What EXACT materials can I use to teach my early reader at home?

Question

These materials are designed for early readers up to “chapter book readers.” Because students learn to read on different timelines, please avoid using grades or age levels as ways to identify the best materials. Materials should be chosen based on functioning level - What skills has my reader mastered and not mastered?

Answer 1

Hello!

I'm a little late, but was drawn in by your question and wanted to help. I've given some general wisdom on how to use the materials I recommended but rest assured there IS a list at the end of this answer.

The most important thing in choosing curriculum is, you're right, determining where YOUR individual child is at with regard to developmental stages and learning. If your child is four or younger, I'd make a big push to not only think of literacy as "reading books," but also storytelling, fun with letter recognition, and discussion activities about storybooks for extended play and comprehension. The latter I would recommend at ANY age—bring the reading beyond the book!

I have a magnificent Fostering Literacy in Early Childhood professor, who taught me the wonderful tool of going on a "picture walk." This is used with storybooks, in which before reading, you and the child leaf through the book and try to use the pictures to predict the story, before going back and reading. Believe it or not, this is a part of literacy! Understanding story and its structure is just as important as learning to recognize individual letters and words alone.

After reading, try Googling "story stretchers" and the title of your book, and you should be able to find fun activities to bring reading comprehension into other curriculum areas. Wherever possible, keep story-stretchers open-ended and focused on the process, rather than producing a perfect, say, watercolor painting or self-made audiobook!

The good thing about determining the stage your child is in is that you have room for trial and error. Experiment without overreaching, and do not place an emphasis on perceived "failure"—picking the wrong curriculum tonight just means you two muddle through it together with a good, collaborative attitude, and scoot back to a slightly earlier level next time! This seems like as good a place to say it as any, and it needs to be said: kudos to you for undertaking the work of homeschooling.

Here are some materials I personally like for early readers:

Highlights Magazine. Designed for kids (and something I was personally raised on), Highlights contains material for readers of various levels, all in the same spot. Each issue has at least one story written with pictures filling in for some difficult-to-recognize words, and at the same time has Ask Arizona columns I personally enjoyed reading all the way through middle school.

For barely-emerging readers, for example, a child just beginning to recognize letters and string them into words: consider continuing open use of letters during play, and prioritizing tasks the child chooses over pushing what looks to an adult strictly like "reading" and "writing." Children learn through play, and need to be allowed to explore! For example, my preschoolers (students) loved when they had the opportunity to simply build with letter-shaped blocks for their dinosaurs to play on, and that bolstered their love of slowly learning, completely without a teacher's prompting, to write letters on paper and whiteboards.

This is a great stage at which to read together, and make sure the child can look over your shoulder! If they show an interest in the letters in picture books, feel free to run your finger along them as you read. If they don't, don't worry about it. They're still learning literacy skills simply by watching you turn pages in a book, and learning about story structure.

Picture books about subjects your child enjoys. I apologize for not being able to get more specific than this, but if you have any interest areas, I can seek out some specific books whose use of language and story structure I personally like for early readers. It's helpful when picture books are grounded in your child's experience, and about things meaningful to them—which NEVER means they can't be about other cultures, or fantastical imagination. It means that a child may relate more to a fantasy book involving relatable childhood fears or enormous fantasy-bugs than one about going on a quest for money, for example, which isn't a part of the child's daily life.

The Frog and Toad series. If your child is ready to start chapter books, or if you are ready to read them together at bedtime, these are an absolutely delightful place to start. They're also great for reading along to or with your child, tracing the text with your finger as you read aloud.

Answer 2

Here’s what I use at home to teach my 4 year old to read*:

1. Wilson Fundation Reading materials and some curriculum features. I particularly focus on the phonics scope and sequence and using the finger-tapping strategy to sound out and spell words. Wilson has a proven reading intervention for struggling older readers as well.
2. Spinny wooden blocks. You can buy these online. They focus on syllable patterns CVC, CVCe, etc through touch.
3. Letter tiles and letter magnets. If you do not have these at home you can use a Scrabble set of letter tiles. Sometimes taking the writing out of spelling, helps the student focus on the skill. Plus, they are fun!
4. Sound Cards. Basically flashcards I use for drills. Create sounds cards not just for the alphabet, but for all common letter combinations you want your reader to learn explicitly. Free.
5. Homer Reading App. Or, any other reading app that allows a student to record reading and play it back page-by-page. Reading A-to-Z has a good app as well with this feature. Both can be costly.
6. Phonics readers. My favorite early reader sets for students learning to read: Bob Books, Tug the Pug, Peppa Pig has a phonics set my little one enjoys, and choosing the “real” books more carefully.
7. Beanstack app. Many local libraries pay a subscription fee for the users to be able to record and track reading for anyone, any age. It’s often linked to the summer reading programs. Don’t forget to set goals with your readers through the app. Incentives are nice, too!
8. Ebook apps and websites, like Tumblebooks. Local libraries often have them for free (and more through their websites, take a thorough virtual tour of your local library and you will find many amazing paid subscriptions free for you!). There are plenty more sites now available because of the Covid-19 crisis. However, real books (your child actually wants to read) is always best.

*My little one can fluently read on a middle of 1st grade level now. This took a lot of time! At least 20 minutes of work/reading per day for 2 years (obviously I am human and was probably 85% consistent). If you have other adults that can help even just to read aloud to your early reader, the more the better! My little one also had a great preK teacher.

Answer 3

Hi there,

The best answer is to use real books. Some of my favorites are Moe Monster, The Ox Cart Man, and The Giving Tree. My daughters had several developmental delays and we were able to overcome these through practice. We have loved reading with our girls and have successfully graduated two from high school. Our oldest daughter received a 29 composite score on her ACT. I'd love to help you through this time so that your child can excel with the love of learning.

Cheers!

Tim