LEWB Initiatives: Teaching Children To Read

When parents call Learn English with Bathabile (LEWB), most of them call to inquire about our reading tutorials. These parents describe the difficulties their children have with identifying words, spelling, and pronunciation. In this article, I'll explain how LEWB teaches children aged 4 to 7 how to read fluently in three easy yet effective steps.

STEP 1: Learn the letter sounds

We begin by teaching children to recognise letter sounds. We create alphabet cards out of plain white paper (or cardboard) and write the alphabet a-z in lowercase using a black marker. We don't include visuals on the cards because they can be distracting to the child. The goal is for children to notice and recognise the letters and sounds. In addition, we utilise lowercase letters because this is the style of writing that kids will encounter most frequently when learning to read. When children have learned the letter sounds a–z, only then are uppercase letters introduced.

In my experience, learning letter sounds is the most time-consuming since children must be taught to recognise both the letter and the sound associated with it. Because of this, we practise letter sounds for an extended amount of time using drilling tactics and strategies such as edutainment, games, and songs. 

STEP 2: Blend two letters
Once children have mastered letter sounds, we move on to blending vowels and consonants. These are known as cv words (constant/vowel blends). Take a look at the illustration below.

STEP 3: Blend three letters
After children have mastered blending two letters, the next step is to blend three letters. This phase must be approached with caution and patience because children, particularly those under the age of six, often struggle. We use long vowel sounds to help children master this step successfully. Below is an example of three-letter cvc words for the letter ‘a’.

Once these three steps have been achieved, children can easily read four- and sometimes five-letter words. Furthermore, by the time the child enters grade one, he or she is fluent in reading and, more importantly, can read for meaning. Click here to register your child for reading lessons.