Zaitsev cubes - a popular method of teaching reading

All parents want their children to be the smartest, most developed. How much pride they feel when a 3-4-year-old kid, walking down the street, perfectly reads the names of shops, advertisements ... And, starting teaching a child to read, they are faced with a huge selection of various methods. Zaitsev's cubes are an effective method of teaching children to read from a very early age. This is one of those techniques that is of great interest to many parents.

Who is Nikolai Zaitsev

Nikolai Alexandrovich Zaitsev's parents worked in a rural school. After graduating from school, Nikolai worked for 2 years at the factory, after which he followed in the footsteps of his parents. In 1958 he entered the Pedagogical Institute at the Faculty of Philology. In his fifth year, he is sent to practice in Indonesia, where he works as a translator.

It was this period of time, when he had to teach adults the Russian language that was not their native language, that gave rise to the development of his famous method of teaching reading and writing. Implementing new techniques, creating interesting tables on the go, he tried to "convey the essence of the language to others."

Having developed his own teaching method, the young teacher decided to test it in the middle classes of a comprehensive school. However, a huge setback awaited him here. The students were only able to memorize the rules without trying to understand them. Accustomed to such training, they could not readjust.

Then, Nikolai Alexandrovich decided to try his method on kids. The methodology was revised, he conducted all classes in a playful way. And here he was in for a huge success. Toddlers as young as one and a half years old and preschoolers with literacy problems needed only a few lessons to start reading. Some schools have begun to fully apply his teaching system, using the "ringing miracle" (as the blocks are called) in their work.

Observing the kids, the teacher came to the following conclusions:

In order to learn how to read, the crumbs do not need to know what the letters are called. Most often in the alphabet, letters are associated with pictures. The child remembers the image of the letter and the image that he associates with it. Then it is very difficult to explain to him that CAT (letter K), SCISSORS (letter N), TOY (letter I), MUSHROOM (letter D) and STORK (letter A) are added into one word BOOK.
Reading by syllables is very difficult for a child. Even if the kid learns the names of letters without pictures, it will be difficult for him to understand how the syllable MA is obtained from the letters M and A. To understand the tiny principle of merging syllables, teachers have to use various tricks in their work. But in the Russian language there are words from one syllable, in which there are many consecutive consonants (for example, VSPLESK). Reading such words will be very difficult for a child reading in syllables.
It is easier for a person to first learn to write than to read. By writing he understood the transformation of sounds into signs, and by reading - the transformation of signs into sounds. It will be much easier for a kid to learn to read through writing.

In the next video you can find out interesting information about Nikolay Zaitsev and his legendary cubes.

General principles of the Zaitsev method

Zaitsev's one-of-a-kind author's technique has been used for over 20 years. However, the famous teacher does not stop constantly improving it. Many different techniques and games have already been created to complement the basis. Using the technique, you can successfully teach even very young children to read and write. At the same time, for preschoolers 6 years old, just a few lessons will be enough, and you can see that he can already start reading.

This teaching method is suitable not only for children who like quiet games with cubes, but also for active restless children. The use of this technique is suitable for working with hearing-impaired children with very poor eyesight and mental developmental disorders. When working with them, you can get very good results. A good effect can be seen when working with children with autism.

In his method, Zaitsev emphasized that the cognitive processes in a child must go through all types of perception: auditory, visual, motor memory, touch and thinking. When working with kids, the teacher should be able to organize a fun playful learning environment, be in the role of a mentor in the learning process.

With dice games:

the baby's vocabulary will expand;
literate writing skills will be developed;
the child's speech will become more intelligible;
you can fix a number of speech therapy problems;
develop the logic and thinking of the child;
teach the baby to work independently.

Equipment

The standard set includes:

61 Items assembled cardboard cube
6 pcs. cardboard tables with syllables, letters and other graphic signs
4 things. cardboard tables B3
CD for listening with songs for cubes and tables
a teaching aid that you can use as a synopsis of classes.

