The first step is to teach your child to read whole words using the flash card method. Then, you move on to phrases, sentences, and simple books. When teaching whole words, you start with nouns.

You don't teach reading using phonics. Your child will read more smoothly with the flash card method. Also, you can teach your child to read when they are younger with the flash card method than you could if you used the phonics method. You can't teach a 6-month-old to read using phonics. But you can teach them to recognise whole words using the flash card method.  

The flash card method involves showing your child words and saying them aloud as you show them. Flashing words not only teaches your child to read. Seeing the visual information on the cards and hearing you say it allows it to register in your child's brain. This process trains the brain. This is something that you couldn't achieve if you used the phonics method.  

See an example in this video.   

Video 15 seconds

At the same time as teaching your child to read, you also teach them math. You begin by teaching quantities using dots or other objects. You do this before teaching numerals. You also teach using the flash card method.     

See an example in this video.  

Video 11 seconds

Writing should not start until your child is about two years old. You begin by teaching your child to draw lines, then shapes, then write letters, then words, and then sentences.  

You don't start spelling until your child has had a good grounding with reading using the flash card method. You will usually need to wait until they begin recognising words. Then you start teaching spelling. It is at this point that you teach your child phonics. You teach it as part of a spelling programme. Please be aware that just because your baby or toddler can read words or sentences does not mean they will be able to spell. These are two different disciplines. You will need to take time to teach your child to spell. 

You can teach grammar at the same time that your child starts to write.   

An essential principle of this type of teaching is that you do not spend time explaining the material to your child. You focus on showing the material to your child reasonably quickly.  

You let them see and hear the information and understand it by instinct. What do I mean by instinct? Assume you repeatedly show your 1-year-old two dots, then the plus sign, then three dots, the equals sign and then five dots. They will soon learn that two plus three equals five. They will also understand that the addition symbol means that the overall quantity increases in the end.  

When you show your child that five dots minus two dots equals three dots. They will eventually understand that the minus symbol means that the overall quantity decreases in the end.  You don't spend time explaining this. They will work it out by instinct or naturally as you show the information to them.   

When you show your child the words "apple" and "table" for example, they learn to read the whole word and, by instinct, discover the sounds that the letters "ap" and "ta" make. 

 This allows them to work out how other words they have never seen before with similar letter constructions sound. This is also why you don't need to teach a child to read using phonics. However, that does not mean you do not need to teach phonics for spelling.  

Don't be concerned about not knowing how to do this. There is free help available for you. I don't have the time to consult anymore, but there is a great need for the knowledge I have gained over the years. Through my online education organisation, Valida Academy, I created Primary School Prep DIY to help you. 

 It is a free, detailed, step-by-step online guide. It shows you how to teach your baby/toddler to read, do maths and write using brain training techniques. It shows you how to do this using the flash-card method. It will provide you with step-by-step guidance and visual examples. It also provides you with lots of tips that will help you. It is based on my 16 years of experience. You will need to spend time teaching your child. You will need to be able to spend around 15 minutes in the morning or in the first half of the day, and then another 15 minutes in the second half of the day, such as the afternoon or early evening. You will need to be able to do this for at least five days each week.

If you can spare this time, then please pause reading and register for instant access to Primary School Prep DIY here. Remember, it's free.  

But we only recommend it for parents whose children have at least two years until they reach school age. This is because you will unlikely see the results we speak about with less time. After registering, come back and continue reading. I am about to share the one thing you must not do if you want to sharpen and smarten your child's mind successfully. 

Sign Up For Primary School Prep DIY Here

Then come back and find out the one thing you must not do when teaching your baby or toddler.

The One Thing You Must Not Do