Let's Hit The Books
Young Parents Singapore|January 2018

What’s the secret to teaching your child to read? Singapore parents and experts share their best strategies.

Venessa Lee
Let's Hit The Books

Young children often like to listen to the same stories over and over again.

This could exasperate some parents, but not Shamsiah Samsudin (pictured right). The 37-year-old reads her children’s favourite books to them repeatedly as part of her strategy to teach them how to read.

For one year, she read Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by author Mo Willems, about a toddler and her stuffed rabbit, to her elder son, Adyan Darius Juffrey, now six.

After that year, Adyan, at age three, could recognise and read some words that could be found in its sequel, Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case Of Mistaken Identity, whose plot involves jealousy over plush toys.

By age four, he was “quite proficient” at recognising words, says Shamsiah, a part-time instructor at an enrichment centre.

Accounts such as hers are not likely to reassure anxious parents whose children are about to enter primary school and are still unable to read.

Teaching a child to read can be such a mysterious, bafïing process that it can be easier for parents to send their kids to phonics classes instead.

Read it again, Mum

 For parents who wish to persist on their own, experts say that repetition and memorisation are key when it comes to young children learning to read.

“While it can be exasperating for most parents to read the same much-loved book over and over again, it is this repetitive quality that enables a child to recognise story patterns and predict outcomes with the comforting knowledge that the story will always begin and end in the same way,” says Assistant Professor Rhoda Myra Garces-Bacsal from the Early Childhood and Special Needs Education Academic Group at the National Institute of Education (NIE).

It is also important to read aloud to children even before teaching them to read.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der January 2018-Ausgabe von Young Parents Singapore.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der January 2018-Ausgabe von Young Parents Singapore.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

WEITERE ARTIKEL AUS YOUNG PARENTS SINGAPOREAlle anzeigen
Everything You Need To Know About Direct School Admission
Young Parents Singapore

Everything You Need To Know About Direct School Admission

If your kid is good at sports, music or has other talents, the DSA programme may be his key to getting into an elite secondary school or specialised school. Here’s what you should know about the process.

time-read
6 Minuten  |
March - April 2019
What Is The Right CCA For Your Primary School Kid?
Young Parents Singapore

What Is The Right CCA For Your Primary School Kid?

Co-curricular activities (CCAs) aren’t just frivolous frills. They teach kids important life skills that can’t be found in a classroom lesson. EVELINE GAN finds out how to select the right one for your child.

time-read
4 Minuten  |
January 2019
Why You Shouldn't Let PSLE Stress Take Over Your Kid's Life
Young Parents Singapore

Why You Shouldn't Let PSLE Stress Take Over Your Kid's Life

PSLE preparations start in Primary 5, which means a high-pressure two years for your family. Here's how to support your child so they can do their best.

time-read
4 Minuten  |
January 2019
Should Your Kid Skip A Vaccine Shot?
Young Parents Singapore

Should Your Kid Skip A Vaccine Shot?

Vaccinations are a rite of passage for every Singaporean child, but what if your kid is sick before an appointment, or misses a booster dose? Find out the answers to these and other pressing questions.

time-read
4 Minuten  |
January 2019
Separation Anxiety, Bullies And Other Preschool Blues
Young Parents Singapore

Separation Anxiety, Bullies And Other Preschool Blues

Preschool is rarely a smooth journey for children. Sasha Gonzales asks the experts how to handle the most common dilemmas, from separation anxiety to having trouble making new friends.

time-read
8 Minuten  |
January 2019
Is Your Kid Stressed About Starting School This Year?
Young Parents Singapore

Is Your Kid Stressed About Starting School This Year?

School kids in Singapore are more stressed than their peers overseas. If your kid is feeling the pressure, here’s how to find what's triggering his anxiety – and how to help.

time-read
5 Minuten  |
January 2019
Speech Problems In Singapore Kids: When Should You Worry?
Young Parents Singapore

Speech Problems In Singapore Kids: When Should You Worry?

How can you help your little one get over his stuttering? Should you worry that your tot doesn’t speak as well or isn’t as talkative as his cousin? Sasha Gonzales polls the experts on the pressing speech and language issues in toddlers and preschoolers here.

time-read
8 Minuten  |
March - April 2019
The Most Common Learning Difficulties In Singapore Kids
Young Parents Singapore

The Most Common Learning Difficulties In Singapore Kids

Struggling to read, write or count is a common problem for many children, but how do you know when that struggle is actually a learning difficulty or disability? Sasha Gonzales asked three experts to tell us what signs to look out for and when to know to get help.

time-read
9 Minuten  |
March - April 2019
Can You Really Un-Spoil Your Child?
Young Parents Singapore

Can You Really Un-Spoil Your Child?

Yes, there are ways to turn things around – without losing your temper. Here, the experts share strategies you can use in common bratty situations.

time-read
8 Minuten  |
March - April 2019
Bottoms Up!
Young Parents Singapore

Bottoms Up!

Using cloth nappies helps save the Earth – and your wallet, too, say these mums who choose not to put their babies in disposable diapers.

time-read
5 Minuten  |
October 2017