Teaching a child to read...

[Spookwriter]

I don't remember when my daughter actually began to read.
Long before kindergarden. By then she was reading, printing and
doing simple math.

As Rancher Hicks said, children need a well stocked bookshelf.


***I read to her when she was young. And in turn, she read to me.
Winn-Dixie was the last book she read to me. Still setting on my shelf,
her page still marked.


Spook

 

[J's Orpingtons]

I don't think I can remember how I was taught ... I think I sorta was taught in Nursery a couple a words. But it didn't make an effect when I went into P1 .

 

[Mattemma]

Before schooling I just read a lot and tried not to let others stress me into forcing the kids to do school work at age 3-5. Despite my lax attitude the kids are reading on a high school level at ages 9 and 12.My ds was slow to start,but was good by age 8.In their school it was not a major issue(Montessori) to have kids at various levels.I don't think reading before starting school would be bad except if you are in public K your child will get bored if the teacher does not provide appropriate work.Ofcourse that goes for any school setting.
While the majority are sounding out letters the *reader* will be bored to tears. So as long as the school meets the needs of the advanced student all is well. I read that the early and late readers all even out by 4-5th grade.

Hey a bit OT but school related.Does anyone know about the schools cutting out world history in the near future? My friend says it was on Fox news recently.The thought is to spend less time on history and more on english and math. I found nothing yet online despite this being (imo) a big issue.

 

[Avalon1984]

I would still like to think it depends on the child. My parents didn’t have time to help me with homework or reading exercises. They worked hard all day and fell into their beds because they were so exhausted. I had a couple of Disney books and listed to cassette tapes that played stories. That is about all I did. I did get bored with the early reading we did in school and started to read my brothers newspaper articles instead, not sure if that helped. I would think if you are a motivated kid anything can happen. Now I look back at times and miss not having anybody sit by my bedside all the time and read to me but at the same time I am grateful for the independence it gave me in making my own decisions, without my parents help and guidance, cause and effect so to speak.

 

[featherfinder]

Everyone seems to have the same basic idea. Let them as they want to but dont force it and make it avalible to them. I personally dont think it is right what the woman is doing in the article. Even if her kids wanted to read she wouldnt let them from the sounds. I like having it as an option and i was alway read to when i was younger as well. Still not sure what i will end up having for them but i have plenty of time to decide.


Those that have kids. When did you start to read to your kids and what books at what level? When did they start to show they knew what was being said and what they were reading.

Rosaleen- Very cute examples. I love that she picked up on you licking your finger to turn the pages.

 

[Linn Bee]

To answer the questions - 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?

As a teacher, I've found that learning to read before school is both a blessing and a curse.
It may make the first couple of years pretty boring as many schools/teachers don't have or don't provide enough options for the early readers.

I was reading long before school and I 'managed to survive' by sitting through "See Dick run." with chapter books hidden underneath the primer. My daughter learned how to play hooky in kindergarten. She was so bored with school that she would set clocks back and change TV channels so my mother didn't know when to get her on the bus.
Son and 4 of 5 grandchildren all learned to read prior to school from all the parent reading they were exposed to without actively trying to teach them to read.

That said, with the exception of gifted learners, most children who came to school reading leveled out by the end of third grade and the non-readers caught up to them. The very bright non-readers were already well above grade level.

* I do not advocate trying to teach your child to read before they get to school. They may have problems with confusing methodology once they are in school.
* I do advocate immersion in literature from an early age. Then if they just learn to read before school age, I would certainly encourage their reading. I think that the early readers start out with better self-esteem and they carry with them through most of their school years.

I can't address the baby reading issue as I have no experience with that. I'd prefer books to videos in any case. I do know I was reading with my children at the earliest of ages. My son, when looking Christmas fliers at 8 months, was able to identify a distorted cartoon drawing of a dog as a dog. Making sense out of symbols is what reading is all about.

Learning IS power!

Love, Linn B (aka Smart Red) Gardening zone 5a - 4b in south-est, central-est Wisconsin

 

[NoelTate]

Start as soon as possible!! If your children do not read before school, they will be behind many of the other kids. If your children are able to read before school, they will have a jump and be much more well-prepared. It's the job of parents to teach children basics before they send them to school-colors, counting, alphabet, basic reading, things like that. Unfortunately, too many parents do not want to invest time in children once they are born, so those children do not develop the cognitive abilities that are developed through that very early teaching and interaction. That loss is never made up. Any parent who does not spend time reading with and teaching their small children are doing those children a diservice. Reading is the key to success and opens up the whole world to a child, and it's never too early to start!

 

[Spookwriter]

You are never too young to read, nor too old to read.

At times, my wife or I still read to each other. Not like a schedule,
but at times.

 

[cravenchx]

Start in the womb!

 

[BrattishTaz]

Quote:
I started reading to them when they were just a few months old. My older daughter had a plastic book that made squeeky noises when you squeezed the pages (reminded me of a dog toy

) I would show her how to turn the pages and read the few words that went with the pictures. I started bedtime stories when she was around a year old. The bookshelves were filled as soon as she reached an age where she wouldn't eat them. It didn't take long before she loved books. My parents also got her some of the little Leap Frog tablets to play with.

My younger daughter learned a bit slower and would get frustrated when trying to read. We didn't push it. Later, we discovered she has very poor eyesight. We got glasses for her and everything changed. She started hiding books under her bed so she could "sneak read" when she was supposed to be sleeping.

Provide educational toys and books, limit TV, and relax. They will develop a love of learning on their own.