We've been teaching Trace his ABC's and 123's but should we start teachimg him how to read yet?

JuLeah - posted on 08/09/2010

It sounds like he is exactly where he needs to be - perfect

Linda - posted on 06/08/2010

Trace just turned 20 months today. Loves to dance. Know his nursery ryhmes. Will sing someof the words. he knows all his letters and numbers counts to atleast 15 sometimes. he knows what thigns are. We've made little games with things. Knows his animals and thier sounds. Even knows how to unite his shoes and or takes them off. Im just gonna take things slow. I want him to have a childhood and not be pushed into something to early.I guess thats what Im trying to say. Thanks for the help thou.

JuLeah - posted on 06/06/2010

You will do better, in my opinion, to teach him letter sounds. Knowing the names and being able to sing the song is great, but he needs to know the sounds letters make to read with any skill.

You don't mention his age, but teaching letter sounds, colors, numbers, shapes .... all is a must before kindergarten.

So when you talk with him, talk about the yellow sun, not just the sun. Talk about eating three crackers for snack, not just crackers.

Sort blocks with him by shape and by color. Count with him, everything, steps, trees, spoons ....

And the most important thing, read to him. Read all kinds of books many times a day. Sing songs with him too, play rhyming games (agin you are working on letter sounds there)

If it is a game and he is haing fun, then you are not pushing him - and I do think you are wise for having concern about that.

Good Day! - posted on 06/06/2010

Learning letters and sounds and reading books to him is all part of the process in learning to read. You'd be surprised how many kids start school and don't know that you read a book from front to back, or that the pictures match what the words say, etc. So your little one has a leg up already!

Comprehension is so important and many times it is skipped over as parents are more concerned with the actual reading part. When reading to him, ask him questions about the book. Who are the characters? What happened in the beginning, middle and end? What do you think the title and pictures tell us about what will happen? What do you think will happen next? (Do the last two questions as you are reading a new book.)

When it comes to the actual reading take it slow and follow his lead. It sounds like you'd do that anyway. =) Here is a website of common sight words that kids should know to help increase reading fluency, and therefore comprehension:
http://www.quiz-tree.com/Sight-Words_mai...
When it comes to phonics, a great FUN website is:
http://www.starfall.com/

In all honesty though, the BEST thing you can do for your kid (when it comes to reading anyway) is read to him! And I would stay away from "Your Baby Can Read." YOU will do a much better job than a DVD. ;)

Lori - posted on 06/06/2010

You are teaching your child how to read ALREADY !!! Just by talking with him, showing him things and reading to him - you are encouraging the willingness to learn. He will pick up on this and develop a zest for reading......
I have a 5 yr old boy that reads on a 3rd grade level - Louise is right - he was bored in preschool (we had behavioral issues ) and my husband and I fought hard to get him tested and assessed properly..... He is on a 1st grade level for everything but behavior - its the end of the school year and he has made massive strides since being challenged academically..
Reading is the stepping stone for anything academia wise - you are right to want to encourage it. But you need not use these silly programs...... Good Luck !!!!

Jennifer - posted on 06/05/2010

I don't know if I would start trying to teach him to read, as long as you teach him the enjoyment of reading, which it sounds like you do.
I do the counting with my daughter(she's almost 2), as well as the ABC-song, but I am not pushing the reading at all. She seems quite content right now to use her own imagination about what the books are saying. When they start asking what that says, or what that word is, then I know it is time, as happened with my son. That way I knew we both were ready.
Hope that helps.

Johnny - posted on 06/05/2010

As long as you don't spend too much time on teaching reading, numbers etc. it is just fine to get started. But I do fear that too many kids are being pushed to do things way beyond the appropriate developmental level for their age and missing out on the skills that they really should be developing naturally. It is easy to forget about those things that they are learning through independent play, make-believe, and just sitting and thinking. Learning to read early probably won't help your child do any better in school in the long run (and "Your Baby Can Read" can actually damage literacy in the long run) but developing an imagination, independent thought, and creative problem solving skills will serve your child for a lifetime. We do teach my daughter her numbers and letters (she's 22 months and counts to 10 and knows A-I so far) but we certainly don't make it a focus of our day. She learned the numbers by counting as we go up and down our stairs and then I showed them to her on some flash cards we have. I didn't even realize that she had learned them until one day she started showing them to me and saying the number. There really is no need to push them, let them learn at their own pace and naturally. It lasts longer and builds a stronger foundation.

Cami - posted on 06/05/2010

It's never too early to start teaching them to read, in my opinion. Do whatever you feel comfortable with, and what you feel that he's comfortable with. I started introducing my daughter (who is now almost 6) to reading at a very early age and she is now reading on a 2nd grade level and will start 1st grade this fall. Do whatever you feel like is going to benefit your son. Hope this helped. :)

Teresa - posted on 06/05/2010

How old is he? Just read to him and it sounds like he will learn in his time.

I also agree w/ Louise in as far as pushing for your child's educational needs to be met if they are 'ahead' of the game. Not that it is a BAD thing, but many schools can be difficult to work w/ as I've discovered w/ my girls.

Joanna - posted on 06/05/2010

How old is your child? And I've seen such negative reviews on the "your baby can read" because from what I've read/seen, it's more like a memorization, not actual reading.

My 2 1/2 year old can count to 12 and all her ABC's (though sometimes she gets confused with Y and V), and she thinks every word says PAIGE, her name, lol. We just read a lot of books to her, and if there's a short word we have her say the letters ("C-A-T, that spells CAT", etc), but I would never try to "teach" her to read yet... she's so young we're just enjoying what she learns on her own.

Louise - posted on 06/05/2010

My son was on the gifted and talented register at 5 as he was able to read at four. This started by introducing words at about age 2. He excelled all the way through school and is now off to uni. The problem I had was that because my son could already read and do simple maths he was always held back by teachers who had to teach the majority of the class and not individuals. My son was bored stiff always ahead of the class and at times this lead to behaviour problems. Be prepared if you want your child to stand out then it is at a price because you will be fighting for education from day one.

Kim - posted on 06/05/2010

You can actually start teaching your kiddo how to recognize sight words...my little guy is 22 months old...he counts to 5, can recognized some of the A,B,C's by sight and can recognize the words a hand full of words by sight.
Try words of things that you use every day like...potty, cup, food, milk, etc. Put them on a 4x6 card and show him the card when he is asking for/using the items. I did this just to see if I could get my lil guy to recognize the words and soon enough he started pointing them out at the store and in books. I was pretty amazed but his mind is like a sponge right now and I am just trying to keep up:) Plus make it fun...call it the word game and he will eat it up!