My 4yo Surprised Me This Morning--Mommy Brag

[Tigger&Belle]

He was going to eat some cereal and grabbed the Cap'n Crunch. It's my favorite cereal (hey, brings me back to my childhood!) so I jokingly told him to leave my Captain Crunch alone. He said, Mom, it's Cap'n Crunch, NOT Captain Crunch. I asked us how he knew and he pointed to the box and showed me the "Cap" and the "N" so is was pronounced "Cap'n", not "captain". Guess he's starting to read and I didn't even know it.

My other children learned to read with very little instruction, so I guess he will follow in their footsteps, but still that surprised me!

T&B

 

[DoeWDW]

So cool!!

 

[castlegazer]

Oh, too awesome! My favorite cereal too by the way!

Hey, you give me hope that I am not wasting my time - I started to make my 2 1/2 yo read the last word in a sentence from his favorite books - he does it from memory but he points to the word too, so hopefully this will help him to learn to read. COOL!

 

[Tigger&Belle]

Most kids will learn to read with very little teaching. It's really amazing. Of course there are children who need more and some that have a real tough time, but for many just being read to on a daily basis is enough enough. I'm talking about beginning reading, not learning all the crazy rules concerning the English lagnuage.

I had my middle son tested for reading before starting our elem school. He's young for his grade and I'd sent him to the kindergarten where he'd gone to preschool, with the intention of having him repeat kindergarten at our elem school. He learned to read his first year of kindergarten and seemed ready to go onto first grade, which is why he needed to be tested. The reading specialist at the elem school asked me if the kindergarten he went to had a reading program. I told her they didn't and she wondered how he learned to read so well. I told her that he was read to often, but that was pretty much the extent of it. I suppose there was more to it since in the normal course of a day we are doing decoding, but it never seemed like that because we were just having fun thinking about the different sounds that letters make, etc.. The reading specialist didn't really seem to believe me. lol

Fast forward to my current 4yo. He have those magnetic fridge magnets and has been asking how words are spelled for a good year. He will spell simple words and will ask us to spell more complicated words.

One of my favorite things about having children is seeing them learn to read. It's truly amazing! They all have their challenges, but seeing them do something so naturally is a lot of fun.

T&B

 

[castlegazer]

You really were doing a lot - reading to your children is the essential part of them learning to read. My husband and I are huge readers so my son loves books too. He reads all day long and we read to him about four books a night prior to bed.

Everyone should read to their children. I can't imagine not, but there are many who don't.

BRAVO!!!!!!

 

[Ibelieveinfairies]

Yes! Yes! Yes! Reading is soooo important!! My DH thought I was nuts reading to our DDs even when they were infants, but I know that early exposure to words, language, and books is incredibly helpful when they are little. We never drilled them or expected them to read early, but they did. My DD is going into Kindergarten this year and can read.
I had my own surprise when she got a thank you note, opened it, and read it out loud. I was fully prepared to read it for her! lol
Kids are amazing!

Congrats on a great mommy moment!!

 

[Tigger&Belle]

I totally agree. Another BIG key is continuing to read to the children even after they can read to themselves. Children can comprehend a lot more than they can read. By reading to them (a level or so above where they can actually read) it continues to teach them and helps keep them excited about reading. I was great at doing this with my older children, but not so great with my 3rd child since we had so much to juggle in the evenings (homework, sports, activities, etc). I do plan to do this with my 4yo, probably in the mornings before school since that's a much more relaxed time of the day (all the other kids will be at school).
There is so much wonderful children's lit and it's a lot of fun to read, even as an adult!

T&B

 

[Otto's Doll]

I agree. Reading is so important. We have always read to our kids, and both of them read well early. They both read about 4 grade levels ahead and comprehend what they are reading (very important). What a great start you are giving your child!

 

[Tigger&Belle]

Originally posted by Otto's Doll
I agree. Reading is so important. We have always read to our kids, and both of them read well early. They both read about 4 grade levels ahead and comprehend what they are reading (very important). What a great start you are giving your child!

That's great! Reading is something that is so central to most of the learning that students so--very important.

T&B

 

[EsmeraldaX]

Great for him!!!