The article reviews the use of mnemotechnics in teaching children to read. It describes the existing Russian and foreign methods of teaching reading to preschool and school-age children. The article considers both the advantages and disadvantages of these methods. The author describes the innovative method of teaching on the basis of mnemonics, the stages of its development, approbation of the method on the basis of measuring the speed of memorising letters using different techniques and implementation of the new approach. The article is aimed at the substantiation of expediency of using the new technique to improve the efficiency of the learning process. Examples of its use are given. The author of the article also concludes that due to the use of the principle of associations, involvement of imagination and emotions in the earning process, the knowledge acquired by children is retained in their memory more firmly and much more effectively.