What Age Should a Child Read Fluently? – Teach 2 Year Old to Read

Teaching a child how to read is a journey.

I can tell by my experience that getting a child reading at age 2 is possible but not essential, just don’t worry about what age should a child read fluently. In this post, I will explain how taught my child and I will be sharing tips and methods I used successfully.

Phonemic awareness

Phonemic awareness is an important skill for your children’s education. Patience is the key to learning, especially when you are teaching a child reading skills.

Firstly you will need to read and discover a method that would work for both you and your child. The technique is as important as your patience to teach your 2 year old to read and gain language skills.

You can help your child to enjoy reading at the age of two by introducing letter sounds and words at every opportunity. If they learn early they will improve faster as they get older.

If your child finds it difficult to grasp phonemic awareness and literacy skills, don’t just think your child has hyperlexia. The fact is that all children are unique, so the stages of learning to read differ from child to child.

As most of us are currently homeschooling, make this your opportunity to teach your child how to read and make it your main focus.

Teaching 2 Years Old to Read

Teaching your child to read should not be left as a task just for teachers. Parents and carers are key when discussing children’s education, especially at an early age.

Reading skills can be gained by teaching the 44 sounds of English and avoiding the method of sight words but using the letter sounds to acquire literacy skills.

Keep reading with your child, and you will certainly discover how to best teach your child and help them to read faster.

At what age should a child read fluently?

Reading is one of the most valuable skills that we can have, but many parents are worried about when to begin teaching their children.

Others want their children to stick to the reading ages and reading milestones as everybody else as in elementary school.

If you are concerned or think that any other underlying issues impeding your child to learn, you might consider talking to an educational psychologist.

Before assuming that your child is behind reading milestones ask yourself if you have done everything you could to help them read and learn.

Teach to learn sight words might be confusing and difficult for some, and you should not be concerned about the exact age when does a child learn to read. The aim should be gaining reading skills, and phonemic awareness is a great way to start.

Teaching phonemic awareness should not be a chore for you and a nightmare for them.

Reading at age 2 – Be the teacher they need

Be assured that there is no better time to start than now to help your child learn to read fast!

I had successfully taught my child to read when he was very young. Reading a very young age had helped him immensely to obtain phonemic awareness.

He also developed a love for books because I spent quality time reading with him teaching phonemic awareness. His passion for books enhanced his research interest which made him an autodidact and gained literacy skills quickly.

He now takes control of his learning and not leave it up to others as to what he should learn. By choosing what to learn, is excellent if your child has special educational need or autism so they will be able to focus on their interest. A bespoke approach is highly recommended.

Some children with special educational needs suffer in schools and elementary school stage. Unfortunately, many forced to “fit in a box” and learn like everybody else, instead of looking at them as “individual” and tailor their learning and phonemic awareness.

An autodidact has a desire to learn. That’s how people master their skills and become a specialist in their profession. They developed a love for what they do, and they have the freedom to explore, learn and create their careers.

How to teach a 2 year old to read?

Believe it or not, my child always preferred to enter a bookshop or a library rather than a toyshop. I have never denied buying a book for my child, and I am confident that I’ve made the right decision.

Going to a bookshop and spending quality time reading and choosing books with my 2 or 3 year old child was also something I’ve done frequently.

I did not use the sight words method, sight letter names and common words as I don’t think it would help my child learn to read. 

The difference between the sight word method as opposed to gaining phonemic awareness using synthetic phonics is that there are less things to memorize.

Children can easily recognize printed words without using complex decoding strategies as they get more confident as they develop.

Visiting new libraries become one of our “family activities” until today when we travel to new places.

Read and Learn is a daily activity not just for a child, but for adults. We are learning all the time and we are bombarded with information from the internet.

There are many forms of learning as reading, watching movies, or just having a conversation. We also learn and practice new skills when we are teaching someone. So choose wisely.

Schools use different reading schemes; however, all schools share a common reading and writing approach: “enjoyment”.

Reading to my child since he was a baby was the start of a successful journey. Undoubtedly this was the main reason for getting my son reading at age 2 and not by forcing him to learn sight words.