What is a warehouse

In his methodology, Nikolai Zaitsev offers an alternative to syllables - he uses warehouses. For him, this is the basic unit of language. The warehouse can be one letter, a combination of a vowel and a consonant, a consonant and a solid sign, a consonant and a solid sign. This principle of reading - warehouse - is the basis of Zaitsev's technique. This technique is very similar to Fedot Kuzmichev's primer, 19th century, and L. Tolstoy's alphabet. These books also used the principle of learning from warehouses.

The warehouse can be identified by placing a hand below the chin and saying a word. The effort of the muscles that you feel with your hand will be the warehouse.

Warehouses according to his method are located on cubes and in tables. He used vision, hearing and tactile sensations to aid learning. analytical thinking, the formation of which is required when reading, develops only by the age of 7. By arranging the warehouses on cubes, Zaitsev made them different in color, sound, and size. With this, various channels of perception are activated when the child takes the blocks.

Description of the method

The creator of the methodology does not imply an authoritarian style of communication between the teacher and children. He says that it is necessary to take into account the individual characteristics and pace of development of each child.

Classes should be held only in a playful way. Children should not sit in one place, they need to move, jump, dance and sing. All movements in the lesson take place in a dice game.

Cubes can vary in size. Large cubes depict solid sounding warehouses. On small cubes - with a soft sound. They can be single or double. The double cubes have consonants that do not combine with all vowels (zhu-zhu-zhi).

The voicing of the warehouse is indicated by metal, the deafness - by wood.

Gold is vowels. The hard sign is depicted on iron-wooden cubes, the soft one - on wooden-gold ones. There are punctuation marks on the white cube. Color matching for letters is different from school. Here, vowels are denoted in blue, consonants are in blue, and hard and soft signs are in green. Such Unlike school colors blue, red and green, according to Zaitsev, it helps children to start reading fluently.

The filling of the cubes is also different.

At first, beginners get to know how to read only with cubes, later they get acquainted with tables.

Cubes 52 pcs. in the set, besides them there are 7 more repeated ones. There are 200 warehouses in total on the cubes.

The kits can be different:

a layout for self-gluing cubes may be offered;
may already be assembled;
with a plastic base.

It will take a lot of time to glue the cubes on your own. They need to be additionally strengthened from the inside. This can be done using a cardboard cube of the same size. After gluing, it is better to cover it with elastic bands, this is necessary so that your cube does not fall apart while it dries. For better protection, cover each cube with foil or laminate a cube scan. If you have chosen this option for cubes, it is better to make a copy of each sweep. So during the game you will definitely have enough warehouses to write words.

The tables should be hung fairly high. This helps prevent scoliosis and visual impairment. If you are only working with your child, then it is better to determine the height by the baby's hand raised up. It should touch the top of the table. It will be convenient to hang tables in the corners of the room, so it will be more convenient for the baby to look for the necessary warehouses. Tables can also be wrapped in plastic for longer life. Using tables is just as important as dice games.

According to Nikolai Alexandrovich's method, all warehouses on cubes must be sung. He believes that the effect of this is much better, and it is more interesting for the baby to study music, which helps to instill an interest in learning.

Give your child all the bricks to play with. This tutorial should never be taken away from him. They should always be in his field of vision. Let the baby get to know them, carefully consider them.

Ask him to choose the one that interests him the most. Warehouses written on its edges must be shown singing. Ask to find a large cube, then a small one, iron, wooden, gold. The child must understand that all cubes are different in size and sound.

After he has mastered this information, introduce him to the syllabic tables. Sing one of the columns of the table and ask your kid to bring a cube with the same storage. Sing artistically, showing your child what warehouses can be: loud or deaf, small or large. You can even use appropriate movements. You don't have to ask your child to sing the warehouses back to you. When he is ripe for this, he will begin to sing along with you and on his own.

Teach your child to write with bricks or a pointer. By singing the warehouses and showing them on the table, the kid will begin to understand how words are composed. You can teach your child to write and play outdoor games at the same time. Ask him to write the names of loved ones at different ends of the room. Now let the child run to visit loved ones.

