In detail, please explain how you taught your 2 or 3 year old to read. Thanks!?

Question

Please, no naysayers.

From this Yahoo Answers site and from my kid's 7th grade teacher (who taught her 18 month old to read), I have learned that children can learn to read between the ages of 2 and 5 AND IMMENSELY ENJOY THE PROCESS OF LEARNING TO READ.

I am only interested in responses from people who have taught their young children to read. I know there is lots of disbelief--think as you wish. People have done this, and I just want to know how they approached the task, what worked to get their young ones reading.

Thanks!

Could you please indicate how old your child was when you taught him/her? Also, how long was the teaching session or did you spread it out all day?

No, I don't want my kid to read early so I can abandon him.
Just because reading is fun and I want to establish an early and very beneficial habit, since kids can learn to read during this 3 year span. I myself LOVE to read. I am not insisting that he read all the time, just before bedtime. There is so much to learn in the world, and reading is just one part of it. I also don't believe in tv, the flicker from the tv shows damages the formation of a normal attention span. Check out the research. American Academy of Pediatrics bans tv before age 5. So I'd rather not use Sesame Street.

Answer 1

First of all don't push. Unless your little one wants to read it will just be a headache for both of you.

My eldest son learned to read at 4 because he saw his sisters reading. We use the McGuffey's readers and I tested him on his letters and thier sounds and then we just read out of McGuffey's primer everyday for two or three lessons or until he was bored/no longer on task. Then when he was 6 we really did phonics but didn't have to spend to much time on it (Saltmine & HifWip book). He didn't really want to read harder books/chapter books even though he could until about this last year when he discovered Redwall and now he's read all of those and is reading some of Frank Perretti's works (he's 13).

Having a print rich environment is the biggest thing, newspapers, library, magazines, reading aloud - stories at bedtime and chapter books (we still read aloud and my kids are 17,15,13 & 7). Seeing siblings and parents reading and enjoying it. Reading signs, anything with words on it.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

Get a picture book, one with many nursery rhymes which are illustrated nicely. The bookstores have these, they are an investment, about $20. Don't get the thick books. The thin, large books have at least 16 to 20 good readable stories. Sit down with your child and read the rhyme. Does he/she understand this? (you ask) How does he/she know this, can they point it out to you? There should be graphically well illustrated version of the verses you've just completed. In good books these are colorful,entertaining and loads of fun to look at for both the parent and child. Once you begin a conversation about the rhyme, say we'll go back to it later. The child will ask you to read again, and find your few favorites, the ones he/she shows interest in and can answer the most questions sensibly. Move on to magazines, like People. At some point here, learn to identify the letters of the alphabet, the smaller articles such as a, an, the, and some predicate verbs was, is, these are common in these stories. Go, run, went, she, he, all these words appear repetitively throughout their books. Ask the child if they recognize any of the letters and words, and they will ask what are these. You then explain letters make up the words, which make up these rhymes. Ask if they like any of them, and could they read some of it. Some of it is memory, and some of it is learning. Isn't this natural? You can use other books, although the nursery book makes it the child's own, usually with the best illustrations, and really good stories they appreciate, and will sing and say. My son also learned softball very well at age 3. I am amazed at how well he can play. He could be Cal Ripken.

Answer 4

I started teaching my four-year-old to read using a phonics based program. Learning the letter name is useful when they are older and learning to alphabetize words, but reading is making the sound that the letter symbol represents. Fifteen to thirty minutes a day on learning the sounds should be enough, but take the cue from your child. Some children "get it" quickly, but others take more time and get frustrated. If that happens, take a break and then pick up where you left off after some review. You should also be aware that there are 70 basic phonograms in the English language plus another 10 - 20 advanced phonograms (which you probably won't introduce for a few years).

An excellent resource for teaching phonograms is "Spell to Write and Read" by Wanda Sanseri. It might be a little difficult to understand at first. I use it as a supplement to my children's spelling program. But, if you can take the time to understand it yourself, it really is one of the best phonics programs around.

Hope this helps.

Answer 5

The earliest I have taught a child to read was 4. I did teach however the letters and all the sounds up until then. Then I got a wonderful book that you probably could use if your child is open to it called "Teach Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons." He was reading well at 50 lessons.

I have to add, some kids just aren't ready or interested. If your child totally bulks, don't force it or you may rob him of a later joy of reading. Just keep reading to him and reintroducing the concepts until he is ready.

Answer 6

The Doman approach is supposed to be very good. Other than that, look at Montessori.

Keep in mind that your daughter's 7th grade teacher may have had an exceptional child! I didn't teach my daughter to read, but she still began reading at the age of 3. You could do whatever I did with a bunch of kids and they wouldn't necessarily start reading at 3.

Answer 7

Is it ok for me to tell you how I taught my 4 year old brother to read?
We are both past 50 now, so this was 'back in the day'. I read to him. I was in 1st grade and read him my books, pointing to the words. He was reading within 3 months. We are both avid readers.
Fast forward 40 years: I tried the same process with my son and it didn't work. I tried phonics with my son, it didn't work. I tried flash cards, it didn't work.
He learned to read moderately well, as far as sounding out words, by the time he was 8. He is 14 now and can actually understand what he reads, but hates reading.

Answer 8

You should get the Bob's books through amazon.com. They teach only a few sounds at first to get them reading (deciphering) right away and the books are short and cute. My daughter learned at 3.

Start with one of the Bob's books, show them only the letters they will use, have them learn the sounds of them, put the sounds together, form a word, join words, make sentences. I think it took about a week to get going and she has never stopped reading since.

Answer 9

My daughter learned to read at age 2. I didn't teach her persay, she sorta learned on her own. We just read lots of books and eventually she asked how to spell words, so i'd spell them and then she started reading things here and there. I have another duaghter who is 2 now and can't read and thats fine. I don't pressure my kids, they will all do it when they are ready. There's really no benefit in kids being forced to read at a young age unless they say they want to.

Answer 10

My son was a self-taught reader at age 3. By self taught, I mean he picked it up on his own because his dad and I read to him since birth. Even as an infant with board books we'd point things out like, "see the apple.../ap/ /pl/...it's red, it's round...r-e-d, red, a-p-p-l-e, apple", etc.

I surrounded him with books, books, and more books as an infant and toddler, then as a preschooler and now as a grade schooler. We have a huge home library and typically have 50 or more books checked out from the library.

When he *did* watch videos or TV (PBS only), I put the closed captioning on the TV so he could see what was being said. I think that contributed a *lot* to his reading skill.

I did not "hot house" him on purpose. He just loved to be read to, and then read on his own. We just instilled that love in him from birth. He's 9 now and still an avid reader.

I will say that he is profoundly gifted and that may have had a part in it. I know early readers, though, who are not gifted, and gifted kids who were not early readers.

I also read by age 4 because my two older sisters and my grandmother (lived with us) constantly read to me and played "school" with me. I was soooo bored in Kindergarten!

My second child, who has autism and is non-verbal started spelling consonant-vowel-consonant words at age 3. She learned to read/spell from the Leap Frog products - mostly the DVD's and the Fridge Phonics. She is 7 and non-verbal and developmentally delayed, but she keeps up with her "typically developing" peers at school in the reading lab (has a pc for accomodation).

Reading opens doors for knowledge like *nothing* else!!