This simple phrase made reading finally click for my daughter. If your child knows their letter sounds, this may be all you need to have them reading words!
The coolest part of being a parent is having a front row seat to watching a child develop. Whether it’s seeing a sonogram of wiggling fingers or the first few shaky steps, it’s truly leaves me in awe to watch these tiny babies become people. I’ve enjoyed every milestone along the way, but reading has been particularly exciting for me. Maybe it’s knowing what a whole new world reading opens up or the pride on her face when Hailey reads a sentence. Whatever the reason I find myself really excited to assist Hailey along this new journey.
I’ve received a lot of questions about what worked for us with teaching her to read. While I shared the best tips I know for teaching children to learn and love reading, I have to say that Hailey’s natural affinity towards it definitely led the way. She was just genuinely excited about words and stories, so we used this book to start teaching her sounds and putting them together. It was a bit monotonous, but the lessons were short and effective.
However, the best thing I got from the book was the phrase that seemed to make reading “click.” That magical phrase is short and simple:
“Say it fast.”
Hailey was doing great at letter sounds. For example, MAT. As I pointed under each letter with my finger, she’d say the sound. MMMMmmm. AAAaaaaaa. TTTTTttttt. Ma. Aa. Tt. At this point I would celebrate- there it is! You have it! To which she would look at me confused. In her head she was hearing the individual sounds, not how they fit together.
Once I added in the magical phrase, Say It Fast, she was able to hear the sounds come together to form a word and the light bulb came on. MAT. I saw that “ah-ha!” moment light up her eyes, which is basically the coolest feeling a parent can have.
We practiced it with sounds.
Example: M. Mmmmmm. {say it fast!} Mm!
Then with words.
Example: MAT. Mmmmm. Aaaaaaa. Tttttt. {say it fast!} MAT!
[Tweet “Could this simple phrase help reading click for your child too? via @ahealthyslice #raisingreaders “]
I shared this with a friend who had been working on reading with her child and the next day she reported back on what a difference the simple command made! Her little girl was now reading words.
While this is not a lesson on how to teach your child to read (again, I recommend the book for that!), I am hoping this little phase is the key that maybe other parents are looking for as well.
Kids are such an adventure. Finding what works for their learning style can be frustrating at times, but the little ah-ha moments and their look of accomplishment when it clicks makes it all totally worth it!
Joanna says
So simple but effective! She looks like a happy learner! 🙂
Brittany Dixon says
So simple, right?! It’s one of those things that now feels so obvious but until I read about it, I hadn’t thought of the right way to help her.
Erin L says
Thanks for the book reference! I felt like I was spinning my wheels trying to teach my daughter to read, so this is great!
Brittany Dixon says
The book is super helpful! Still if there were days when Hailey wasn’t feeling it, I would totally skip it. I never wanted her to feel frustrated with the process. She’s quick to be hard on herself so I try to keep it all positive 🙂
Gcroft says
Thank you for sharing Brittany. My almost 4 year old enjoys being read to, but appears puzzled with phonetics. I’ve ordered the book which, I hope will help her, along with the magic phrase.
Leah says
Go Hailey! That’s awesome! I’ve had a struggle trying to figure out how to teach my kids how to read. We always read together and sound out words but they lack patience and things like didn’t seem to click for them. One is in 3rd grade now and reading ahead of grade level so I know it all works out. But I also have a 5 year old I need to figure out strategies to help her. I think I’ll pick up this book. Thanks!
Taryn says
I tried this last night with my 5 year old (recently started kindergarten) and it worked like a charm! Such a simple trick that made a big difference. Thank you!
PS: I recently started a blog, but when I type the web address into the “Website” box below it doesn’t recognize it. But I wanted to give you the address anyway. I’m excited about this new venture, and have been talking about starting one for years! I follow yours daily, as my kids are similar ages and I love all of your tips on meal prep, recipes, kids’ stuff, and more! http://www.healthyfamilydefined.com.
Brittany Dixon says
Oh I’m so thrilled to hear it helped! Hooray!
And I have no idea why it isn’t accepting your website, but try again next time and I’ll alter the settings a bit. Congrats on starting a blog- I can’t wait to check it out!
Kate @ Mom's Radius says
That is so true! My son had the same problem. I would say, “You just said it right.” and he would look at me confused because he also didn’t hear it. It’s nice to be beyond that point now. 🙂
Alina says
A fun kindergarten student teacher tip- I let kids who have their letter sounds down follow along with the words with a toy car or rolling toy. The speed of the movement can provide a fun visual for them to “say it fast”, and I find it engages lots of different learners!
Brittany Dixon says
Love that idea!! Thanks Alina!