Once again, we draw your attention to the fact that all classes should be held only in a playful way. The child should not sit in one place, give him complete freedom of movement. Every child is different. He doesn't owe anything in class. Allow the baby to develop to the best of his ability, do not rush things. Don't force the game into practice. Sure, it is better to do it every day, at least a little bit, but if the kid is not in the mood for classes today, then it is better to postpone it than to force it. You can play both in the morning and in the evening. Focus on the mood of the baby.

Choose the games your child will enjoy the most. If you have a fidget, it is better to use outdoor games in class. If your kid prefers calm games, collects puzzles for a long time, then use games that do not involve activity during the lesson.
If the crumb loves to build, then offer him to build locomotives with names, towers with warehouses, roads, houses from cubes.

The author of the technique assumes its successful use only if all the requirements are met in full, and not individual elements.

See the following video for highlights on teaching kids.

At what age can you start learning and what games to play

You can acquaint your baby with cubes almost from birth. Keep in mind that at this age the child is not yet capable of classes. Up to six months, the development of the child is very fast. Don't overload it now. Cubes can be used as a rattle, only occasionally showing him a warehouse or a word. Do not try to see any results during this period, do not expect them from the child. Now, with their help, you will only prepare your child for the learning that lies ahead.

After 6 months, the child is no longer interested in playing with cubes, as with a rattle. Now you can start singing the warehouses. Until one year old, keep showing cubes, warehouses, simple words. Let the baby crawl among them. You can try asking him to give you a cube with a specific warehouse. Leave warehouses on the items you have named throughout the day, show and sing them to your baby.

The older the child becomes, the more difficult games are offered to him. For a one-year-old baby, along with those games that were before, you can already increase the difficulty level by offering new ones. Act gradually. You can use N. Zaitsev's textbook “Letter. Reading. Account ”, which offers a lot of entertaining games, but you can come up with your own. Connect the kid's imagination, ask him what games he wants to play.

Play Zoo. Let the kid settle various animals around the zoo, making up their names from the warehouses. In the "Store" he can arrange the goods on the shelves. Going to the "Journey" you must definitely collect your suitcase. Let him be a chef, putting in a saucepan the names of the ingredients needed to make a soup or favorite dish.

Invite your child to play the game "Who Will Call More." Name words that begin with a given warehouse. You can make this game themed.

Put cubes in front of him, from the warehouses on them it should be possible to compose his name. Let the baby try it on his own. Next time complicate the task, he must find suitable warehouses himself. Let him add words from cubes, and then look for these warehouses in the table, pointing to the necessary warehouse with a pointer.

The games that you came up with together, the child will play with great pleasure, because they are much more entertaining for him than those offered by the author. These games will be exactly what he likes, invented with his interests in mind.

Pros and cons of the technique

Like every modern technique, learning to read with the help of Zaitsev's cubes has both advantages and disadvantages. Let's take a closer look.

Advantages

Children learn to read very quickly. It takes very little time for a child to start doing this. Moreover, the older he is, the faster the learning process proceeds. According to the author himself, even children who have just turned 4 years old can start reading on their own after 4 lessons. Of course, this does not apply to all children. On average, kids 3-4 years old need six months to study, an older preschooler needs 10-12 lessons, a 6-7 year old child will have enough for a week.
The teaching method according to Zaitsev is not tied to any specific age. You can start practicing when your child is 6 months old, or you can use it for first graders.
The sounds produced by the cubes of different timbre, pitch and volume will contribute to the development of hearing, memory, will perfectly develop a sense of rhythm.
As a result of playing with blocks, the child's fine motor skills are actively developing, which is very important for the development of intelligence.
Learning takes place at a pace that allows the child's abilities. Everything is very individual. Nobody rushes and urges the guys, does not tell them that they owe something.
It will not be difficult to master the technique. It can be successfully used at home.
Children immediately learn to write literate. There are no warehouses on the cubes that are impossible in Russian (such as CHYA, ZHY).
The teaching method according to Zaitsev contributes to the prevention, maintenance and promotion of health. By playing, the child trains the eye muscles. This helps preserve vision. Its preservation is facilitated by the location of large text on the tables in different places, the bright color of the cubes, which does not irritate the eyes.

