5 Common Mistakes Parents Make With Their Doman Method™ Reading Program
Sometimes, parents get frustrated because they don’t understand why their Doman Method™ Reading Program is not going successfully. They ask questions like:
“Why is my child bored during certain sessions?”
or
“Why did my child love reading at first but IS now resisting the program?”
or
“Why isn’t my kid looking at the reading words anymore? What am I doing wrong?”
Let’s see if we can answer some of these questions. Here are the five most common mistakes that parents make when teaching their child a Doman Method™ reading program:
1. Making Teaching Sessions Too Long
A Doman Method Reading Program session usually lasts only 5 words, which is the number of words in a category. The maximum number of words that should ever be shown in a sitting is 10 words. Kids like to learn in short, quick sessions. Having a child sit for a minute as you go through many categories may feel like a short session for you but for kids, a minute feels like an eternity! Show 5-10 words and then take a break for at least 5 minutes before sitting down to do another session.
2. Showing the words too slowly
You should only be showing each word card for 1 second. If you are having your child look at a word card for more than a second, it will bore your child and likely destroy their enjoyment of the program. Show the word quickly for a second and move on to the next card -- kids only need to quickly glance at the words to learn them. Again, forcing them to look at words for longer than a second is a sure way to drive them crazy! If you are showing 5 words in a session, then a normal session should only take five seconds!
3. Showing words front to back
The most efficient way of teaching a category of reading words is by moving the card from the back of the set to the front. On the back of each word card, you should write the word in small letters so you can see from the back what the next word is you are going to show. Move the card from the back to the front of the set, and tell your child the next word. This will allow you to show the words quickly, while continuing to observe your child as you present the words.
Front of the reading card
Back of the reading card
4. Pointing at the words
For many parents, it seems like common sense to point at the words as they are shown. But pointing at words slows down the process of teaching reading and makes the sessions longer. We don’t want to teach your child to be a slow reader! Don’t point at the words - just flash each card and read it aloud for your child.
Want to see how to correctly teach a child reading? Watch this video of Spencer Doman showing you how:
5. Taking too long to add new materials to the program
A category of words should be shown a maximum of 3 times daily for five days. Generally, the team at Doman International never recommends showing a category for more than this. Parents often do not create enough new materials in advance, and so they review the same categories way too many times (longer than five days). The child then becomes very bored of seeing the same words over and over again, and they start to resist the program. For this reason, it is important to make materials in advance so you don’t run out!
“By following these recommendations, you can ensure Your Child’s Reading Program sessions are as smooth and joyous as possible.”
Having difficulty with creating new reading materials? Doman Learning has created a Doman Method™ Reading Program subscription which includes six months of words, couplets, sentences, and books to help you teach your child to read. All the materials were created by the Doman family and each month includes a video of Spencer Doman teaching you how to use the reading materials. It can help solve some of the issues listed above and help create the happiest, smoothest, and most successful reading program!
Visit DomanLearning.com for more information!