Feb
6
2009

Learning to read – Phonics vs Whole Word Approach

I am sure most of us would like to teach our little precious to read as early in their lives as possible. But not many knows what method to use. Generally there are two methods most commonly used in teaching/learning reading, the phonics way and the whole word approach way.

The phonics way is reading by making sense of the spelling and sounds of the word while the whole word approach way is reading by making sense of the word itself without bothering the spelling of the word. Now that you know, which would you choose?

I chose the whole word approach way to teach Ethan to read. Why? Because by using the WWA way, a child can immediately read without the need to master the ABC’s. How cool is that? When it comes to teaching/learning reading, I have this conclusion to make, if a child is 4 years and below, use the whole word approach way while use the phonics way for children the age of 5 years and above.

Ethan read his first word at 12 months old. By 16 months old, he has managed to master the complete sets of A-Z and numbers 1-10.

Here, I would like to share a short backdated video (about 10MB) of him reading at 16 months old. The reason for the delay in publishing the video is because my dial-up could not support the upload. This recording is an achievement I am most proud of because most of the time he would get distracted by the camera and stopped reading. This time I manage to record something… :) Cheers!

Tags: Learning to read, phonics vs whole word approach

How to start your child on reading (Intro)

About the Author: Merryn Tan

18 Comments + Add Comment

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A gift from God February 3, 2009 at 4:26 pm

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Merryn February 3, 2009 at 5:03 pm

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Julie February 3, 2009 at 9:04 pm

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MommyAngel February 3, 2009 at 10:16 pm

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reanaclaire February 4, 2009 at 12:41 pm

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Merryn February 4, 2009 at 12:47 pm

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mommy to chumsy February 4, 2009 at 2:33 pm

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Jayne February 4, 2009 at 3:06 pm

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reanaclaire February 4, 2009 at 8:41 pm

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little prince's mummy February 5, 2009 at 12:27 pm

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BlaGaBloGer February 5, 2009 at 1:00 pm

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Health Freak Mommy February 5, 2009 at 4:58 pm

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BlaGaBloGer February 5, 2009 at 9:00 pm

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Kristie February 11, 2009 at 3:41 pm

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lim March 24, 2009 at 6:40 pm

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lim March 25, 2009 at 2:40 am

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Mom to Austin December 30, 2012 at 6:07 pm

Hi again!
I bet you’re as excited as I am, engaging with an early reader. Thus I wrote a few posts to share with fellow Malaysians on our journey – how a child can read simple books at 25 months old. And your inspiring post is also featured here at http://www.letterstoaustin.com/how-to-teach-your-child-to-read-at-home.html

Hope this effort is going to make reading fun.
Happy New Year!

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About Me

Home is where MY heart is.
I am a mother to two boys; Ethan and Ayden and a wife to Darling William. I'm a stay at home mum who blogs to break the monotony of life and to avoid feeling jaded. Would love to get to know all the Super Mommies and Daddies and Babies or Singles out there with the hope that we can learn more from each other. Most of all, I am a happy person, and I hope YOU are too.