Age: Kindergarten, Early Literacy, Early Literacy Resources, For Teachers, Letters & Numbers, Reading, Reading Readiness | 49 Comments

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49 Comments

  1. Eddie - The Usual Mayhem says

    April 8, 2013 at 4:47 am

    Great collection of ideas! Pinning this one.

    to Eddie - The Usual Mayhem" aria-label='reply to this comment to Eddie - The Usual Mayhem'>reply to this comment
    • Allison McDonald says

      April 8, 2013 at 6:49 am

      Thank you!!

      to Allison McDonald" aria-label='reply to this comment to Allison McDonald'>reply to this comment
    • Rhiannon says

      March 6, 2014 at 4:10 pm

      Another great tool my mom used with my siblings and I, is drwaing shapes and eventually letters on the sidewalk with brushes dipped in water. She finally published her book on amazon: A Thrifty Parent’s Guide to Teaching Your Child to Read, Write, and Count. She even explains easy ways to explain and demonstrate base ten!

      to Rhiannon" aria-label='reply to this comment to Rhiannon'>reply to this comment
      • Aman says

        April 30, 2015 at 12:30 pm

        I have used to draw alphabets on the soil ground by stick to teach my little cousins, they had enjoyed doing themselves while learning process was taking place.

        to Aman" aria-label='reply to this comment to Aman'>reply to this comment
  2. Faigie says

    April 8, 2013 at 1:28 pm

    Lots of these activities are of course, reading readiness and pre reading activities. What I have found is that with most kids you do need a systematic system for teaching reading as not all will pick it up from all these great ideas.

    to Faigie" aria-label='reply to this comment to Faigie'>reply to this comment
    • Allison McDonald says

      April 8, 2013 at 1:59 pm

      You are right this is NOT a definitive checklist but a list of ways parents can support their children as they learn to read.

      to Allison McDonald" aria-label='reply to this comment to Allison McDonald'>reply to this comment
  3. Samantha says

    April 9, 2013 at 5:03 am

    I don’t really recommend singing the alphabet song. I mean, it helps, but when we did that, confusion arose over sound vs. letters. Then we tried the Letter Factory by Leap Frog, and that really helps. They emphasize more on phonics, not letters. Other than that, great list!!

    to Samantha" aria-label='reply to this comment to Samantha'>reply to this comment
  4. Debbie Fidelman says

    April 9, 2013 at 11:21 am

    Thanks for lots of great ideas. I plan to use the sight word dominos game with my first grade students this week. I also linked to your post on my blog Yulupa Reads to give our school’s parents and Schools of Hope volunteers some ideas they can use.

    to Debbie Fidelman" aria-label='reply to this comment to Debbie Fidelman'>reply to this comment
    • Allison McDonald says

      April 9, 2013 at 7:39 pm

      My son and I use that game all the time. I hope they like it.

      to Allison McDonald" aria-label='reply to this comment to Allison McDonald'>reply to this comment
  5. Debbie Dadey says

    August 15, 2013 at 5:11 am

    Every Thursday is “I Hate to Read” Thursday on my Facebook author page. It pains me that some kids don’t like to read, so I make it my mission to find things to help them. Today, is was your 50 Ways to Teach Your Child to Read. Thanks!

    to Debbie Dadey" aria-label='reply to this comment to Debbie Dadey'>reply to this comment
    • Allison McDonald says

      August 15, 2013 at 8:12 am

      Thank you so much – and I agree #50 is the best!

      to Allison McDonald" aria-label='reply to this comment to Allison McDonald'>reply to this comment
  6. mbw says

