What are the 5 best ways to teach reading to young students? I have found through my 25 years of experience that there is indeed a recipe for success.

Much like learning to speak, kids have an innate ability to learn to read.

The motivation must be developed and encouraged from the very beginning.

Research indicates that children shouldn’t be pushed but allowed to develop at their own pace, naturally.

There are many strategies that are helpful in fostering the natural desire to interact with the printed word. If used consistently, children develop a curiosity and excitement toward reading.

A love of reading is priceless, and here are the 5 best ways to teach reading to help develop a life-long love and habit.

Expose them to environmental print.

Environmental print is all around us. It is the words, logos and signs that we routinely see in our everyday adventures. Labels on cereal boxes and candy wrappers are all easily recognized and read by kids.
Parents can ask their children the letters and sounds that make up a favorite sign or logo.
This is a beginning step to learning to read. Children are assigning meaning to printed words. They become excited about knowing words on their favorite restaurants and toys.
My favorite game to play in the classroom is Read My T-Shirt. Students with words on their shirts come to the front of the room and challenge their classmates to read the words on their shirts.

I was surprised at how many parents told me that their children asked them to buy them t-shirts with words on them. I even had one dad make this shirt for his child. It was by far my favorite.

Open a book every day.

This is definitely one of the best ways to teach reading to students.
I don’t wait for a magical time in the year such as December to start to have students open a book of their own and read. Many teachers wait until students have learned their sounds to have them handle their own books. That’s madness.
Students learn to read by reading. Memorization is a beginning step. I hear parents say, “He’s not reading; he memorized the book.”

No, that is reading. It is the first stage. They are learning sight words and making meaning from the pictures.

“Pretend reading” is also beginning reading behavior that should be encouraged. It is much like “baby talk.” Students are imitating reading behavior while learning important print concepts like directionality and that the words and pictures tell the story.
I have a reading center in my classroom from day one. I read with each child every day for 5 minutes. It is the best five minutes of their day and my day.

It is also a great way to build those important classroom relationships.

Teach sight words in context.

Teaching sight words is all the rage these days. It is part of our curriculum and students usually learn lists of words.

The problem is students learn these words and then forget them if not taught within the context of actual reading.

Having easy books for students to read is sometimes a better way to get students to learn their sight words than flashing cards. They need to see them in the context of real reading.
Reading and writing should be taught simultaneously. Students should learn how to write sentences with sight words.

“I like” sentences are easy to begin with.

Shared reading works wonders.

Reading Rockets defines shared reading as an “interactive reading experience that occurs when students join in or share the reading of a book or other text while guided and supported by a teacher.”
Big books can be used to read repetitive phrases chorally. Words, letters and sounds can be picked out by students. Text features can also be taught using big books.
My favorite shared reading activity is the Daily News. We know young students love to talk about themselves.

Students are chosen to give a sentence about something they have done.

“It is Chase’s dad’s birthday.”
“Mia went to the water park.”

These sentences are sounded out with the students and written on an easel white board. The class can read them together chorally. Shared reading is so motivating and this makes it one of the best ways to teach reading.

Students may come up to the board and pick out sight words, letters and sounds.

I have found this activity to be very motivating for students. They love to read their own sentences and that of their classmates.

Use a balanced literacy approach.

Balanced literacy is a teaching philosophy that works. It incorporates using the strongest components of phonics and whole language to develop a life long love of reading.
Instead of focusing on only phonics in the beginning of the year, meaning making is developed by surrounding students with interesting books and print.
Balanced literacy is the “Best of Both Worlds” Thanks Hannah Montana.
The best book I have found is called Reading Strategies. It gives so many useful strategies and ideas that are so relevant to use in a balanced literacy approach. There are so many anchor chart ideas that can be a great addition to the literacy-based classroom.
Re-reading the same book and close reading are valuable tools to allow students to create deeper connections to the text.

So there you have it: the five best ways to teach reading to young students. It really is an incredibly rewarding task. Young students develop quickly if surrounded by a literacy-rich environment in addition to the best phonics strategies.

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