How to Teach a Five Year Old to Read Words

Many times, five year olds aren’t necessarily ready to start reading. It is important that a child is developmentally ready to begin reading before being pushed into it. However, even if a child isn’t ready to start reading, they can learn to read various words. In fact, learning words before learning to read is a core component of the Reading Patch. In this way, children gain confidence prior to reading making them better readers in the future. 

How to Teach 5 years old to read words - suggestions from an experienced reading teacher

Teach a Five Year Old to Read Words

Whether your child is read to start reading, or not really there yet, teaching them to read words is a great way to give them the confidence to read when they are ready. Here are a few ways you can teach a five year old to read words:

Model Reading for Them

One of the biggest things you can do as a parent and as an educator is model reading to children. If you are a teacher, read an over-sized book so kids can watch you track the words as you read. As a parent, sit close enough with your little one so they can watch you track each word as you read it. 

Read Books With Repetition

Books with repetition are a great way to help kids remember words by heart. One of my favorite books to read with kids is Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See? Not only do the kids remember what the book says, but they tend to get so familiar with the words that they can read them on their own. 

Use Color Word Songs

It is scientifically proven that music is a key component in learning. Music affects our brains in a way that even scientists can’t completely understand. But, if you think about it, when you listen to a song, you learn the lyrics much quicker than you word if you just read them over and over. Music puts a beat to the words. So, using music to teach words is a great way for five year olds to begin to recognize words. Here are a few of our favorite color word songs:

Have the Child Use Pictures to Read the Story

Many times children will remember a story that was read to them by heart. Use that to build reading confidence. Ask them to read each page using the pictures and what they remember. Point to some of the words they say as they talk about them. This will help them to identify the words on the page with the picture. 

Play Games With Sight Words

Sight words are those tricky little words that give kids a hard time. But, if you teach them through games and activities, when they get ready to read on their own, there will already be a good foundation there. Here are some games you can play to get them learning new words:

If you are really adamant about getting your five year old to read words, you may want to look into Reading Patch. Reading Patch teaches kids confidence in reading before delving into it making your child a better reader. Ultimately, giving kids words in a fun way is key! 

TEACH USING THE READING PATCH

I hope you try out the Reading Patch and see that you can grow a confident reader! Sign up for our reading test and email course. Soon your will be on your way to helping your little reader learn how to read.

Madreen Karle and Meeghan Karle Mousaw
Madreen Karle is a master first grade reading teacher with over 30 years of classroom experience. She taught reading in a special needs and English as a Second Language classroom. After retiring she wrote a reading program to help others learn how to teach reading. She is a trusted educator and author of 5 books to help teach children to read and write. In addition to her books, she is a mentor for 3 websites that give reading teacher tips (Mrs. Karle's Sight and Sound Reading, Mrs. Karle's Reading Patch, and Mrs. Karle's Handwriting Patch). Through her teaching she learned that confidence was the key to learning to read. A child who is not confident at reading does not like to read and struggles to read. Mrs. Karle created "sunshine moments" to help teach children how to grow their confidence and learn to read.

Meeghan Karle Mousaw (Madreen’s daughter) has her Master’s in Special Education. She has 7 years experience teaching children to read online. In addition, she developed a curriculum to teach children handwriting called The Handwriting Patch. With the Handwriting Patch learning is fun because children learn to draw and learn handwriting at the same time. In 2019 The Handwriting Patch curriculum became an amazon best seller the first year it was released, helping thousands of kids learn handwriting with a unique, fun method. She is mom to 6 kids, each with differently learning abilities and struggles.

The Reading Patch was established by the creators of Mrs. Karle’s Sight and Sound Reading. Together they have been featured on the NBC media outlets. Over the last 7 years in their online platform, Madreen and Meeghan have worked tirelessly with teachers, homeschoolers and parents looking to help children learn to read to become a trusted authority in teaching children to read and advocating early literacy skills. They often partner with other educational experts to deliver the most current information to the Reading Patch community.

Madreen Karle and Meeghan Karle Mousaw
Madreen Karle is a master first grade reading teacher with over 30 years of classroom experience. She taught reading in a special needs and English as a Second Language classroom. After retiring she wrote a reading program to help others learn how to teach reading. She is a trusted educator and author of 5 books to help teach children to read and write. In addition to her books, she is a mentor for 3 websites that give reading teacher tips (Mrs. Karle's Sight and Sound Reading, Mrs. Karle's Reading Patch, and Mrs. Karle's Handwriting Patch). Through her teaching she learned that confidence was the key to learning to read. A child who is not confident at reading does not like to read and struggles to read. Mrs. Karle created "sunshine moments" to help teach children how to grow their confidence and learn to read.

Meeghan Karle Mousaw (Madreen’s daughter) has her Master’s in Special Education. She has 7 years experience teaching children to read online. In addition, she developed a curriculum to teach children handwriting called The Handwriting Patch. With the Handwriting Patch learning is fun because children learn to draw and learn handwriting at the same time. In 2019 The Handwriting Patch curriculum became an amazon best seller the first year it was released, helping thousands of kids learn handwriting with a unique, fun method. She is mom to 6 kids, each with differently learning abilities and struggles.

The Reading Patch was established by the creators of Mrs. Karle’s Sight and Sound Reading. Together they have been featured on the NBC media outlets. Over the last 7 years in their online platform, Madreen and Meeghan have worked tirelessly with teachers, homeschoolers and parents looking to help children learn to read to become a trusted authority in teaching children to read and advocating early literacy skills. They often partner with other educational experts to deliver the most current information to the Reading Patch community.