    August 18, 2013 at 12:34 pm

    As a preschool teacher and librarian, one of my favorite things is to have the children make puppets (paper sack, Popsicle stick, whatever) of the characters in the story so they can retell the story (#37).
    The most important things you can do (and this list shows you how) are to model good reading behavior (if you hate it, they will know and hate it too) and to expose your children to a variety of reading experiences. When they see that reading is a valuable and enjoyable skill, they will want to develop it themselves.
    Also, if you have a reluctant reader, read together (you read one page or paragraph, s/he reads one) and find books that are about something they are interested in (sports, horses, race cars…). The non fiction section has more to offer than science or social studies help.
    Okay, off my soapbox now…reading is just so near and dear to my heart!

    to mbw" aria-label='reply to this comment to mbw'>reply to this comment
    • Allison McDonald says

      August 18, 2013 at 1:41 pm

      Great advice!

      to Allison McDonald" aria-label='reply to this comment to Allison McDonald'>reply to this comment
    • Muni Morris says

      May 1, 2016 at 11:13 am

      Love this <3
      Thanks for sharing

      to Muni Morris" aria-label='reply to this comment to Muni Morris'>reply to this comment
  7. MomAtWork says

    October 15, 2013 at 10:06 pm

    A while ago I had found an online Learning to Read program which follows a step-by-step learning for kids from pre-K ages through to 6+ years. Kids learn to read and write while having loads of fun. They don’t even realise that they’re learning. There are heaps of fun activities. There is a 30 day free trial as well.

    to MomAtWork" aria-label='reply to this comment to MomAtWork'>reply to this comment
  8. Sanddy says

    October 16, 2013 at 1:09 am

    I hope it helps rescue my little cousins…..its bn a wish they find reading interesting. Thanks for the wonderful advice! Those 50 ways are absolutely the best as i will apply it in my teaching method onwards.

    to Sanddy" aria-label='reply to this comment to Sanddy'>reply to this comment
  9. Kelly Brown says

    October 19, 2013 at 4:01 pm

    Thanks for the information. Teaching your child to read is very important to their future.

    to Kelly Brown" aria-label='reply to this comment to Kelly Brown'>reply to this comment
  10. Marie C. says

    November 5, 2013 at 11:35 pm

    Allison, I agree with your suggestion that learning to read is not a 1 course and your done type of thing. It is indeed an ongoing developmental skill.

    I really give a thumbs up to suggestion #40 where you say the parent should incorporate movement in learning. I believe it is true that kids learn things better kinesthetically. Involve all the senses in learning and the child is likely to learn more and retain more longer.

    Marie C.
    http://www.ChildrenLearnReading.com

    to Marie C." aria-label='reply to this comment to Marie C.'>reply to this comment
  11. Tate Johnston says

    November 14, 2013 at 2:48 pm

    Love this list! And how many of the ways have to do with playing with your child.

    As well as all the ideas that don’t require sitting down with a book (although I love reading to & with my kids!) – particularly helpful for boys, who I find tend to have more affinity for energetic activities.

    Really love the double impact of #22 – notes in lunchboxes: developing skills and communicating care. There are so many great suggestions, I’ll be coming back more than once to pick out a few more to put into practice. Thanks!

    to Tate Johnston" aria-label='reply to this comment to Tate Johnston'>reply to this comment
  12. joan says

    January 13, 2014 at 10:17 am

    i found that the current phonetic – synthetic phonics method destroyed my son’s confidence – he found it incomprehensible as the rules were so limited and only apply to some cases..

    to joan" aria-label='reply to this comment to joan'>reply to this comment
    • Allison McDonald says

      January 13, 2014 at 11:14 am

      No child learns in the exact same way I hope you have been able to find the best way to teach him and support his learning.

      to Allison McDonald" aria-label='reply to this comment to Allison McDonald'>reply to this comment
  13. Marnie says

    April 30, 2014 at 1:27 pm

    I love this list!!! I think one of the most important factors in your child learning to read is to allow him to discover reading at his own pace. Kids develop at different paces and sometimes we adults forget there is an age range of typical development. Creating the environment for your child to discover reading on his own is critical in developing a lifelong love for reading. These tips do precisely that for children! Well done, Allie!

    to Marnie" aria-label='reply to this comment to Marnie'>reply to this comment
  14. Lisa says

    June 8, 2014 at 7:45 am

    This is a wonderful list of activities and practices to not only teach children how to read but also to help them become lifelong readers. This list incorporates the development of reading, speaking, and writing skills–all of which are essential in academia, the workforce, and everyday life. “Reading maketh a full man, conference a ready man, and writing an exact man” (Sir Francis Bacon).

