7 Principles of Teaching Your Child About How Words Work

Seven Principles of Teaching Your Child About How Words Work

Teaching your child to read can be very complex and even a little confusing. Some children learn to read very easily, while others have a more challenging time.  Many parents have asked me if there are specific resources they need to buy for their child in order for them to be a proficient reader. My first recommendation is always read and read a lot. Reading with your child is the best way for your child to become a strong reader. Read more about that here.

If you want specifics on teaching your child to decode (which simply means to read the print on the page), read on to learn 7 considerations when teaching your child how words work.

There are so many resources and books available claiming to teach your child to read in a few easy lessons or by completing this book or that. The bookstores are filled with workbooks for each age level and for specific skills. It can be incredibly confusing. Many parents ask me what they should purchase. I am hesitant to recommend workbooks as I haven’t seen any that I feel help kids learn to decode AND instill the love of reading.

So my number one advice, if you are going to buy anything: buy books.

Then, purchasing a few simple materials can help grow your child’s word knowledge.

Here are materials we use at our house to support word learning:

• White boards (Check out some ways we use them here)
• Dry erase markers
• Letter tiles
• Bath crayons
• Sticky notes (perfect for Guess the Covered Word)

If you want to help your child become a better decoder, make sure you consider these seven ideas when teaching them about words.

1 – Look for what your child uses but confuses.

Your child cannot learn things they do not already know something about. So, take a look at your child’s writing and see how they are spelling words and what letters and sounds they might be confusing. You can also listen as they read and pay attention to any errors they have. If there are particular words that give them trouble, those are the best words to start with. If you show your child patterns in words that they are motivated to read or write, they will be more likely to learn the patterns in the words. If you choose something your child is not interested in, there is a great chance they won’t pay attention or they won’t retain the information you share with them.

EXAMPLE: I always look at the books my children are choosing and the words that they write in their stories or notes to friends. When I see words they are using but misspelling, I teach them about the spellings and the patterns in these words. For example, my son, who just turned 4, is super interested in his friend’s names. We use their names to practice his letter recognition and his letter writing. We also talk about how the sounds in his friends’ names are spelled.

2 – Use words your child can read 

Because learning to spell involves a match between the spoken language and the orthography, your child should analyze words they can already pronounce. For example, if your child can read and/or write the word lightthen they can read/spell/write sight, tight,and bright.  

 3 – Compare words that “do” with words that “don’t” 

It is easier to learn what something is by also learning what it is not. For example, it is easier to understand what a cocker spaniel is by looking at a poodle or bull dog, not another cocker spaniel. What something isis also defined by what it is not. Your child’s spelling errors can help with figuring out their confusions. For example, if your child is spelling stopping as STOPING – sorting words that have a double consonant and words that do not to compare the vowel sound can help them discern the difference.

Another example, when working with your child on beginning sounds, choose words that start with very different sounds like asking your child to compare the beginning sounds of dig, dial, and moon. Check out this post to learn more.

TIP: When you are comparing sounds and spellings begin with obvious contrasts and then work towards sounds/words that are more similar.

4 – Don’t hide exceptions 

Exceptions arise when your child makes generalizations. It is easy to dismiss or hide these exceptions. By looking at exceptions, your child may learn patterns even better or refine their generalizations.

5 – Avoid rules 

Rules with many exceptions can be disheartening for your child. For example, many of us learned the common long vowel rule, “When two vowels go walking, the first one does the talking”, however, this rule is frequently inaccurate (think about words like head, boot, field, or soil). Learning English spelling requires your child to consider sound and pattern simultaneously to discover consistencies. This requires reflection and continued practice so that your child can discover consistencies and make generalizations for themselves.

6-Work towards automaticity 

The goal is automaticity which requires repeated practice and experiences with words. As I mentioned in our Spelling Test post, we have many conversations about the spelling patterns and play many games to work toward automaticity. We want our children to recognize and write spelling patterns with fluency and easy so they can effectively communicate in their writing and retain meaning when they are reading.

7- Return to meaningful texts  

It doesn’t matter how much your child knows about spelling or patterns in words if they do not apply this knowledge to reading and writing books, signs, articles, or other meaningful texts. One way you can ask your child to practice this is by challenging them to look for the spelling patterns you have been working on in the books they are reading. They can also choose to create a story using words that follow the spelling patterns you have been working on. The expectation is that when reading and writing they will use these patterns with automaticity.

My all time favorite way to teach about words is by making words with kids. You can read all about it here.

Check back as more word work posts are added. If your child is young and not yet reading, be sure to check out the early literacy posts. 

These principals are based on the work of Bear, D. R., Invernizzi, M., Templeton, S. R., & Johnston, F. (2015) in their book Words Their Way.