Did you ever think you could teach your child (from 2 years) to read in the kitchen?

Here’s how to do it!

This is a container of SALT

While cooking, including your child, ask him/her to pass you things like salt, sugar etc. You will have previously taken these out of the press/cupboard and have them at a safe reach for your child. After they have learned to recognise the container, cut off the label and stick it onto a jar adding in the item itself too i.e. salt, sugar… Continue to ask them to pass you these or ask them where is the salt etc.

Next remove the colours / branding just leaving the product name.

Finally, remove the label from your jar and write the name of the item on plain paper using a good marker.

You want the text to be bold so that it is easy to see and recognise. Do not join the letters and try to have all the letter types the same size. Now, ask your child while holding up the jar “what is this?” Unaware to themselves, they will have learned to read the words while having FUN in the kitchen. Make sure to keep it fun and complement them as they go.

Each stage will take a couple of weeks and start with one item at a time to see how your child responds. Once you can see that your child has mastered each stage, move onto the next. This is different to reading by sounding out each letter which they will later learn in school. In the meantime, sight reading is what you will have taught them. They will learn this through recognising the shape of the letters in the word.

Have FUN!!