Give freely and don't test
When you decide to teach your baby to read, you will no doubt be extremely excited. The idea that a baby can learn to read is fascinating. You will be very tempted to check and see if what you are doing is working. You may set up some multiple choice sessions where you child will choose a certain word from a selection.

I would like to advise you very strongly to stay away from this form of testing until you have been doing a program for at least 6 months. This obviously depends on the child and their age, as there are exceptions to every rule. Some children are excited to demonstrate their new ability and will show you early on that they are reading. Others are just soaking in the lessons and by asking them to read before this period, you may sabotage your whole program.
One of the chief principles of teaching your baby to read is to freely give and fill them up. If you want your child to read, then you must read to your child and show your child words. What we are doing is filling their little brains with words and information. We can liken their brains to a vessel. When we continually fill a vessel, it will eventually overflow. When your child's vessel, or brain, begins to get full, there will be an overflow. (The brain cannot even become too full, I am speaking metaphorically here.) It will probably be one of the most wonderful moments of your life, when you see the results of the investment you have made into your child's life.
Just to drive the point home, show your child words. Read together. Point out words and continually teach your baby by exposing them to written language. You can gently ask your child to prove himself by pointing out a certain word, but don't do this too soon.




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