Teach Your Child to Read

When you first start thinking that you might homeschool your kids you are immediately afraid of the thought of teaching them to read. SCARY!!!!! 

I worried and worried and worried myself to death over it. HOW??? WHEN???? HOW???? LOL

With Cailey it was a breeze. She was ready to start at 5. We did a lot of word family activities, mostly found at St. Aiden's and other sites,  and went from there. She picked up sight words easily. 

I started patting myself on the back!!! I was awesome! Look at me teaching my child to read! 

Oh, I should have known better. I have 5 kids. They are all as different as night and day. What on earth made me think it was going to be that easy with Colin? LOL

I started trying to teach him at 5. We struggled. There were tears and frustration, and not just mine. 

So, I backed off and tried again about 6 months later. 

Nope. Same deal.

Then the doom and gloom came. OMG! He's never going to learn to read!! I am a failure!!! What'll I do??

Every 6 months I would try again. We had some luck with Easy Peasy All-in-One Homeschool. But it was like pulling teeth. He just wasn't really getting it. So I dropped it. 

A friend of mine (Eileen's Perpetually Busy) kept telling me about this book that her friend used to teach her kids how to read, Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. I broke down at the end of this summer and bought it.

Colin had shown some interest as we went through Easy Peasy but it just wasn't his thing, y'know? 

Well, this book has been a HUGE hit with him. He is finally learning to read. I think we finally have the right mix - he is ready and this is the learning style that reaches him. 

With Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons they break it down into quick and easy lessons. Some days we do 2 at a time. 

The letters are called by the sounds they make. No sight words!! The kids sound the words out. SO MUCH better for Colin. 

No matter which way you choose, the main thing is that the child is ready. Nothing will work without that. 

Don't push it. Don't make it a battle. Step back, relax. It will happen. You might have to change up styles and try a few different things but IT WILL HAPPEN!!! Sort of like potty training (that's a whole different post)! ;)

Learning is a lifetime event. It's not a race. Not a competition. Each and every child is different and that is a wonderful, beautiful thing. 

I was NOT asked to do this post, nor have I been compensated in any way, shape or form. This is just my experience and my opinion.