How to learn to read methods I used

Although children might learn with flashcards where they learn to spell the words, in my view, children can lose interest very quickly with this method. With this method, children eventually learn how to read but would not necessarily continue to want to read and enjoy books.

Children Learning Reading program teaches uses a combination of synthetic phonics and phonemic awareness, so no sight word or letter names to confuse the child.

Getting a child involved in a story is the Children Learning Reading approach to grab children and the young 2 or 3 year old interest.

Young children who enjoy books and stories will begin to see that real reading is understanding and appreciating the story and not just letter sounds.

I am talking about “developing the love” for reading and not just “learn how to read”. It is entirely different and will definitely be a magic point on someone’s education, life and future career path.

Learning Literacy Gap – What can you do?

Many parents are concerned about when would be the right age a child should be reading fluently. The reality is that children are unique and should not have set in stone ruler about children development stages.

If we keep focusing on age and trying to follow everybody else, we will express our frustration. We would not be able to act calmly and help our children. They feel our emotions so that frustration and stress are the last things we want to show when teaching a child something new.

Therefore, whatever there is a literacy gap or not, the time is running.

Deciding to help your child is better than give up altogether. So being calm is crucial and taking actions is the next step.

When do Kids Learn to Read and Write?

Early letter formation and handwriting are fundamental language skills that everyone needs to learn. If children develop an enthusiasm for reading, they will be interested in letters and words so that handwriting would be a natural process.

The age your child learn to ready fluently should be when they become confident to read on their own wich they gain with your efforts, support and quality time.

The secret is to help your child to develop curiosity and interest in reading. Children’s attitude to reading and their interest in books affects their progress immensely.

Reading with pleasure will enhance the opportunity to learn new words and be put together in an exciting way when writing.

Without having the pleasure for reading, the writing would be restricted and would not flow smoothly.

How can I help my child to start reading?

Children learning all the time, and a child can be reading at age 2 when they are involved in activities that lay the foundations for early reading skills.

Many children are not learning in schools with the sight words method so why not try something modern and has been proved efficient?

They will learn how to talk by using their language to express their needs, feelings and experiences the way you do.

Teaching children to read is the same; they will learn by seeing you reading.

If you like to read, show them your enthusiasm and introduce the beautiful world of books by sharing your enjoyment.

If you read a lot yourself, you will probably find your child beginning to imitate you from a very early age.

Ideas to increase your child’s interest in reading – Back to Basics

Tell stories to your child

These could be stories you remember from your childhood, or you can make up your own stories.

I remember my father telling stories to me. The characters, their characteristics and their behaviours based on me. So, I was fascinated by how the stories were coming to life as he was talking.

There was no planning or writing before; he enjoyed his time with me, which was a magical moment that I will never forget. My father wasn’t worried about what age I should learn to read when reading with me.

He was calmly telling me a story, and this was his focus which took me to a world of imagination.

Point out words and letters

Show the words, read them as they are and not by trying to find sight words on a favourite packet of breakfast cereal or a letter you received. Point out words on the electronic and electro domestic appliances.

You can try this technique when you are out and about by point out shop signs or letters and number plates.

Singing Nursery Rhymes

Children love these. There are loads of videos out there; however, nothing can compare to the mother’s voice or father singing.

Remember the bond and trust you are developing, enjoying the time with your child. Also, singing without using any video screen is a must. The child will learn to pay attention to your face and learn to read facial expressions and emotions essential to social interaction.

Letting your child in front of the video screen to watch a video themselves is not the same. Setting just 15 minutes and help them to learn how to read will be immensely rewarding.

Reading and look at picture books together

In the majority of good picture books, the picture tells a story by themselves. If the words are easy and the text has a good rhythm, then the book will be enjoyable to read aloud. Repetition within the text is enjoyable.

From traditional stories that use repetition to board books, pop-up books, fabric books, there are loads of books from as early as eight months or less.

