How to Teach Reading to a 4, 5, or 6 Year Old (Without Guessing, Gimmicks, or Burnout)

How to Teach Reading to a Toddler or Pre-kindergarten Student

If you’re trying to teach a 4, 5, or 6-year-old to read, you’ve probably asked yourself:

  • Where do I even start?

  • What if I mess this up?

  • Should they be reading yet?

  • Do I need a curriculum—or just flashcards?

Let me tell you this: you don’t need to guess your way through early reading instruction. You don’t need a background in education or a Pinterest-perfect setup.

You need a simple, science-backed plan—and a little consistency.

In this post, I’ll walk you through how to teach reading to 4, 5, or 6-year-olds using the proven strategies behind the Science of Reading and the Orton-Gillingham approach. Whether you’re a homeschool parent, classroom teacher, or tutor, this roadmap will help you build confident, capable readers—starting now.

First: What’s Happening in the Brain of Students Ages 4–6?

At ages 4 through 6, children’s brains are undergoing massive changes. This is a critical window for language development, phonological processing, and sound-symbol connections. They’re naturally curious and absorb new information quickly—but they still need structure.

This age group is often introduced to letters and books early on, but exposure alone doesn’t lead to reading fluency. The ability to read comes from explicit instruction in how sounds map to print—a skill the brain is not wired to do automatically.

This is why the Science of Reading exists—to help us teach in a way that aligns with how young brains learn.

What the Science of Reading Says About Teaching Ages 4–6

The Science of Reading draws from decades of research in cognitive science, psychology, and linguistics. It tells us that kids learn to read by first learning to hear and manipulate sounds, then connecting those sounds to letters, and eventually blending them into words.

This doesn’t happen through sight-word memorization, leveled readers, or picture clues. It happens through:

  • Phonemic awareness – the ability to hear and work with individual sounds in words

  • Systematic phonics – explicitly teaching how letters represent sounds

  • Decodable text – reading books that only include words students can sound out

  • Multisensory learning – engaging sight, sound, movement, and touch

  • Cumulative review – recycling and reinforcing what’s been taught before

It’s not about rushing kids to read “early.” It’s about laying a strong, durable foundation.

What NOT to Do When Teaching Reading to Young Kids 4-6

Before we dive into what works, let’s quickly talk about what doesn’t:

  • ❌ Don’t rely on guessing from pictures

  • ❌ Don’t expect memorization of whole words

  • ❌ Don’t introduce all 26 letters at once

  • ❌ Don’t use books that include words kids can’t decode

  • ❌ Don’t assume “reading early” means they’re truly understanding

These strategies create the illusion of progress—but they don’t build lasting reading skills. Many children taught this way hit a wall in 1st or 2nd grade when decoding demands increase and memorization no longer works.

Let’s teach the right way from the start.

How to Teach Reading to 4, 5, or 6 Year Olds Step-by-Step

Here’s what I recommend when teaching reading at this age—based on years of working with early learners and students with dyslexia.

1. Start with Phonemic Awareness (Before Letters)

Begin with sound play. Ask your child:

  • “What sound does the word ‘bat’ start with?”

  • “What do you get if you take the /b/ off of ‘bat’?”

  • “Do ‘cat’ and ‘hat’ rhyme?”

Play sound games in the car, at the dinner table, or during playtime. You don’t need flashcards—just your voice and your attention. This oral skill is the #1 predictor of reading success.

2. Introduce Letters and Sounds Slowly

Once your child can isolate and blend sounds, begin teaching the alphabet—but not in ABC order. Start with a few high-utility letters like m, a, s, t, and p.

Teach the sound first: “This is /m/ like in ‘mat’.” Don’t worry about uppercase letters yet. Use tactile tools—sand, Play-Doh, finger tracing—to help them remember.

Stick with 1–2 new letters per week and constantly review the old ones.

3. Blend Sounds Into Words

After 4–5 sounds are learned, you can start teaching blending.

Build CVC words (consonant-vowel-consonant) like “mat,” “pat,” and “tap.” Say each sound slowly, then blend: /m/ /a/ /t/ = mat. Let your child try.

Practice with magnetic letters, whiteboards, or letter cards. Keep it playful, not pressured.

4. Use Decodable Text (Not Leveled Books)

When your child can blend a few words, they’re ready to read—but not just any book.

Choose decodable books that only include the sounds and high-frequency words they’ve already learned. For example, if they know short a and a few consonants, a story might read:

“Pat had a mat. Sam sat.”

It may seem simple, but this gives your child the chance to apply their new skills—without guessing.

In our Complete Orton-Gillingham Curriculum, we include 100s of printable decodable stories matched to every phonics rule, so you’re never scrambling to find the right material.

5. Add Writing to Reinforce Reading

Writing is the secret weapon for early readers. When children write the sounds they hear, it solidifies phonics patterns in the brain.

Use sound boxes (three squares) and ask, “Let’s write the word ‘cat.’ What sound do you hear first? Then?” Stretch the word slowly. Celebrate effort, not perfection.

Move from writing letters → writing words → writing sentences using words they can decode. It reinforces everything they’ve learned.

6. Reread and Review for Fluency

Repetition is your best friend. Have your child reread familiar stories, build fluency with simple phrases, and practice reading aloud in a low-stress setting.

This builds automaticity—which frees up brainpower for comprehension later.

Tools That Make It Easier (for You and the Child)

Here are tools I’ve used successfully with 4–6 year olds:

  • Dry erase board and marker

  • Letter tiles or magnetic letters

  • Sound boxes for writing

  • Printable decodable readers

  • Alphabet mats with pictures

  • A daily reading/writing routine (10–15 minutes)

And if you’re looking for a full, done-for-you system that walks you through it all, our Teach Me to Read with Orton-Gillingham Workbook has everything you need—from phonemic awareness to full-sentence fluency.

What Reading Looks Like by Age 6

By age 6, most children who’ve followed this kind of instruction should be able to:

  • Blend and segment simple words

  • Read and write short vowel CVC words

  • Recognize and read a handful of high-frequency words

  • Begin decoding digraphs and blends

  • Read simple decodable sentences with increasing fluency

But more importantly, they feel like readers. That confidence opens the door to a lifelong love of learning.

Final Thoughts: You Don’t Need Flashy—You Need Foundational

If you’re wondering how to teach a 4, 5, or 6-year-old to read, here’s the truth:

Reading doesn’t come from exposure. It doesn’t come from memorization. And it doesn’t come from apps, guessing, or hoping for the best.

It comes from sound-first, phonics-based, structured instruction.
It comes from small, consistent steps.
It comes from routines that grow skills—and confidence.

So whether you’re just getting started or picking up the pieces, the best time to teach a child to read is now. And the best way to do it? The way science tells us to.

Let’s stop guessing. Let’s start teaching.
👉 Explore the Orton-Gillingham Curriculum that helps you do it—one sound, one word, one success story at a time.

Back to blog