OT: teaching your toddler to read

[shinysparklybubbles]

Anyone have a good method on how to start teaching my toddler? He's 13 months and I was thinking of getting Your Baby Can read but now I'm on the fence after reading reviews. Anyone have any experience with YBCR?

 

[Hannathy]

don't worry about "teaching" them to read Just read,read,read to them. The love of reading and books is the most important thing to instill in children. I have 2 very advanced readers and I never set out to teach them to read as toddlers. Yes they learned their letters but that was all. But we are a family of readers. They were read to constantly, both my DH and I read often. there are always books around. My DS read at the 12 th grade reading level in 3rd grade and he couldn't read until first grade, but once he took off he flew.
So IMO it is more important to read TO babies than to try and teach them to read.

 

[Iri920]

don't worry about "teaching" them to read Just read,read,read to them. The love of reading and books is the most important thing to instill in children. I have 2 very advanced readers and I never set out to teach them to read as toddlers. Yes they learned their letters but that was all. But we are a family of readers. They were read to constantly, both my DH and I read often. there are always books around. My DS read at the 12 th grade reading level in 3rd grade and he couldn't read until first grade, but once he took off he flew.
So IMO it is more important to read TO babies than to try and teach them to read.

: I agree!

 

[princessmom29]

Phonemic awareness is all that is truly important at this stage. Lots and lots of exposure to books so that they begin to connect the idea that print converys meaning. Products like your baby can read are totally bogus, and play on parents desire to belive that there baby is the next Einstien. Babies don't read, they parrot. Those commercials are either doctored, or the babies are very well coached and exhibiting a Pavlovian response, nothing more.

 

[worm761]

I have only ever seen one toddler read. My cousins little girl. And no one taught her. She loved Wheel of Fortune and would watch it faithfully. She knew her letters at 18 months due to watching it. But she only knew them in capitals. She started reading when she was three. She was super bright. But in all honesty, in elementary school most kids even out. My DS learned to read when he was four. In the third grade he was reading and comprehending on a college level. He has high functioning autism and ADHD so has been test many many times. He is a bright kid. He struggles with history. He doesn't like the subject. Even four was still early for reading. We did nothing special with either kid. We just read books to them.
I agree that programs that claim to teach a baby to read are a joke and just out to take your money. Even if your baby does end up able to recognize the words, it is just parroting/recognition. They can't sit down with a book and read. They only know the words they were taught. In schools it is called sight words. I hate that method of teaching reading. My niece was in the second grade and could barely read. The only words she could read were the ones the school had taught her. I taught my son to sound out words. Phonetics makes so much more sense to me. If you want your DS to learn...show him a block, tell him blue block. red block, yellow block. Show him a letter and make the sounds they make. Those are the basic foundations of learning to read. Make it a game and make it fun. Young children learn better when they are having fun and playing games.

 

[mom2koh]

Just lots of snuggly reading time. This will encourage your little one to love reading! Nothing makes a better reader than a child who wants to do it!

 

[dis-happy]

I wouldn't try to teach your child to read either.

However, there is an inexpensive ($20.) book out there called "Slow and Steady, Get Me Ready" that I like. It has activities to do from birth to age 5, using household things, that helps your child's development. You might find it helpful.

 

[GoinToDisney]

I agree with the others. Read to your child every day. I taught kindergarten and first grade and that is the most important thing you can do for your child. My dd learned to read when she was 3. My hubby read to her every night when he put her to bed, and I read some during the day. During nap and bedtime, she was allowed to have only books and some stuffed animals, but no toys. She taught herself to read during these times with just a few lessons from me to give her strategies for when she gets stuck on a word.

 

[brergnat]

13 months...are you serious?

You shouldn't even be worried about him learning letters until at LEAST 2 y/o.

You can't train babies to read.

My son was reading full books and understanding them right after he turned 3. He has autism, though, and at 5 y/o has a genius IQ (seriously). He is smarter than most adults I know. We didn't really have to teach him anything that he knows...his brain is like a computer, and it's like he was born knowing how to read and do math. Socializing, though...THAT has been a major struggle. He still won't wave to people or look them in the eye.

My other son is almost 4 and doesn't even know all of his letters yet. And that's fine. Everyone learns at a different pace.

Try not to be a "flashcard mom"...

 

[Luv Bunnies]

I agree with the others. Toddlers don't need to read but they need to be read to. They need to be exposed to lots of language and particularly like hearing rhymes. The content doesn't matter at that age - it's all about exposing them to different sounds and rhythms. I work with preschool kids and (on average) around 3 they learn their letters and the associated sounds. Around 4, they recognize simple sight words and their reading skills take off from there. Some kids learn faster and some slower, but this is the average that I have observed.

 

[fortheluvofpooh]

don't worry about "teaching" them to read Just read,read,read to them. The love of reading and books is the most important thing to instill in children. I have 2 very advanced readers and I never set out to teach them to read as toddlers. Yes they learned their letters but that was all. But we are a family of readers. They were read to constantly, both my DH and I read often. there are always books around. My DS read at the 12 th grade reading level in 3rd grade and he couldn't read until first grade, but once he took off he flew.
So IMO it is more important to read TO babies than to try and teach them to read.

what they said

 

[littlepeppers]

MIL bought DD the entire set. (over $200)

DD isn't very interested in it. You have to show them cards 2-3 times a day, read them a book 2 times a day & have them watch a video 3 times a day. They aren't supposed to watch any other TV than this video.

