Today I was able to watch a friend work with their child and it reminded me of the importance of allowing a child the chance to use their own decoding skills when learning how to read.

My son is learning to read largely by using Montessori Three Part Cards and Classified Nomenclature cards.  The clues that the pictures on these cards give help a child to develop confidence in their ability to try to ‘solve,’ or decode a word.

Don’t get me wrong.  Picture books and easy readers are great.  We use them and will continue to.  And there are days when I simply “tell,” him what a word is that is set before him in a book or on a sign.

But what a great sense of accomplishment a child can feel when they are able to figure out what just one word might be relative to a picture on a card.

And how amazingly advanced the words can be when there is only one word and one picture.

The next time a word shows up in a child’s easy reader that they previously learned on their own, be sure that they will be thrilled to share that they “already know that word!”