Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons: Revised and Updated Second Edition

I first bought this book in 2004 when I had a rising 4-year-old. She was a very keen little learner anyway, knowing all her letters and sounds. Using this book, she was reading independently by the time we got to Lesson 33.Three children later, they've all stopped before Lesson 60, reading independently.I don't think that's entirely up to my brilliant children <smile>. I think it's due in large part to this book.Why does this deserve to be the top book for teaching a child to read? Well, I've seen a lot of styles of reading education: Montessori, whole book, phonics, etc., as I am a homeschool teacher as well as a trained secondary school teacher.This book is the best because: it teaches letter sounds phonetically; it teaches how to write them from Lesson 1, choosing two letters at a time; it teaches blending better than any other method I've ever seen (it isn't kuh-a-tuh, but cat); and because it introduces "b" a long time before it introduces "d", there doesn't seem to be the confusion between those two letters that other methods struggle with.The best thing about it is, that as a parent, it's completely foolproof. You simply read what it tells you to read, in the way it tells you to read it, and honestly, bob's your uncle!There are three things that I think are important to remember, though: first, you as the parent have to be consistent in working through the book (c'mon, it's only 15 minutes at the most, so fitting it in as daily routine shouldn't be impossible); second, your child has to be ready and willing, so you might have to try to start it on several different occasions (note: you might have to whiz through the first ten lessons if you're child is anxious to start -- I had one who kept wanting to do Lesson 55 from the beginning, and though she wasn't actually capable of doing it, I realised she wanted to start a bit further ahead in the book than Lesson 1); and finally, read aloud as much as you can of other books so the child can see the joy and pleasure in the whole experience and not think of it as yet another chore centred around homework.

I love this book. I started using it to teach my son to read when he was 3 and a half years old. In my eagerness, I probably started before he was ready because it was a bit of a struggle getting him to concentrate. So we put the lessons on hold for a while. Over the last year and a half, we've revisted the book several times. He's now in his second term of reception year and his reading is at an advanced level in comparison to his peers. Nowadays, he loves doing a couple of lessons whenever we have time before bed (I have a younger child who protests if her brother gets all the attention!)A couple of key changes we've made - I've dropped the writing part of the lessons. I think he found this section a little tedious and it played a role in his decreased concentration when we first started. This has turned out to be a bonus as his school teaches a cursive writing style from the very start of reception so if we'd persisted he'd have been exposed to, and confused by, two very different writing approaches.The other tip I can give is to be aware of the American style language used throughout the book, and adapt your words accordingly. One example is a 'full stop' which is referred to as a 'period' throughout.These are minor issues however. The book is fantastic and it enables any loving parent to give their child a firm foundation with regards to their education. The ground we've covered far surpasses the classroom teachings at my son's school, and it's been fun and a fantastic bonding experience. I've now bought this book a few times as gifts for friends.

I bought this book 6 months ago to start teaching our then 3.5 yr old daughter. We felt she was ready to at least start learning phonics (she started talking at 18 months old) as she was showing an increased interest in 'reading' and 'writing' (although she's certainly not a 'gifted child'!).I have to say I didn't really believe that the book would "do what it said on the tin", but I am delighted to say it can! We are now on Lesson 70 (of 100), and I am amazed at what our daughter can now read at just 4 years old!The book recommends that you do a lesson each day. We don't always do that, as some days we don't have time, but I would certainly advise not leaving more than 1 or 2 days between 'lesson days' and definitely make time in the morning rather than the afternoon. However, you must read exactly what is on the page, as I've tried 'adapting' it to what I thought fitted my child best and I ended up going back a few lessons and reading it verbatim. The only extras I do put in are a lot more praise.The book is recommended for "bright 3.5-yr-olds, and average 4 and 5 yr olds". I wouldn't suggest any earlier, as your child will need to write each letter they learn, and so they need to have developed their fine motor skills sufficiently. However, even if you only manage 20 or so lessons before your child starts school, it will help them no end, as it is exactly the system used in schools.Finally, I was once told by someone trained in education that there are always 'natural readers' who are able to be told how a word sounds and remember it. That's all well and good until they try to read a word they haven't seen before! This book teaches how to read words properly by learning 'phonics' and blending them in a way in which we speak ourselves. Therefore, your child will eventually be able to pick up a book and read it, and attempt a word that they have not seen before themselves! Imagine their absolute joy when they achieve that on their own...I cannot recommend this book any higher...it's extremely good.