The teach your baby to read ads....

[C.Ann]

at a yr old? I could see 2 or 3 but this is really geared toward infants.. Anthony does NOT need to know how to read "clap", "crawl" "play" "drink" let him talk first

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LOL.. No - the poster I quoted said "three years old"..

However, when Anthony is three, picks up a book, and says, "Mommy, will you teach me how to read?" are you going to say, "No.."

The reason I learned to read at such a young age is because I wanted it - more than anything in the world!! Books always fascinated me - and still do..

 

[PollyannaMom]

These ads bug me too. I certainly wouldn't keep books from a toddler who asked questions about how to read! - But I wouldn't push something like this either. (In fact, I was an Usborne consultant for a while when they carried the program, and I never even displayed it unless a customer asked for it.)

I think our society pushes academics on kids before most of them are ready. And I think it's too much pressure on the parents as well. - Just one more thing to make people feel that they aren't good parents if they aren't doing it.

 

[diznygirl]

It provides them with an additional form of entertainment.. What could possibly be wrong with that? Should a 3 yr. old "only" be allowed to play with blocks? "Only" watch television? "Only" play outside? "Only" color? No - the wider the variety of entertainment, the more fun it is for the child - and if in providing a wider variety of entertainment they have also learned something along the way, that's just an added plus - wouldn't you think?

Absolutely. Nobody said "only." And there are tons of books geared toward younger children to occupy their time. Not to mention the magazines they like tearing up.

But the first four or five years of their life aren't a complete waste if they don't spend it learning to read.

 

[tiggger1]

Im sorry but they are not teaching the child to read they are teaching the memorize words, like they teach kids their "sight words"

 

[anewmac]

I wish they had this around for my boys. Any headstart is great for school. They can still be kids and learn how to read early. My boys struggled in school and through extra help and tutoring they are now where they need to be but had they had maybe a bit more of a headstart and I know now what I knew then! I would have started earlier with them.

 

[tonilea]

My son learned to read at three, though I certainly didn't push it or teach him to read. I love that he can read and that he loves books so much. BUT, it does have its down sides. DH and I used to use Yahoo IM to make weekend plans and such, but you can't do that with a little one reading over your shoulder. We can't spell out things we don't want him to know and have resorted to speaking "police code" to plan things in the car. :rofl:

 

[happygirl]

My son learned to read at three, though I certainly didn't push it or teach him to read. I love that he can read and that he loves books so much. BUT, it does have its down sides. DH and I used to use Yahoo IM to make weekend plans and such, but you can't do that with a little one reading over your shoulder. We can't spell out things we don't want him to know and have resorted to speaking "police code" to plan things in the car. :rofl:

I don't want to sound rude did he really learn to read or did he memorize words?

 

[chell]

One of the special times with my nephews before they could read was sitting with them and a book letting them tell me the story of the book from looking at the pictures. Every time the story would be a little different. I don't know why I enjoyed this time so much but to me this was always such a special time with them, maybe because they were using their imagination. That was something I always enjoyed. If they had known how to read I would have missed out on that. I loved them trying to "read" to me. They would pretend like they really knew what they were "reading".

 

[C.Ann]

But the first four or five years of their life aren't a complete waste if they don't spend it learning to read.

I don't believe I said that - or even implied it.. I would never force a child to learn to read who had no desire to do so - and as I stated in another post, the reason that I learned to read so early on was because I wanted it so badly.. Of course my mom and others still read books to me that were above the level I was reading at (so there was no missing out on those cuddly times), but boy did I love sitting there with my little stack of books reading them all by myself..

I think another bit of confusion with the discussion here is that I just went back and read the original post and it seems that these "programs" (nothing my mom used or I used with my DD - they didn't exist then) are aimed at "infants" - correct? If so, that would change my opinion of when it's a good time to teach a child to read..

 

[Beca]

My dd taught herself to read somewhere between 1 and 1.5. I couldn't believe it!!!

