Teaching your child to read before school

[prufrockrocks]

Is anyone trying to teach their toddler to read before he/she starts school? I know a bit or two about phonics and am trying to teach DS some sounds and letter shapes, but I'm not sure how much is going in, or if I really should even be trying (he's just turned 2). Is it worth it? Should I just leave it to the school and help out later if need be? Does anyone have any products/websites etc they would recommend for teaching young children phonics?

I taught all 3 of my dc to read before starting school using phonics: I wasn’t going to leave it to a reception teacher who preferred look-and-say. They have thrived academically throughout school, and being confident with their literacy helped them massively at the start of their education.

@Covidwoes what you set out are the basics and I would venture that schools need to start being firmer in their expectations. When mine started primary 20 years ago I don't recall a single child being unable to do those things except for listening nicely and that was generally due to neuro-diversity.

If children can't take off and put on their coat, eat decently and aren't potty trained they aren't ready for school and as a society we need to deal with that, fund it and schools need to stop making excuses unless there are neuro-diverse or other health issues at play in which case the children need prompt ECHP's and appropriate funding to support them.

The role of a school is to educate and actually even 20 years ago, that was largely down to parents. Teaching was to tests rather than ability even then andnit was woeful.

They'll get it when they get it. no rush.

We are firm unfortunately @SpringNotSprung, but there's only so much we can say/do. Ultimately we can't change people's parenting either. We run plenty of parent workshops, but the ones who attend are the parents who don't really need to! It's a sad state of affairs.

There is lots that can be done. In my opinion, if they aren't potty trained, can't take off/put on easy garments and feed themselves, they shouldn't be allowed to start school. That would soon change things and focus parents' minds. Having said that formal learning shouldn't be happening before age 6 anyway. It works very well on the Continent.

Only if they are ready - I'd you feel like you are hearding a cat then don't do it - may even be counterproductive

Didn't teach my older two to read before school. They have always been top set in reading all throughout school 🤷🏻

With my third born, I gave him a "bonus" year at nursery so he was close to 6yo when he started formal education. He is reading fine, slightly behind his peers but he has had a lot of input with SALT aged 3/4/5 so this is not a shock. He will get there in his own time. It is not a race.

My youngest didn't get taught before starting primary school either. He is doing really well.

Play is child's work. Let them play for as long as you can. Reading can wait a bit longer!

Did the app cover subtle forms of advertising though @Boymummy90uk ? Asking for a friend.

Mine could read and write before primary. Set her at a total disadvantage because the other kids couldn't do either so she was mercilessly bullied. Poor quality state primary back then didn't seem to appreciate parents who cared / pre-prepared children.

We used chalk and black board, crayons, early reader books (ginn readers), the schools programmes on TV, apps and websites such as starfall and cbeebies.

Had I known we would go on to have several more children I would have also used the label everything method - name tags on cupboards, fridge, TV, doors, that kind of thing.

😂😂😂

Is this a new thing? because all mine could read before they started school and most of their friends could too. It's one of the best bits about parenting imo, don't do yourself out of the pure pleasure that comes from teaching your child to read!

I agree this is much too young for formal learning.

Some kids are ready to learn before starting school. I spent the first few years of life in another country. I started school able to read because Sesame street - which contains a lot of phonics - was playing on children's TV in that country then. There was nothing "formal" about it.
When my older child was 1, we got him a set of sponge toys for the bath including letters and numbers. Very quickly he knew them. Then letters / words on fridge magnets. There wasn't initially a conscious plan to teach him to read - he just absorbed it all. He was reading quite well when he went into pre-school aged 3, and fluently when he started reception. He loved reading. I saw it as an antidote to boredom. About 10% of my kids' classes started reception reading at some level so it's not that rare.
There is a hierarchy of skills that kids need when going to school. Going to the toilet independently is more important than reading. Dressing, buttons and zips etc also important. Shoelaces less so - velcro has reduced the importance. Reception teachers would much prefer a kid who can put coats on and go to the toilet independently than an advanced reader because the former makes the teachers life easier whereas the latter makes it harder. But sometimes kids acquire skills in different order. If you make absolute statements like "kids shouldn't learn to read until they can tie their shoes", then in my older son's case you'd have been waiting about a decade. Being a good reader can boost their self-esteem if their fine motor skills aren't so good.
I've friends from some countries with a later school start where it's common not to read until 7. Once they start, apparently they catch up quickly. But to me, the journey is as important as the destination - I remember a tremendous sense of freedom in being able to pick a book of a shelf and read it yourself rather than having to wait for what an adult might choose to read to you.
My general views are (1) you shouldn't hold kids back from something they're interested in (2) different kids are ready for the same thing at different times (3) good things will happen if you get kids reading for pleasure.

Read to them, talk about the story, ask them questions and be led by them. That's all you need to do. I didnt teach mine to read, because they showed no interest. They're bright and have qualified for grammar schools despite this terrible start to life 😂