My Child is Learning to Read. HELP!
Published on September 17, 2024
By Leah T.
If you have a beginning reader, it is likely you have heard about the ‘Science of Reading’ from your child’s teacher or in the news. This body of research looks at what happens in the brain when children learn to read and informs educators, parents, and caregivers on the best way to approach instruction.
The Easy Reader collection at Siouxland Libraries contains short, simple books designed for beginning and emerging readers. The collection contains decodable books, which play a primary role in learning how to read. A decodable book focuses on a specific phonics skill. Letters make sounds, and certain combinations of letters will predictably make certain sounds. When children are taught these letter patterns and the sounds they make, they will learn to successfully decode the word.
Check out these decodable series that follow the Science of Reading:
Stairway Decodables – Our NEWEST phonics series. Broken into six steps, take your child on their reading journey one level at a time.
My Decodable Readers – This is your go-to series for learning vowel sounds.
Bright Owl Books – Another series that highlights one vowel sound per book while including a lot of rhyme. The illustrations are a must-see!
BOB Books – With BOB books, you’ll get multiple stories bound into one book for consistent practice on one skill, such as word families (ex: sing, ring, bling). Don’t miss the parent card that gives you tips on helping your child learn to read.
In Bloom – This series is for older readers who are still working on mastering foundational reading skills. Decodable chapter books with an engaging narrative.
Building phonics skills with decodable readers is just one component of the Science of Reading. As your child learns to read simple stories on their own, continue to read more complex picture books and nonfiction to them, too. Reading a variety of books builds their vocabulary and comprehension skills. Don’t worry, we have more resources to help!
Reading Kits - Siouxland Libraries has Reading Kits that practice the following core reading skills: background knowledge, comprehension, decoding, and fluency. Each kit contains books, a game, and a user guide for creating an engaging reading lesson.
Stories to Go - Each kit has a special theme and includes all the necessary materials for a fun and engaging storytime, such as books, activity guides, and puppets. When you make reading a fun experience, your child will want to learn themself.
Wonderbooks and Vox Books - Kids can listen to a built-in audiobook as they read along with the story – no adult, computer, tablet, CD, or internet needed. When children hear words at the same time they are looking at the book, it improves their reading comprehension, ability to identify words, and their confidence to read the story themselves.
Learning to read can seem complicated at first, but with some time and the right support, your child will be well on their way to becoming a confident reader.