Teaching a child to read...

[featherfinder]

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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.

Lol sounds cute. I remember being read to everynight when i was younger. I have bought the leap frog things for other family members and they seemed to love them. I am not much of a tv person so not a big problem there. I see you are in florida though. Have any hand me downs you would like out of your way?

Reading was always fun to me. It was just an activity growing up. But in school it started to become forced and i hated it with a passion. After school I picked back up with it and have loved it ever since!

 

[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.

Lol sounds cute. I remember being read to everynight when i was younger. I have bought the leap frog things for other family members and they seemed to love them. I am not much of a tv person so not a big problem there. I see you are in florida though. Have any hand me downs you would like out of your way?

Reading was always fun to me. It was just an activity growing up. But in school it started to become forced and i hated it with a passion. After school I picked back up with it and have loved it ever since!

I would be happy to give you some hand-me-downs if I had any. My girls are now 16 and 18.

My younger daughter went through a stage where she hated assigned reading in school too. It didn't last very long though. I wouldn't let them see the Harry Potter movies until they finished the books.

I call that technique "parental guidance".

My older daughter is off to army bootcamp next month and plans to become a nurse. She does not really want to be a nurse, she just wants to find a job that pays well enough to finance her career as a writer. She thinks depending on writing to pay her bills will take the fun out of it. Either way.......she gets a degree.....a good job.....and I can do the parental touchdown dance.

 

[featherfinder]

Sounds like a good thing you have going. Wish her luck in boot camp! 2 of my friends have been over sea's for over a year now.

Nursing is a great way to go. There is always a need for them so she should have no problem finding a job. I am actually starting school for it after may and i have the baby.

I think that she signed up for the military alone gives you permission to do the parental touchdown dance lol

 

[N&MSchroeder]

I teach Literacy and reading remediation at a university, so reading is my passion (okay, so are chickens).

One of the best things you can do for your child is to read to them on a daily basis. Select books that have repetitive sections so your child can "read" with you. Show them how to hold a book and follow along with your finger to show them the directionality of print, etc. Encourage them to pretend read and point out the print they see in their environment (on television, signs, etc.). During these reading experiences, children become familiar with many elements of print, such as words and the symbols (letters) that go together to make words. Show your enjoyment of reading (yes, even a newspaper or magazine). Children will copy the actions of the adults who are important to them. Most of all, make sure that the time you spend reading with your child is fun. Basically, it comes down to this. If you want to become a better reader, read. The more you read, the better you get at it(this is true at any age).

 

[PotterWatch]

I believe that children will learn to read when their brains are ready for it. My children both learned to read on their own with no instruction from myself or anyone else. I read to them every day and we listen to audio books any time we are in the car. They both have fantastic vocabularies and they love to read. My oldest was reading fairly well at age 7, but my youngest wasn't reading fluently on his own until he was almost 9. Despite the fact that they were both reading later than some of their schooled counterparts, you wouldn't be able to tell a difference now. I think that had they been in school, my youngest would certainly have been in the "slow" group and I imagine wouldn't like reading nearly as much as he does due to the pressure that would have been put on him to read before his brain was ready for it.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Good comments here.
I definitely believe in learning to read before school.
I'm not a fan of the baby reading thing though.
The only downside to early reading is you're a bit bored the first few years until everyone catches up and that can cause issues.
It's especially helpful if most of the classmates are nearly as advanced.
I could read the encyclopedia by the age of 4. (It was one of the few things we had to read at home)
My wife, who's not highly educated but smart, worked diligently with our kids. First on alphabet and numbers then words. I then began teaching them spanish and german. When they were little, we both read to both kids every night before bed and eventually the kids would take over and read to us. For many years after we quit the parent reading, there was 30 minutes of reading time before bed. Both children have continued to be avid readers.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

I am not a fan of the idea of using flash cards with babies to deliberately teach them to read. I AM a fan of reading to them. By all means run your finger under the words as you read them if you want. Point out signs and read the signs to them. Give them workbooks that are interesting and at their level (which means difficult enough to be challenging, but not daunting, and not so easy as to be boring). Teach them how to make letters and what sounds the letters make, sound out words. All kinds of things you can do to encourage reading. THe most important though is to be in tune with your child and what he/she is ready for and enjoys.

 

[polishchickens111]

I could do basic reading before I went to school, and I know I enjoyed being able to read very much. I wasn't forced to read, I liked learning and also did some math.

But that's just me.

 

[Linn Bee]

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Might I suggest running your finger just above the words as you read them. That allows the eye to more easily move on to the next line and encourages reading in phrases.

Another great idea to encourage literacy in children is through photo books. Take pictures at the zoo, playground, store, etc. and have them developed (printed) then put them into a booklet. Let the child tell you a sentence about each photo memory. Write the child's words with the picture. Voila! You have a personalized 'book' that your child will love to view, read, and share.

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

 

[teach1rusl]

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But you know, I don't remember my son actually "reading" before Kindergarten (and I was a teacher...

). Of course he'd memorized lots of books that we'd read together, and could tell you what each page said (which is a part of learning to read). And he knew some words. But he was not an independent reader. He knew "The Foot Book" inside an out by age three. By the "testing years" in school (4th grade in my area) he was about two years ahead in reading (although I sure wish he'd applied his abilities a little more

). If your child sees you reading, and hears you reading, your child will most likely end up being a very strong reader.