    May I add to your list a practice I used with my son? We had a dry erase board in the kitchen called “The Question Board.” Either of us could post any question, and the other was responsible for providing the answer. Although we were allowed some subjectivity in sharing personal views and opinions, we focused on providing supportive evidence from reputable sources. In this way, we used reading, research, and communication skills. My favorite question was when my then four year old son asked, “Why do they call it the ‘Silver War?'” After I realized he was referring to the Civil War, we did some reading and had a rich discussion about a significant event in our country’s history.

    to Lisa" aria-label='reply to this comment to Lisa'>reply to this comment
    • Allison McDonald says

      June 9, 2014 at 12:33 am

      Love that idea and how it sparked more teaching opportunities for you!

      to Allison McDonald" aria-label='reply to this comment to Allison McDonald'>reply to this comment
  15. Oliver Fsadni says

    October 20, 2014 at 12:52 pm

    Let the children see you enjoying reading.

    to Oliver Fsadni" aria-label='reply to this comment to Oliver Fsadni'>reply to this comment
  16. Regina says

    December 7, 2014 at 2:14 pm

    This is great! I am going to try a few of these tips to get my 2.5 y/o interested.

    to Regina" aria-label='reply to this comment to Regina'>reply to this comment
  17. Alison says

    January 21, 2015 at 6:14 pm

    Thank you so much for the suggestions. We currently do a lot of these but my stubborn little guy just has no interest in reading. He loves books, he memorizes many of them, but is not at all concerned about learning how to read. He is extremely intelligent and has had a huge vocabulary from early on. I guess I just have to be patient. I am wondering if as the other Kindergarteners learn to read if he will feel compelled to do the same. I hate that it will be peer pressure but maybe just a little nudge. Thanks again.

    Alison
    http://www.theguiltymommy.com

    to Alison" aria-label='reply to this comment to Alison'>reply to this comment
    • Sudha Mahajan says

      August 1, 2017 at 12:17 am

      Dear Mom,
      This means he does read , only doesn’t want to do it in the organised way you want him to do it.Let there be lot of books around the house for him and within his reach. He will definitely read

      to Sudha Mahajan" aria-label='reply to this comment to Sudha Mahajan'>reply to this comment
  18. Krysta says

    January 24, 2015 at 7:50 pm

    a very easy thing that anyone can do… Turn on your TVs closed captioning. Then anytime they are watching TV they are also seeing the words. We usually watch Tree Schoolers, Signing time or super why.

    to Krysta" aria-label='reply to this comment to Krysta'>reply to this comment
  19. Nick says

    July 11, 2015 at 7:15 am

    My wife and I have been reading to our son since we brought him home from the hospital. He is now almost 4 but about 6 months ago we started to notice that he was falling behind the other kids in daycare in the speech dept. and noticing simple words. We tried different methods and friends advice wasn’t working so we went online to find some assistance. I stumped across this program that changed the game. Not only was it fun and easy. It really gave our little one the hands on that he needed and the program grew with him with different stages to the program. If your having trouble with the reading dept. or just starting, give this program a try. I set a link below and if it isn’t lit up, simply copy and paste it to your address bar. Good luck too all.
    http://737fefsz-qbygxjqidy8fdp7na.hop.clickbank.net/

    to Nick" aria-label='reply to this comment to Nick'>reply to this comment
  20. Venita Gomez says

    July 26, 2015 at 2:30 am

    I’d definitely agree with the author here. We have used similar techniques while training our child to read. I would like to share my story with others — hopefully, it will definitely help in developing your child’s reading skills.