Storytime scheduling

Make sure that storytime is at a good time for both of you. Your child will not be interested in even the most exciting story if what he wants to do is finish a game or eat.

Similarly, you will not relax with your child if you are worried about the dinner cooking in the oven.

Teach 2 year old to read by letting the child chose and hold the book

Letting them choose the book they want for the storytime is another way of learning what their interests are to introduce more of the same and slowly expand the subjects. For example, if the child always gets the book about stars, you can get other books about the same topic and introduce books about planets, the sun and the sky.

Let the child hold the book while reading and turn the pages themselves. They will learn how books work while developing their manual dexterity.

Pointing out the words as you read the story

It also helps if you point to the printed word and the pictures it represents avoiding using the sight word method.

Remember to take your finger off the page at the end of every line. Pictures can give helpful clues to the text’s meaning. As pointing out the images, you can also ask questions.

Reading at age 2 or any age – Learn how to read faster

It does not matter how old your child is. By asking questions about the story as “What do you think will happen next?” or “Who do you like best in this story” will help your child understand and enjoy the story.

It will also help the child develop the vital skill of predicting or guessing what happens next, an excellent way to become a fluent reader.

Fluent readers use predicting skills to scan the text without looking at every letter in a word or even each word. Many teachers are against this method, but I followed my instincts, and it paid off.

So if you want to teach children to learn how to read faster, let them predict the next word or what would happen next in the story.

Should I teach my child the alphabet? Reading the alphabet at age 2

It is not especially important to teach the alphabet as most young children enjoy singing the alphabet song and will beginning to become interested in letters.

Learning the alphabet would be necessary when you introduce writing later on. Keep practising, and they will be reading at age two without question.

Magnetic letters in the fridge, floating letters when bathing your child are some ideas to use without the sight word system.

Writing should be considered as a second stage. Children need to have a bit of manual dexterity to hold a pen/pencil to start to scribble but learn how to read is an entirely different story.

When the child starts to learn how to write, it is easier for you to talk about printed words if they know the letters’ names.

You will find that the first letter that interest your child is the ones in their name.  It is all about the efforts you put into it and calmly deliver your approach. 

Developing children learning reading skills by playing games is another idea to motivate your child to read and learn. An enjoyable activity without the worry and frustration of memorizing sight words.

Old fashion and board games are the best. Jigsaws are excellent to help your child to learn to read.

They will learn to notice small visual differences in pictures and shapes. Children need this critical skill when learning to read to distinguish the different letter shapes.

Making patterns and matching games will help not just with reading, but writing and early maths concepts.

Card matching games such as “snap” are also useful for developing visual memory and children learning reading skills.

Listening to games as “I spy” or “I went to the market”, where the players have to remember what has already been saying and add to a list, are excellent for developing memory skills.

Keep an eye on how involved and interested in the activity the child is.

Home Schooling

I have home educated my child for 1,5 years, and I have developed my philosophy.

And again, I need to say; the main secret was the calm manner I had. Yes, this is the main ingredient for a prosperous home education programme.

If you want to teach a child to read, write or understand maths. Being calm and maintain serenity is essential when teaching a child any subject.  It is at home where your child feels secure and confident; therefore, it is the best learning environment.

With time, children who listen to stories will be familiar with the language, style and structure of books. As they progress, looking at a simple picture book with your child, you will notice that they will begin to join in the stories with you and begins to read.

Consequently, investing in our children learning reading skills by spending time with them is undoubtedly worth it.

Read and Learn

If you are concerned that you don’t have the time to teach, I have to disagree with you if you think like that. It is a matter to set priorities, and 15 minutes a day would be better than nothing.

As mentioned before, children learn to read by repetition. Reading a story or a poem they already know by heart is also fun. Because they will be looking at what they already know, they are more confident about sorting out where the words end and begin.

See below straightforward but helpful strategies you use when reading with your child:

• Pause reading before the end of a sentence with a predictable finish.
• Stop before a keyword to see if your child would like to say it themselves.
• Remember, when you start reading with them, they are getting used to the flow of language and learning their first words so being calm is paramount.
• Talk about the book before you read it.
• Help your child make sensible guesses of the next word by sound the first letter out.
• Don’t’ ask your child to sound out each letter; this is not helpful.
• Always praise a good guess even if it’s not the exact word in the book, and tell your child the word quickly if he seems to be struggling or getting at all distressed.

