Can you miss the window of opportunity for early childhood reading?
Today's question comes from the Brillkids forum.
Question:
Is it possible to have missed a window of opportunity/interest with regards to early learning and reading? I began Your Baby Can Read with my dd when she turned 13 months old. By the time she was 15 months she could sight read approx. 20 words. I was very excited and she seemed to love both the dvds and the flashcards. Then I became pregnant. I am one of those rare women who get hyperemesis gravidarum throughout the whole duration, often requiring hospitalization, and battle with constant sickness, dehydration and extreme fatigue. So basically I gave up teaching her to read because I didn't have the health or energy.
Fast forward to now, she is 25 months and I started 6 weeks ago with Little Reader. I am discouraged because it seems she hasn't any interest. She may tolerate some of the multisensory photos and videos, but she exhibits zero interest in the actual words on the screen and often walks away. We are now in the part of the curriulum where phonics is being taught, but I don't know if I should continue because she doesn't seem to be paying attention.
1. Should I continue on and trust that she is somehow absorbing this? or wait and try again later?
2. Did I miss an open window of interest when i stopped last year? Perhaps this has something to do with right brain/left brain stuff. Honestly I don't know. I am stumped.
Fast forward to now, she is 25 months and I started 6 weeks ago with Little Reader. I am discouraged because it seems she hasn't any interest. She may tolerate some of the multisensory photos and videos, but she exhibits zero interest in the actual words on the screen and often walks away. We are now in the part of the curriulum where phonics is being taught, but I don't know if I should continue because she doesn't seem to be paying attention.
1. Should I continue on and trust that she is somehow absorbing this? or wait and try again later?
2. Did I miss an open window of interest when i stopped last year? Perhaps this has something to do with right brain/left brain stuff. Honestly I don't know. I am stumped.
Answer:
When I tried to teach my first baby to read she was 10 months old. I was so excited to start and she showed zero interest in flash cards. She wouldn't even look at the words. I was relentless in finding a way to get her to look and learned that if I made word books with words and pictures she would pay attention. I made all of my materials, because back then (10 years ago) there really wasn't much available for purchase. I wasn't consistent enough since I was so busy making materials. I always felt underprepared. She did see lots of words but never read as a baby. However, when she turned 4 we began a phonics workbook and with very little help from me, because I had 3 older children I was homeschooling, she worked through the book and basically learned to read on her own. She learned to read faster and easier than my precious 3 children.
I have attempted to teach 4 of my 6 babies to read. I say attempted because the first two were a learning experience. I found that the younger I started the better they paid attention and enjoyed it. If you know how they babies learn to read, then you can adapt that into all you do with your children. Point to words around the house. Play games where your older helps you teach your younger and he will be learning at the same time. Play with letters and talk about the sounds they make and read to them a lot!! That is one of, if not the most important things to do. If you teach them to read but rarely read to them and they don't learn to love to read, what is the point? I think that Glenn Doman does not place enough emphasis on reading to our kids. If you read to them and engage them in books you can text point as you go and they will pick up words almost effortlessly. Also, the more you read to your child, the easier they learn to read on their own. My 4 year old loves to be read to and now loves to read to me. We start out with a stack of books and we are fighting over who will read it. My older daughter was reading to her the other day and my 4 year old insisted that she read to my 11 year old. I heard my older daughter saying, "Gabby, I am supposed to be reading to you." I love that my 4 year old is so eager to read on her own and I know it is because she has developed a real love of reading due to the hours we have spent reading to her. If nothing else, read to your child. It is the most brain building activity you can engage in. It encourages imagination, concentration and focus as well as builds a child's vocabulary and knowledge about the world they live in.
I have attempted to teach 4 of my 6 babies to read. I say attempted because the first two were a learning experience. I found that the younger I started the better they paid attention and enjoyed it. If you know how they babies learn to read, then you can adapt that into all you do with your children. Point to words around the house. Play games where your older helps you teach your younger and he will be learning at the same time. Play with letters and talk about the sounds they make and read to them a lot!! That is one of, if not the most important things to do. If you teach them to read but rarely read to them and they don't learn to love to read, what is the point? I think that Glenn Doman does not place enough emphasis on reading to our kids. If you read to them and engage them in books you can text point as you go and they will pick up words almost effortlessly. Also, the more you read to your child, the easier they learn to read on their own. My 4 year old loves to be read to and now loves to read to me. We start out with a stack of books and we are fighting over who will read it. My older daughter was reading to her the other day and my 4 year old insisted that she read to my 11 year old. I heard my older daughter saying, "Gabby, I am supposed to be reading to you." I love that my 4 year old is so eager to read on her own and I know it is because she has developed a real love of reading due to the hours we have spent reading to her. If nothing else, read to your child. It is the most brain building activity you can engage in. It encourages imagination, concentration and focus as well as builds a child's vocabulary and knowledge about the world they live in.
For more ideas on how you can teach your baby to read check out A Guide to Teaching Babies to Read. This 80 minute DVD is jam packed with simple and fun ways to teach your baby to read. If you would like more information on how to teach your baby to read, visit www.monkisee.com. The Baby Reading Kit contains all you need to get started.
Posted by Krista G. at 7/24/2011 7:05 PM 
Categories: Question and Answer
Tags: window of opportunity for teaching babies to readGlenn DomanA Guide to Teaching Babies to ReadBaby R
Categories: Question and Answer
Tags: window of opportunity for teaching babies to readGlenn DomanA Guide to Teaching Babies to ReadBaby R
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