Training children’s literacy skills is an essential part of a child’s cognitive development. Unlike speaking, reading is not a skill that humans acquire naturally, but requires teaching. In recent years, techniques have evolved remarkably and methodologies for access to reading have been imposed from an early age that parents can promote from home with minimal dedication.
Dr. Glenn J. Doman developed in the 50s a learning system based on the sensory stimulation of children to understand the meaning of words. The so-called Doman method can be applied from home as a complement to the syllabic repetition systems that are normally taught by early childhood schools. It is a playful and dynamic way for children between 3 and 6 years old to begin to get used to reading.
The Doman method is a didactic technique that seeks to make learning reading activities an easy, flexible and fun routine. To start, prepare five cards with words in large capital letters that belong to the same semantic field, such as animals or parts of the human body. Repeat this dynamic three times a day, pronouncing each word out loud, enthusiastically, and vocalizing until the child clearly recites them.
Choose different words for each day, so that the child will have known 25 words from 5 different categories by the end of the week. The main objective is for the little one to assume this practice as a game instead of an imposition and to encourage interest in learning new words. From then on, parents will keep track of the little one’s skills and reserve the words used for the following games.
The technique developed by Doman gains in complexity throughout the different phases. Parents can make other games with the cards already used, for example, matching words and illustrations that they incorporate in this second phase. From there, they increase the possibility of putting into practice other games, of introduction to simple sentences (subject, verb and predicate) from two nouns, or of progress to simple sentences without limiting the minor to use the words learned.
The gradual application of the different phases makes the Doman method a comprehensive system for learning and promoting reading from a motivating perspective. The acquisition of this type of skills from an early age raises the level of performance of the child and promotes their future academic and professional development.
