How to Teach a Seven-Year-Old How to Read

If your child is seven years old and still not reading, you may want to use the summer between first and second grade to teach her to read. Each child reaches developmental milestones at different times, but most children can read by the time they are seven. Spend time with your child and try to reduce any frustration or anxiety centering around her inability to read, as this may be why she hasn't learned in school. Give her a week or two after school ends before beginning reading instruction to allow her to decompress from the rigors of spending each day in school.

Things You'll Need

  • Books
  • Phonics workbooks

Instructions

    • 1

      Read to and with your child. Read old favorites as well as new books with a high-interest level. Getting your child excited about reading will make him look forward to the time that he will be able to read on his own, and may give him the motivation that he needs.

    • 2

      Move your finger to each word in a book as you read it. Periodically stop during the reading of a familiar book and see if your child can supply the missing word. This may allow her to feel confident in her fledgling abilities.

    • 3

      Teach your child how to sound out simple words. Use a phonics or reading workbook that is available at any bookstore or educational supply store. Go through word families, pointing out the letter sounds. Work on one word family at a time. For example, begin with words ending in -at, then move along to those ending in -ab, -ag and -an.

    • 4

      Introduce more complex phonetic rules as your child masters simple words. Show your child diphthongs, such as -oo, -oy and -aw. Teach digraphs, such as sh-, th- and ch-.

    • 5

      Practice reading with your child every day. At first, read to him and ask him to fill in only simple words. As he gains mastery and fluency, ask him to read a greater percentage of the words in the books that you read together.

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