Today you are going to begin some powerful strategies that put the learning in your child’s hands instead of in yours. I have personally found that when I tell a child how to say a word, some of the really great readers might remember it next time, but the kids that struggle with reading rarely do.
So if telling the child the word is not helpful, then sounding it out must be the next best strategy. Not all words can be sounded out, so I am pretty picky about when I suggest this strategy.
The very first strategy I use with kids is simply to say try again. I want to give them an opportunity to use whatever strategy is going to work for him or her. Many times I will wait till the end of the sentence and give them their own opportunity to fix the mistake. That is ultimately what I want to instill in them anyways. I want them to think to themselves, “Hmm, that didn’t make sense. Let me try that again.”
At this point after you have suggested your child to try it again and they do not get the word correct, just go ahead and tell them the word. As time goes on you are going to learn some additional skills that will help in this area.