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Worried because your child has entered first grade and still cannot read? Don’t panic, let him train!
When should a child be able to read in first grade?
In April, some can already read. Others are still at deciphering. The main thing is that the children have understood the alphabetical principle : each letter has a sound. From this follow all the rules of reading: the letters are not therefore interchangeable (“uae” does not mean “water”); words are not images, so they lose their meaning if we turn them around (b is different from p); the words have borders that are recognized by the white between each, and the same written word always reads the same way. This is what is meant by the alphabetical principle. At this stage of the CP, it is therefore not not mandatory that a child can read a simple sentence of a few words fluently. He still often needs help decoding certain words by pointing them out. syllables or by reminding him of the sounds he has not encountered often yet.
Why doesn’t a child read?
One of the first reasons your child is late for reading may be that their classroom life is not going very well. feel free to make an appointment with the teacher to make things better. Ask yourself, more deeply, what picture you refer your child to reading: do you yourself read in the evening to show him that it is pleasant? Do you show him that school and reading are a way to learn useful things, not only useful during school time? Researchers have proven that a child who does not know why he is learning to read, or who gives “bad” reasons (“because it has to” …), will read less well, even years later, than a child motivated by desire (“I am learning to read in order to read stories to my little sister”).
Do not panic if he is doing well in the other subjects
My child speaks well, makes constructed sentences, a du vocabulary : everything is fine. If he knows the words by ear, he will recognize them in writing, and deciphering will not be a machine that runs on empty while reading words that mean nothing. Normally, the child is also able to write at this same time of the year, which will help him a lot because he is obliged to order the letters in a precise direction; he is also obliged to to spell and therefore to note the writing similarities between several words. He also has plenty of time! Because every child learns at his own pace : this is why the cycles were created. In CP, your child is in cycle 2, which runs until CE1. This means that he still has a year ahead of him to consolidate his achievements.
A little worrying if he can’t read the little words
If your child is forced at Easter to decipher the little words like “and”, “the”, “the” without being able to recognize them all at once, he will read so slowly that at the end of the sentence he will read it. won’t even know what was there at the beginning. On the other hand, it is normal that he cannot read certain difficult sounds, such as “ain”, “ein”, “che”, “phe”, for example.
How to make a child read from the cp?
– Evening: check that he knows the alphabet well. Review the list of memorized words that the teacher sometimes gives.
– Weekends: ask the teacher what word labels she has, and make others with him, which will serve as a reference point, with a drawing that he will have the right to color. A game idea: say a word and ask the child to show it: it is quite easy for him. Show a word, ask him to pronounce it: it’s already harder!
– During the holidays : make it write as much as possible.
Finally, buy children’s books (if you do not know which one to choose, the Ministry of Education has published a list which can be found on the site of the Ecole des Loisirs, http://www.ecoledesloisirs.fr/index1 .htm). These books make reading less stressful than the textbook, and you can alternate reading between you and it. In addition, the albums contain twice as many rare words as everyday conversation: this is the opportunity to increase your vocabulary. Read with him pointing at pictures, ask him to describe them to you, make him think about the language (“Do you think ‘house’ comes from a house? And ‘soap’, how does it look?”) . And especially, encourage him !