How to Teach Your Child Reading if Your Child Won’t Sit Still. 5 Tips to Keep It Fun.
Now that we are closing in on the end of the 2020-2021 school year, are you wondering how to teach your child reading if he or she won’t sit still? A lot of parents are beginning to worry they have not gotten their kindergarten and first-graders far enough along, and at this point in the year, many children are worn out by online school and are having difficulties sitting still.
And who can blame them? Aside from the stresses that have impacted families in the past 12 months, most children have had a fairly sedentary school experience, and they’re feeling pushed beyond their limits.
Parents are, too, which doesn’t bode well for the patience it takes to learn how to teach a child reading. Add to that your anxiety about how to teach your child reading, and you have a recipe for tough times.
Check out the tips below to figure out how to teach your child reading when they can’t sit still. Try some of these suggestions and you might find your small pupil becomes a more willing participant. You might enjoy the process more, too, and some of your anxieties may calm down.
After all, you may not be a teacher, but you are a parent. By using some of these common-sense suggestions, you will find that you have rediscovered what you know is true. You are exactly the right person to be parenting your child no matter what the challenges might be. Don’t worry about being perfect—simply be present, and you will find your child will be, too.
And please give Teach Your Child to Read™ a try. Our approach was designed for wiggly children ages 3-6, and of course, we’ve incorporated all of these tips into our program. We feel our program is the easiest way to learn how to teach your child reading!
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Wondering How to Teach Your Child Reading? Keep It Simple with 5 Tips!
TIP #1
Keep your lessons short. 5-minutes-a-day is plenty of time for your child to stay focused on reading lessons. Surprisingly, you will find that he or she progresses quite quickly when you deliver the lessons in small doses. (5 minutes-a-day will be a lot easier for you to schedule, too!)
TIP #2
Reward your child. Be generous with praise when your child sticks with the lessons, whether or not they are completed successfully. As adults, we can’t imagine what our kids have gone through this year, so they need a lot of praise and affirmation from Mom and Dad.
TIP #3
Make it cozy. Treat your reading lessons as something special between the two of you. Take your child on your lap and spend this one-on-one time as though it is precious. (That’s because it is!)
TIP #4
Never say “no” or “that’s wrong.” Keep your lessons positive. It doesn’t matter if your child doesn’t quite ‘get’ something on the first go-round. With consistency and repetition, it will come. Keep in mind that learning to read is not a race—let your child set the pace. As long as you remain committed to a schedule, your child will progress.
TIP #5
Give your child something else to do. Because your lessons are so short, you can introduce another activity to keep it fun. Let your child throw a basketball into a hoop when she recognizes a sound correctly, or let her draw a picture of balloons.
If it’s a particularly wiggly day, do your lessons standing up or ‘on the go.’ A glob of clay for your child to massage while doing the lessons is a great solution for keeping distracted children focused. You know your children best. Think about what they like to do and introduce the activity into your lessons in a creative way.
You will be surprised how a few tweaks to your routine will solve the problem of how to teach your child reading when they’re tired of learning at home. We think you will find that Teach Your Child to Read™ is one of the most child-centered approaches to teaching a small child to read in today’s market. Try the program 7 days for free and see if you agree!