Teaching your baby to read. Anyone read this?

[Lexiejack]

Found a book called how to teach your baby to read that's got amazing reviews and I'm
Going to try with DS (2.4) and DD (1.1) but was wondering if anyone has tried it and had any success?

Why would you bother? Not being rude, just don't know why you would want to do this.

Why would you want to? I'm not trying to sound challenging I just genuinely don't understand. There is so much else that you can do with them at that age.

The first 6 yrs are the time that children learn the most throughout their entire lives. And why wouldn't you want your child able to read early? It affords them so many more opportunities and creates a love of learning

If you want to help your children learn to read, there are lots of things you can do to help them - things like matching, and putting things in order, and rhythms and rhymes. Just the things that parents tend to do with small children anyway. I don't think anything more "direct" is going to get you anywhere at this age.

Mum did it with all three of us at home after reading that. It can be rewarding for some children. You may find doing some phonics as well can be helpful. I know. I got phonics half way through reading Lord of the Rings when I was 6yo. I remember it clicking and thinking "why didn't anyone explain that!"
It was particularly useful for my db who had severe speech problems. He just learnt to read and write quickly and would write down what he wanted to say.

I think doing it for your dd is too soon. If your ds is interested then try it if you want to. Wouldn't push it with a bored child. I loved being able to read, it gave me something to do when bored

My parents and my nursery did the system with me and I could read by 3 which benefitted a lot. I'd like my children to enjoy learning and reading before they get broken down by the view that school and learning can't be fun

Sorry, that's utter nonsense. Reading before school age makes absolutely no difference whatsoever. What does make a difference is reading to and with your child, rhymes, stories, songs, providing an environment where books are loved and important, everything AMumInScotland mentioned. This isn't the same as hothousing.

So what are these 'opportunities' of which you speak?

All three of my children have a love of learning and an appreciation of books. We used to go to the park, bring back leaves and then try to match them up to pictures in books and all sorts of simple things like that. I really don't understand why you would want to try to teach them to read so early though. They are so full of curiosity at that age that you really don't need to be looking for things to teach them - such simple activities can be fun and education in a wider sense. Making patterns with dried pulses, mixing paints to see what colours you get etc etc etc. I would also have been worried that mine would have been bored in reception if they were reading already. Are you are sure you are not just being a competitive Mum?

Encourage reading through playing games to recognise and understand words. I'm not making them sit down and memorise words or they'll be caned! It's purely enabling them to take pride in learning something that they'll use everyday and encouraging them. Not to mention at 2 my DS can sing and sign quite a lot if rhymes, knows his colours, shapes and numbers so the next logical step is reading. I want them to want to learn through their own choice and I don't see how early reading is a negative thing at all

I'm not being a competitive mum I just feel that whilst he is curious and enjoying learning new things it should be nurtured.

You are right that the early years are the most important time in the child's life in terms of learning. However, learning through play is the absolute best and most meaningful way for young children to learn. I think you would be surprised at just how much they do learn when left to play alone or when playing with an adult who is interested in what the children are interested in.

No, the next logical step is not reading. It is assimilating all these things he can do and applying them in different, meaningful contexts to develop his learning across different areas.

I, and all of my friends who have had baby's this year, have read to our babies from about 8 weeks old. Some of them even sooner. Why wouldn't you? Teaching your child to read is one of the most important life skills you will EVER teach them. There is a wide range of wonderful children's literature.

Ds1 could read odd words by 3, fluently well before he started school. I've never heard of that book. We just read him bedtime stories every night and shared picture books during the day from the very beginning. We never 'taught' him to read, but he learnt. We'd planned on doing the same with ds2, although he's less content to sit still and listen!

I know he could read some words at 3 btw, because driving back from my uncle's house, a route we'd never taken before, he yelled out from the back that I was going the wrong way. I asked how he knew and he told me "The sign said [hometown] that way!!" I was

My ds could read by the time he was 2. He learnt by watching Cbeebies' phonics and taught himself (I assume) and we didn't know anything of it until he sat and read words to us. Now he's just about to turn 5 he can read books in french and english. Dd who is just 3 can hardly string a sentence together and is only just able to recognise all the letters. I don't think you can teach a baby to read. I think you are just sometimes lucky enough to have read the book with a child who would be a naturally early reader anyway. We've never pushed ds to read, he just chooses to pass his time with a book. Just as we've never tried to make dd read. She likes looking at books and listening to stories but would rather be role playing. Kids is kids!

Reading to your child and teaching them to love books is not the same as teaching them to read. I absolutely agree that it is important to use books with very young children. I just think the idea of teaching them to read and two and a half is nonsense.

We're always reading especially to DS who will repeatedly bring over books for us to read him. The book suggests a flashcard system with familiar words and gradually increase to sentences etc through games. It's nor about pressuring them at all just unlocking potential (gag I hate that phrase!!)

Flashcards - really? When your oldest isn't even two and half? For the love of God, please just take them out in the sunshine and let them play in a sandpit!

Reading to your child and getting them to read are two different things though Trestired. I've been reading to DD since she came home from the delivery suite. At 2 she could recite all of the Julia Donaldson books, used to turn the pages of the Gruffalo as if she was reading it. She knew her colours, shapes etc, could count confidently etc. She adores being read to, asks questions and makes up her own stories about the characters in the books (she's 3.5 now) and I'm pretty confident that when she goes into reception and learns to read she will love it as much as I do. I just never felt the need to get out flashcards and organised games. There are so many other things you could be teaching your child that won't be learnt in the classroom.

It reminds me of the people who claim their child is toilet trained because they've learnt when to dangle them over a potty. It's utterly pointless and not making a scrap of difference to the end result.

I agree with everything you have said Gwendoline! Very well put.

Ugh. Just ugh. I hate books like that, it guilt trips parents who are already understandably anxious to give their child a good start. But it gives a totally skewed idea about what is important!

If they show an interest, fair enough (though you'd probably be better off doing phonics instead of word recognition, especially as that's what they will do in school) - I've started a tiny bit with DD at about 3.6, but it was all at her request, and it's only when she wants to, doing games with letter sounds. Same with number stuff - despite being an uber-maths-geek I'm determined not to push her. Education is not a race.

Learning means SO much more when it is self initiated.

Reading books to your child is one thing, flashcards is something quite different. I think there's a risk that you do make your child feel pressured, even if that's not what you're aiming for, and turn reading into a chore instead of a pleasure.

But you've obviously decided to do this, so the responses of those of us who have older children who love reading despite our not spending their early lives bombarding them with flashcards are not going to deter you.

If you tell a child this is a 'b' they'll probably think so what. Whereas say this word says 'ball' and they'll be able to relate to that. We do phonics if he specifically asks what a letter is but it means nothing to him compared to how happy he is to recognise when he sees the word hippo for example.

Also you could try reading some books by Alfie Kohn,, David Elkind and John Holt. :)

FWIW I was reading fluently at 3, but although mum did a similar thing to what you describe in the OP, I'm sure it was mostly luck that I picked it up quickly.

Pushing a very young child to learn in a way that is doesn't come naturally to them can be very damaging.

Learning through play is most advantageous for little ones.
Read to your children.
Talk to them.
Give them plenty of access to fun learning experiences eg: children's theatre, family board games and imaginative play.

I cannot think of a single one the "many more opportunities" that you claim your very young children will gain from being hothoused.