Let them see you do it. Kids will imiatate their elders. My niece and nephew do and at almost 5 and 7 they have no idea what they are doing.
The elementary reading method is still necessary for the elementary age group once they hit about 9 when they have more confidence reading on their own guessing the new words teaching them PhotoReading becomes more practical.
The important thing at this age is developing a love of reading and books.
Read to them. Play games at reading. Paul read storybooks backwards to his boys I tried it with my niece and nephew but they broke up into a fit of giggles. There were times I had to read them 2 books each before bedtime. My nephew now likes to read to me. One powerful rule I learned if the mistake is minor like swapping person and people as they read let it go. They stay in the flow of reading and learn to read for meaning.
Oh and those painful Dr Seuss book along with nursery rhymes are also important to read to the child. The nonsense type sentences teaches them comprehension skills. Children you didn't learn nursery rhymes often have great difficult getting the flow for reading.
That flow is very important it teaches the reader to read for meaning rather than one... word... at... a..... time.... which... is .... difficult.... to.... comprehend.
I've noticed with my nephew when he swaps a word and you let it go if the sentene seemed wrong somehow he would pause and I could read the sentence to him again then he would notice the subtle difference in the word.
Also when the child starts reading and the get stopped by a word don't make them sound it out. With the English language that is redundant anyway. I've added something to the end of this post that will help you to understand why we need to read for meaning and not the individual words. By saying the word as soon as the child gets stuck, my nephews cue for help with a word is a quick glance in my direction now when he was younger I just jumped in. Since words in the English language are better memorised and it is by far easier with repetition. Helping them when they get stuck is a duel solution, it helps with the flow of the sentence (they often quickly read it again when they were stuck) and it keeps reading enjoyable.
Here is a list that demonstrate the reason why sounding out and reading one word at a time creates problems in the English language.
1. The bandage was wound around the wound.
2. The rubbish dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
3. The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
4. Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.
5. When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
6. I did not object to the object.
7. The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
8. There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
9. They were too close to the door to close it.
10. The buck does funny things when the does are present.
11. A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
12. The wind was too strong to wind the sail.
13. After a number of Novocaine injections, my jaw got number.
14. Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.
15. How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?
16. I spent last evening evening out a pile of dirt.
Alex