    A year ago I bought an e-book online and to my surprise, the results were very impressive. My child was able to read within 12 weeks after I had gone through the book and used the simple methods which were mentioned. I hope it will help others as well as it helped me, too.

    Here’s a link to my story which was published on a news blog: http://www.newsdailygroup.com/my-son-could-read-before-he-was-even-potty-trained/

    Here’s a tip which I would like to give: You NEED to give something to your baby in order to make them read. Remember how we all used to tame our parrots? Give it some seeds and let it sit on our finger. Similarly, you have to reward your child as soon as they hold a book. It will be difficult at start but your child will develop a habit — that is for sure. 🙂

    Thank you so much for writing this wonderful post.

    – Venita

    to Venita Gomez" aria-label='reply to this comment to Venita Gomez'>reply to this comment
  21. Jacob says

    February 12, 2016 at 6:15 am

    My father teaches his students via song and poems and it works like a magic.

    to Jacob" aria-label='reply to this comment to Jacob'>reply to this comment
  22. Kate says

    February 24, 2016 at 2:07 pm

    We baked letter biscuits, and my son had to identify the letter before he could have one to eat – was good motivation!

    to Kate" aria-label='reply to this comment to Kate'>reply to this comment
  23. Ellie says

    July 6, 2016 at 4:27 pm

    This is so great! You have amazing suggestions. I’ve been having trouble encouraging my son to read. Besides your post I also found this blog post about teaching boys to read: http://whilethekidsaresleeping.com/2016/07/06/how-i-taught-my-boy-to-love-reading-when-he-hated-books/ The author has good ideas too.
    Any other tips on encouraging reading especially in boys?

    to Ellie" aria-label='reply to this comment to Ellie'>reply to this comment
    • Allison McDonald says

      July 9, 2016 at 12:22 pm

      The main thing I have found with boys is to respect their reading choices. As moms we often think that our boys need to be reading fiction, but many young boys ( and girls) adore nonfiction. So don’t limit the reading choices.

      to Allison McDonald" aria-label='reply to this comment to Allison McDonald'>reply to this comment
  24. Alexa Brideau says

    June 27, 2017 at 10:36 am

    Such a great ideas! I find it very useful! I’m glad to found your blog. 🙂

    to Alexa Brideau" aria-label='reply to this comment to Alexa Brideau'>reply to this comment
  25. Jennyvie Lofamia says

    September 19, 2018 at 1:24 am

    Great advise!!! When reading a book to your child, you can do more than just read the story. Ask your child questions about what she thinks will happen on the next page. These techniques will improve her storytelling skills. Avoid questions that can be answered with a simple yes or no. I highly recommend this link to help also your child. https://tinyurl.com/ydbebnt6

    to Jennyvie Lofamia" aria-label='reply to this comment to Jennyvie Lofamia'>reply to this comment
  26. seoa4 says

    March 12, 2019 at 11:09 pm

    Reading Buddy Software is advanced, speech recognition reading software that listens, responds, and teaches as your child reads. It’s like having a tutor in your computer

    to seoa4" aria-label='reply to this comment to seoa4'>reply to this comment
  27. Mayank Kumar says

    January 12, 2020 at 8:45 pm

    I keep listening to the news update speak about getting free online grant applications so I have been looking around for the best site to get one. Could you advise me please, where could i acquire some?

    to Mayank Kumar" aria-label='reply to this comment to Mayank Kumar'>reply to this comment
  28. Claire Masters says

    June 1, 2021 at 12:02 pm

    I really like your idea about providing fun books for them to make reading interesting. My cousin’s kid is in pre-school and she wants to encourage her son to read more. Maybe it would be good to look for books that come with toys that they can play with to help them be interested in the story within the book.

    to Claire Masters" aria-label='reply to this comment to Claire Masters'>reply to this comment

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