Long before the use of flash cards and books, your child has already begun the process of learning how to read. An infant is already attuned to the sound of your voice. Even before your child starts to speak, they are picking up verbal cues and sounds from your own speech. In fact, every parent who asks, "How can I help my child read?" should realize that parents hold the power to build a strong foundation upon which their child can learn to read.

Many parents think that, without a degree in education, they don’t know how to teach a child to read. However, one of the easiest and most effective methods of teaching can start with simply reading to your child. Not only is this a way to bond with your child, but reading to children is a form of active learning. Children who listen to books learn to use their imagination. They also get accustomed to the sounds and meanings of words, and they learn to appreciate words. Reading to your child will help them develop their vocabulary.

Play rhyming games with your child as soon as they start to speak. Rhyming is an important step in how to teach a child to read because it teaches your child to listen to and identify similar sound patterns. Rhymes are easy to learn and they can be fun and exciting for children.

Some parents think teaching the alphabet is the only part of how to teach a child to read. While it is essential, it is not necessarily the first step to take. In fact, teaching the sound of the letters can help your child learn to read faster. For example, instead of "A, B, C" teach your child "aah, buh, kuh (or sss)." The sounds of individual letters, as well as sounds of groups of letters, is part of a teaching method called phonics.

Phonics are basically a set of "rules" for teaching children to help read and speak English. By stringing together individual sounds, your child can sound out a long and complex word. Your child will need to learn, though, that some letters have different sounds in different words.

There are certain words that cannot be sounded out and need to be memorized; these are called sight words. Some examples of sight words are "the", "to", and "be." Your child’s name is another sight word. The good thing about sight words is they are easily recognized and most children learn these by sight (hence the name) even before they learn the meanings.

If you are secretly thinking, "Please help my child read!" then you need to take a deep breath to calm down. You, as a parent, have the power to teach your child to read. First, by instilling a respect for reading and for the spoken language, you inspire and encourage them to become good readers. Teaching phonics can be a bit difficult, so for added help, look into a great phonics teaching program such as Fat Brain Phonics. It was developed by a mother to help her son learn to read; he is now in kindergarten reading at a second grade level! Remember that you set the best example for your children. Use your influence to help them become great readers!