It isn't very realistic. Who has that kind of time? We homeschool & DD only likes the word cards b/c she sees DS doing his word & vocabulary cards (2nd gd).

Don't waste your $ on Your Baby Can Read. You can get the same effect at the dollar tree. White index cards, different color markers, & a few of those nice picture books, Disney flashcards and Disney workbooks. Let them play on seasme street workshop online for the extra bells & whistles.

I agree with everyone on this one. Try a little, if they like it, do it, but don't force it. You don't want them to get turned off to learning. Reading to them, is the best thing you can do. I point to certain words when I read to the kids. DD likes the word baby.

 

[Zeebs]

13 months...are you serious?

You shouldn't even be worried about him learning letters until at LEAST 2 y/o.

You can't train babies to read.

My son was reading full books and understanding them right after he turned 3. He has autism, though, and at 5 y/o has a genius IQ (seriously). He is smarter than most adults I know. We didn't really have to teach him anything that he knows...his brain is like a computer, and it's like he was born knowing how to read and do math. Socializing, though...THAT has been a major struggle. He still won't wave to people or look them in the eye.

My other son is almost 4 and doesn't even know all of his letters yet. And that's fine. Everyone learns at a different pace.

Try not to be a "flashcard mom"...

Is there not a nicer way to put it without making the OP feel terrible for asking the question?

Agree with the other posters, keep your money and just read to bubs, they love it and it will progress from there.

Kirsten

 

[susykt4]

Another vote to not intentionally teach your kid to read. I didn't use flashcards or anything, but DD was reading well before kindergarten. She was so incredibly bored in full day kinder while the other kids were learning letters and sounds. It was sort of a bad start to her school career. My niece is currently in kinder and in the same situation as my daughter was. She's getting into all kinds of trouble for talking, etc. because she's so bored. Don't hold your kid back if he/she wants to read, but pushing them will likely backfire.

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

Instead of trying to teach your child to read, it's better to emphasize a lifetime love of books. Read to him, take him to the library, point out road signs and letters in signs at the grocery store.

We're a family of book lovers. My oldest learned to read at 4--she taught herself, she just wasn't going to have anyone teach her. That's her personality.

I did work with #2--we were told he would have difficulty learning to read, so I read to him--a ton. I wanted him to love books and WANT to read, even if it took him a long time to learn. he learned at 3. Had he not had developmental issues, though, I never would ahve worked with him like I did.

Then there's #3--we discovered she was reading before she hit 2 1/2, and she was already past beginning reading words. But, she's a super, super advanced kid--teachers keep telling us they've "never seen anyone like her". We just read to her, made no effort to teach her to read at all.

#4 turns 4 next week. He's definitely a smart kid, but no real signs of reading yet. He knows his letters, and some letter sounds. He'll likely be reading in the next year or so. If so, great, if not, fine--we aren't losing sleep.

So, there you have it--4 kids, same gene pool, 4 different stories. My point is, you can spend a lot of time fussing over this one issue, or you can accept and enjoy the child you have, while providing a wide range of enrichment opportunities. I recommend spending less time worrying about "reading by a certain date" and more time worrying about their overall education and exposure to a variety of learning styles and subjects.

 

[shinysparklybubbles]

Thank you to everyone who provided helpful feed back.

 

[Indiana Rose Lee]

the only purpose to teaching a baby to read is mommy bragging rights. it does not benefit a child in any way.

 

[crysplefty]

I read about a study about a year ago on Yahoo! that stated that the older a child is when he/she is in a school evironment, the better they will do in school. So all the kids who stay home with mom until they start Pre-K or Kindergarten, will most likely do better than those who have been in childcare their entire life learning their ABCs and 123s. I'm not saying this is true for all kids, just stating what the study showed. I've always been a fan of letting my kids learn by playing. My mom keeps them while DH and I are at work, but DS does attend a Mother's Day Out probgram twice a week for interaction and social skills. We do teach him his ABCs and 123s, but it is not in a school type way and he is doing very well.

 

[RMulieri]

don't worry about "teaching" them to read Just read,read,read to them. The love of reading and books is the most important thing to instill in children. I have 2 very advanced readers and I never set out to teach them to read as toddlers. Yes they learned their letters but that was all. But we are a family of readers. They were read to constantly, both my DH and I read often. there are always books around. My DS read at the 12 th grade reading level in 3rd grade and he couldn't read until first grade, but once he took off he flew.
So IMO it is more important to read TO babies than to try and teach them to read.

I agree.

 

[dis-happy]

I read about a study about a year ago on Yahoo! that stated that the older a child is when he/she is in a school evironment, the better they will do in school. So all the kids who stay home with mom until they start Pre-K or Kindergarten, will most likely do better than those who have been in childcare their entire life learning their ABCs and 123s. I'm not saying this is true for all kids, just stating what the study showed. I've always been a fan of letting my kids learn by playing. My mom keeps them while DH and I are at work, but DS does attend a Mother's Day Out probgram twice a week for interaction and social skills. We do teach him his ABCs and 123s, but it is not in a school type way and he is doing very well.

One of my favorite books is "Better Late Than Early" by Dr. Raymond Moore. It's an older book that pretty much sums up what you posted.