I’ve had a lot of moms ask me what materials I used to teach our kids to read and a good age to start the process, and let me just start off by saying it’s never too early to teach your child how to read. I learned that when Caleb, our first child, was reading at the age of three. It wasn’t just rote memory of his favorite books… He used phonics to sound out letters and actually read the words. I remember my girlfriends being surprised by his reading skills (I was pretty impressed with him myself), but I truly believe that most children can learn to read well before the age of 5.

You know what it takes? Quality time with parents. If you do this already, you are on the right track. Caleb’s love of books started when he was a little baby. I remember we had this routine on the weekends. Caleb would wake up at the (butt)crack of dawn, my husband would bring him into bed with us, then while I slept, my husband would read… Caleb would try to crawl on top of him to get a closer look. I’d wake up to find him laying right on top of my husband’s chest, sometimes grabbing at the book, but usually just content looking at it. (Sweet memories!) And, trust me, this was not normal for him. He was a crazy little guy who couldn’t stay still, but this happened every weekend, and I think it’s interesting to see that he (who is almost 9!) loves reading more than ever right now.

Back then, there were no LeapFrog products. (LeapFrog has some great learning tools, and I really like the phonics DVD.) But, you can use simple, inexpensive things to teach your child to read. Seriously, I’ve learned by now that my kids could care less about their toys. Bouncing on couches, jumping on pillows, making forts… Now, that’s fun!

Before we get into the materials you’ll need, it’s time for a commercial break.
Read to your babies. Yes, when they’re tiny. You may think they’re too young to understand or wonder why you’re reading to a baby that is trying to eat the pages, but it makes a difference. One of the greatest joys is when your little one blurts out the words to a favorite book. So, don’t delay, do it today!

Ha! That rhymed.

What to Get:

• foam letters
• refrigerator alphabet magnets

Yep, that’s it! That’s all you need. You can, of course, buy the LeapFrog alphabet magnets

First, start out simple. I started out letting Caleb play with the foam letters and showed him the letter A. Every time we walked into the kitchen, I would point out the A on the fridge. If you have to review a letter for 2-3 days or even longer, do it. There's no rush. Repetition is key, and if you make it a game, it's really fun. You can mix 2-3 letters around, and have your child point to the correct letter. Make it a goal to have all of the letters fairly learned within a 2 month period. Notice I said "fairly learned" instead of "perfectly learned". The reason is you are going to go back through the alphabet and teach the sounds of the letters.

Now, I am a huge believer in phonics. I know this is somewhat controversial, especially with the school system's way of teaching. I don't believe in "environmental reading" when a child is able to read a McDonald's sign. That, my friend, is called good marketing. Sight words are fine to learn, but phonics is the foundation to reading. Phonics first, and the sight words will come. It shouldn't be the other way around.

I'm also a huge believer in positive reinforcement. There's no such thing as getting too excited about your child doing great things. If he/she learns the letter A, make it known you are proud of him/her. Get out the special stamps and stamp pad, stickers, cookie or piece of candy... whatever you decide will be the reward. Positive reinforcement makes learning that much more fun.

So, phonics is the next step. When you're teaching the vowels, you can teach the short and long sound or just start with the short sound. I started with the short sound first and added the long vowel sound after Caleb was reading. Do what works for you. Same concept here as the alphabet... Go through each letter sound with your child until the phonics are learned fairly well.

Stay tuned for Part 2 and the best beginner books ever…