Were there benefits to this? Absolutely!!! First, she was much less frustrated in trying to communicate (she didn't speak more than mama, dada, nana until after her second birthday). If she couldn't say a word, she would sometimes go get a book, open to the right page, and point to what she wanted/wanted me to know. Secondly, I do think it helped her to be a better reader. When she started pre-K, her guided reading instructor said she was an "intuitive reader"....she didn't know HOW she knew how words should be pronounced or spelled, she just did (meaning...she didn't know the rules "i before e, except after c", etc.). I do believe she incorporated the "rules" of reading and putting words together so intuitively because she learned it so young. I think it was incorporated into her language acquisition when she was learning to speak (i.e. she didn't learn to speak the words first, and then spell them, she learned to read the words first and then speak them....it made her an awesome speller). Finally, I think it gave her another option to stimulate her mind when she was little. Yes, she did play with blocks, her kitchen set, musical toys, pretty much anything that interested her. Books were not a focus of her day, but they did serve to give her yet another exploratory outlet.

I am not a mom who wants her kids to read young because of the "parlor trick" mentality, but because I did see benefits for my dd. I do plan on getting that set on tv, and hope to use it with any future children I have.

 

[dogluva]

How does reading earlier make you love reading more than a
child who learns to read in kindergarten? How does it help the child's life at the age of three that they can read? They can read a menu or a bus schedule? Seriously, WHAT is the point of an infant being able to read?

I love reading, and I certainly can't point to the age I started as the reason.

And my son started reading when he was 4, but he still gets a healthy dose of TV and computer games - didn't affect his fcat scores at all.

It doesn't. I learned in first grade. My kids are late readers, regardless of how early I tried to teach them (which was not eight months!). They all pretty much started really reading in second grade. They all love reading. The only one who doesn't read is the six year old. She is not developmentally ready. However, she loves books and being read to.

I think parents should focus on social skills instead of reading. I know many parents who have kids who can do algerbra at five but don't know how to take turns without having a temper tantrum. They also don't know how to answer questions or sustain a social interactions with a playmate. I would rather my kids be social than reading.

 

[Beca]

I think parents should focus on social skills instead of reading. I know many parents who have kids who can do algerbra at five but don't know how to take turns without having a temper tantrum. They also don't know how to answer questions or sustain a social interactions with a playmate. I would rather my kids be social than reading.

I think social skills are also important. Fortunately, there is time for both.

 

[dogluva]

It doesn't. I learned in first grade. My kids are late readers, regardless of how early I tried to teach them (which was not eight months!). They all pretty much started really reading in second grade. They all love reading. The only one who doesn't read is the six year old. She is not developmentally ready. However, she loves books and being read to.

I think parents should focus on social skills instead of reading. I know many parents who have kids who can do algerbra at five but don't know how to take turns without having a temper tantrum. They also don't know how to answer questions or sustain a social interactions with a playmate. I would rather my kids be social than reading.

Yes there is time for both. However, if I had to focus on one, it would be social skills because these are harder to teach than reading. I think reading at an early age is great but some parents fixate on it. A child should be well rounded. Like someone else said, eventually the other children catch up to the early reader (most anyway).

Early reading is not always a good thing. Some autistic kids are obsesesed with letters, numbers, etc. Interferes with other things.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

This is just my opinion.
At 6 months old a baby should be worrying about learning is how to get everything he/she can in their mouth, or how to not fall over when they try to crawl, or that their feet are funny etc. I think reading to children is important. I am an avid reader. We read every day here. I cannot on any planet fathom drilling an infant with flashcards. IMO that is ridiculous. IMO that is only to feed the parent's ego. Nothing more. Can you imagine the Mother's groups?
"My child has been reading since they were 6 months old!"

"Oh yeah? Well mine started at 4 months old!"

"Hmmmm.....what a late start. Mine was reading in the last trimester"


"We got a flash card system implanted in me so the zygotes could read. We didn't want to take any chances!"



I don't understand why it is so wrong to actually be a baby! Teach your children about the world around you. TALK to them. Show them everything. Then they will have an interest in learning more. Drilling them with flashcards since birth is just going to give them early burnout imo.

YMMV.