Game aids, located taking into account the requirements of the methodology at the proper height and in different places, serve as an excellent prevention of posture disorders, hypodynamia, and didactic workload during classes.

In general, this playful method of teaching reading successfully helps in the development of a well-rounded harmonious personality.

The method is based on the principles of cooperation pedagogy, which avoids conflicts between children, parents and teachers.
Children play by themselves. This perfectly develops independence and self-organization. Even short lessons are enough for successful learning. Playing with them constantly, the invisibility of their conduct on the principle of "by the way", will give an excellent result in learning.
The technique is very simple, systematized, and visual.
The child does not have to master the ways of merging letters into syllables, he teaches off-the-shelf stocks that contribute to the ability to read fluently and without hesitation.

Disadvantages

Despite the huge number of advantages when choosing this method of training, you can face a number of problems.

Defectologists and speech therapists say that by memorizing warehouses, not understanding how to merge letters, children often begin to miss the endings of words. Problems may arise when dividing words into syllables, parsing words by composition.
Different from the school color of sounds (blue, blue, green instead of blue, green, red), create problems for the student in the phonemic parsing of words. Retraining children is more difficult than teaching from scratch.
The high cost of benefits. A lot of hassle when gluing the cubes yourself.
Certain difficulties are created when choosing the spelling of the letters E and E. The cubes have such warehouses as BE, VE. In Russian, they can be found very rarely. We will have to constantly stop the child's desire to write the letter E in words where after a solid consonant we hear E, and we need to write E (for example, the word TENNIS).
The use of the technique will be more effective in children whose right hemisphere of the brain is more developed. They have more developed imaginative thinking.
Children may have difficulty isolating a separate sound from a word, what will affect the letter.
This teaching method is practically does not develop the creativity of children.

Comparison with Chaplygin cubes

Evgeny Chaplygin created his method based on Zaitsev's method. However, his teaching method is unique and patented. A set of Chaplygin cubes contains: 10 single cubes with letters and 10 double cubes forming blocks, instructions for use. Cubes in blocks rotate around their axis, forming warehouses.

Let's consider the main differences between the methods.

Chaplygin cubes are easier to use.
In Chaplygin's method, there is no memorization of warehouses, as in Zaitsev. He uses letters and syllables. It is easier for children to understand how to form words.
Chaplygin cubes do not require much storage space.
Zaitsev's cubes are made of paper or plastic, while Chaplygin's cubes are made of wood.
Buying Chaplygin cubes is much cheaper than buying Zaitsev cubes.
Zaitsev's technique promotes the greatest development of children. Learning from it, the child gets acquainted with hard and soft consonants, voiced and voiceless.
Zaitsev, in his methodology, uses songs and tables to better assimilate the material by children.
There are 52 warehouses on Zaitsev's cubes, and only 32 can be made from Chaplygin's cubes.

Feedback from parents

Reviews about this method of teaching children to read are not unambiguous.

There are parents who say that they saw a positive result almost immediately. Children played with cubes with pleasure, made up words. Very early, the kids began to read fluently, reading books gives them great pleasure.

A number of parents did not immediately see the learning outcomes. The children worked for a long time to no avail. Only after some time did the children begin to read, and immediately well. The love of reading, which they have developed as a result of learning, they consider the most important achievement.

Some parents were able to see positive results only in the collective form of training with a specialist teacher. Studying at home individually did not bring results.

There are those whose children were able to master the technique only at the age of five and older. At an earlier age, toddlers did not understand the principles of warehouse reading.

There are adults who used only certain elements of Zaitsev's methodology to teach children to read. They talk about how they explain to their children how to merge syllables, how warehouses are formed, and only then words are formed from warehouses on cubes and tables.

There are also some children whose parents were unable to teach them to read using this method.