Teaching a child to read...

[featherfinder]

I would like this to just be a discussion and not a rant or a fight that will get closed. I know everyone has different beliefs but i just read this artical and it got me thinking and i would like others views as well about teaching your child to read before they start school. Do you think it helps them once they are in school if they already know? Or would you rather them to wait till they were in school to start reading? What about the baby program for reading?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rhiana-maidenberg/my-children-cant-read_b_1116941.html?ncid=webmail18

 

[Stacykins]

I guess I was raised in a way that it is unusual to not to be able to read by the time you are school age. I was taught to read beforehand, as were many of my classmates. Those few who didn't know how to read yet were very far behind, making the entire class advance slower. Reading lessons were just slowly incorporated into normal story time when I was little, as was alphabet practice. I think that parents are responsible for a lot of learning outside the classroom, and then honing what is learned in school. Maybe my parents understood the importance of education.

FYI, my mother was an active duty Navy nurse and my father was an active duty in the Navy too, as a SWO. They had very little free time, but spent it with us kids.

 

[Avalon1984]

I was taught to read in school. Before that I was being a wild child and playing all day. Do miss those days

 

[featherfinder]

Stacykins- I was taught the same way as you and knew my basics before school. Along with some writing. I am just starting to think about all this since i am pregnant and then just saw the article had me thinking a little and wanted some other views.

Avalon- Do you think that it slowed you down at all going into school? Or like you had a better childhood because you were able to play more?

 

[BrattishTaz]

My girls could read before they started school. I didn't really pressure them though. I read books to them and gave them one of those little desks with magnetic letters. They would memorize the words of the books and practice spelling them out with the letters. It was just play to them. Add Sesame Street and they were ahead of schedule. Easy peasy.

This is the same way my grandfather encouraged me to learn.

 

[Avalon1984]

Quote:
I was and still am an A student. Well, I haven't been in school for a couple of years but ueah. I aced all the writing and reading tests. Was one of the best essay writers the school had.

 

[Kevin565]

I was taught to read before school. I think it gave me a pretty good advantage. It made school work a lot easier as well as homework.

 

[rancher hicks]

With all due respect to the schools. Don't let them dictate how or what your child learns. Take an active role in your childs education.

My granddaughter is only 14 mos. and she can enjoy a book. Turning pages and looking at the pictures by herself. Even now she has a book she likes read to her at bedtime. My others in AL all get read to at night and my granddaughter age 5 can read. We have rows of the best childrens books and everyone in the house likes to read to the grandchildren. So they "like" books. Of course we teach them how to handle them too, but they are comfortable with books.

My kids could all read before they started Kindergarten.

If you and yours are readers that helps. Read to them. Even the simplest of books. If you are not a good reader it doesn't matter, as long as you show an interest in reading they will too.

Children who are good readers do well in other subjects such as math.

We never pressured our kids to read but let them enjoy the activity of reading. We would take them to the library and let the check out books in subjects that interested them. We did not dictate the age range either. If it was higher than the grade level so be it.


Treat your kids like you would like to be treated and the will do fine.

Only make them carry their own books,

Rancher Hicks

Where do you think my name comes from? "Meanwhile back at the Ranch" I sometimes call DW Elna Hicks and believe me she's just that lucky too.

I wish you well,

Rancher

 

[yomama]

I kind of just did what came naturally to my daughters. We did the ABCs and read through alot of books together when they were younger. Both went to preschool, and some basics were covered there too. I couldn't say that my girls were really good readers by the time Kindergarten started, but they were ok. Lets just say that they are now doing awesome at reading. My oldest is in 6'th grade and is the top reader in her class, reading at an 8'th grade level. That kid can pump out 300+ page novel in 2 evenings. My other daughter isn't as advanced, she's in 4'th grade, reading at a 4'th/5'th grade level, but she is just as passionate about books and reading as her sister, and that makes me happy. I think that reading alot to them when they were younger peeked their interest in books all together. I think that learning to read at an early age is important, but it is just as important that a child understands what they are reading. When I was volunteering in my youngest daughters class, I was helping the top reader in the class, listening to her read and talking about it. I saw that she could read reallly well, and knew alot of big words. She was very good at pronunciation, expression and figuring out the harder words. But I also noticed that she didn't comprehend all that she was reading. She would just whip through the words, but it wasn't sinking in. So yes, a headstart never hurt anyone, but I don't think they should have to be super at reading, before entering school, to end up being a good reader. I never pressure my girls to read, I don't want to make it a punishment or something to be dreaded. BrattishTaz mentioned Sesame Street. My kids watched that too. I think it helped. My girls also watched alot of Dora. They both knew how to count to ten in Spanish when school started.

 

[Rosaleen]

One of the best ways to gets kids reading and keep on reading is to model good reading behaviors at home. If your child constantly sees parents and siblings reading on a regular basis, naturally they will want to read as well.....turn off the TV and video games once in a while and make your home a "reading" home. If you want your child to be a good reader, you need to see the example and don't wait for the school to get the ball rolling. Read to your child every night and let your child interact with the story and give you feedback, make connections and retell the story. Then, once they start getting formal reading instruction at school, the foundation will already be in place. I've been a teacher for over thirty years (pre-k the guy elementary) and in my experience, if kids are developmentally ready to learn to read, they will learn. Consistently, I have observed over the years, kids who read well live in a household that provides a healthily reading and learning environment....age appropriate literature, frequent trips to the library, regular reading activities and above all...good reading modeling on the part of the parents.

Two brief examples...1. When my daughter was a toddler we were in a grocery store waiting in line and she was sitting in the wagon seat holding a picture book (always had one or two with me wherever we went) and looking at the pictures. Was she reading the words? No. But in her mind she was reading, remembering the story from n earlier reading and just totally engrossed in that book. This is a desired behavior we want in young children. Well, behind me there was a very young couple with a baby, perhaps just a few weeks old. They were amazed to see my daughter quietly sitting in the seat looking at the books and turning one page at a time. They asked me how did I get her to do that. I told them to start by reading to their baby...starting today...everyday.

2. One evening my husband and I were both sitting in the living room reading. Our daughter crawled over and settled on the rug between us. My husband got my attention and pointed to our little girl who was sitting up with a book in her hands and turning the pagesby putting her pointer finger to her tongue and then turning the page. He then said, "she got that from you, I don't do that when I read, you do.". Yes it's a habit I have but the point I'm trying to make is kids are so observant and will emulate everything we do....you can make reading something they will emulate.