As the child grows and beginning to enjoy books, you can help their development even further. So, be confident, you can do it!

Children learn to read Fluently – Tips

• Make sure there is a comfortable place for them to read.
• Make sure there is good lighting for reading.
• Give your child plenty of books to choose from. These could be from the school, library or by building up a collection of her books.
• Recommend a good book yourself
• Comics, magazines and newspapers give a variety.
• Take it in turns to read aloud to each other. Many more complicated books with rich language and characterization can be introduced in this way.
• Encourage your child to talk about the books she reads, not only about the plot but also whether it is a good read.
• Ensure your child’s name is in all her books and encourage her to share her books with friends.

These tips are not just if you want your child to be reading at age 2.  You can use these with your child at any age when you see they are struggling in school, for example.

Just a few minutes of your time with full attention and you are making a massive difference in your children learning reading experience.

My current preferred method – Early Intervention

The way and tips I shared above helped my child years ago but still valid and current.

I clearly remembered that I was not concerned about the correct age my child should read fluently. My focus was to empower my child to achieve his full potential and be happy.

The most important for me was to start early, and I decided to help by dedicating my full attention with the time I had using a calmer manner and an efficient method as described above. Children learn to read in a caring and loving environment.

Books are, in my opinion, forever the best way to learn how to read. However, as today children are spending lots of time stuck indoors on their mobile phones, tablets and computers, you can technology as an additional resource to books.

Read and Learn

Of course, they learn a lot from electronic devices, including when playing games. But reading books not just teaches the child to read but also increases their vocabulary. They will have more interesting facts to talk about, and their minds will expand.

Many parents might be wondering how children learn to read and how they can help them be interested in books. 

I’ve researched to see if there is any method that could complement and support children learn to read from books or learn to read faster. 

After checking out several other methods, I found out one in particular that has been proved 100% effective. With this method, you can teach your child how to read by spending just a short period of time. Perfect for busy parents!

Using technology is really helpful and quite interactive however I don’t think we should replace books with a computer screen. The best way would be to use a complementary tool, which will undoubtedly create a radical shift in your child’s education.

Reading at age 2 – Stages of Learning to Read

You can start teaching your child to read as early as possible. The first few years in life are the most important to creating a basic and strong learning platform. So as soon as you start, the better will be. Therefore it is possible to be reading at age 2.

With the Children Learning to Read method, you will see the amazing results quicker than you ever imagine. 36,543 children have helped with this method, so it is proved efficient. In the explanatory video, you will see an 18 months old child reading—an encouragement piece of evidence of what I am saying.

Additionally, I am sure you don’t want your child to keep falling behind in their studies, so supporting them in any stage is what you can do as a parent or carer.

There is a high rate of children struggling with their studies because of their weak base on reading and writing skills. As soon as you introduce reading to your child, you will have in your heart and mind that you help them in the long run.

Wouldn’t this be enough for you to take action?

Children Learning Reading Review

I never let the responsibility to teach my child to read up to the education system alone. Why would I? and why would you?

You can do this now and avoid paying an enormous amount of money to private tutors later own to help your child catch up.

If you spend only 15 mins a day, three times a week, you will certainly see the results.

Phonemic Awareness is now recognized as one of the most effective methods to teach children how to read.

Children Learning Reading programme is designed for those who know the importance of reading in a child’s entire life’s future success!

This is for you, as you are here, reading this post.

The program gives the flexibility as to where and when your child can learn by accessing the application, tools and workbooks via your phone, tablet or computer.

If you still questioning if a child can be reading at age 2, the answer is definitely:

YES !

Your chance to set your child to a life long path to success and be a proud parent is here.

Reading books with your child and using this method is the way forward.

This system is quickly selling out, and you can imagine why.

Their future is in your hands!

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