Need pointers on teaching a toddler how to read....?

Question

My son is 18 months old. And before any of you tell me that it is too soon to teach him how to read let me just say that he already knows and recognizes all of his ABC's, numbers 1-10, and all of his colors. He already has a vocabulary of over 100 words, probably near 150. That being said I'm pretty sure that he is somewhat advanced for his age. All I need is some pointers because want to start teaching him small words (cat, dog, etc...) but I really have no idea of how to go about it. Is there anything that you parents did that helped your child learn how to read? I know he might not catch on right away, but I can go ahead and start trying. We do school everyday anyway. Thanks in advance and serious answers only please.

He knows what sounds the letters make.

Answer 1

He sounds very advanced and must be very enthusiastic which is half the battle with children of any age.
The key is to keep the enthusiasm going, doing things actively and through play as often as possible.
Your son will soon recognise cvc words (consonant, vowel, consonant) if you play with word cards. These will have the picture and the word on each card. You can get various types, including dominos, pair games etc.
You can have fun drawing the letters with character faces on them, giving him the sound of the letter rather than the name at this stage. So if he knows that C is ke, and a is aa (as in apple) an T is Te, you can demonstrate and he can pick up how to put these letters together.
If he is keen to learn and is having fun, I don't see any harm in him learning to read simple words at his age. If he loses the enthusiasm later, don't worry, just give him a break for a while. After all he has plenty of time when he is older.
Hope that helps.
For more parenting tips try my website:
http://parents-in-a-pickle.com

Answer 2

He's not ready to learn until he knows the sounds that all the letters make. Sure, that's great that he knows what the letters are, but he needs to know the sounds they make.

Start doing that first. Just sing a song like "A says ahhh, B says buh, C says cuh", etc. Once he knows the sounds like that, he needs to be able to see the letter written and know what it says. So, then you can start with like those refrigerator letter magnets and you can put an A and he can tell you what sound.

When he can do all of that, then he will be able to read.

Start with early reader books, like Dr. Seuss. You'll have to sit with him and really work on it, but at the same time, don't push him too hard. If he's not ready, then just wait a week or two and keep working on letter sounds (so he doesn't forget) and try again later.

If you push him too hard at this age, it may be more difficult to teach him later on.

Good luck.

Answer 3

You have to figure out what motivates her or her "currency" as some people say. So far what you have done does not motivate (and I do not mean this as a put down, I have to examine this myself with my own two year old...it can be frustrating!!) Mine does not like having priviledges revoked. She almost lost a trip to her grandma's recently and today at a wedding she was running around where it was not safe at the reception (there were waitstaff going back and forth with trays) and she got the priviledge of wearing a special necklace for the big day and I told her I would have to take that away; using the reasoning that all of the big girsl were walking and she needed to do that too or she wasn't ready for the necklace. On both occaisions she listened up right away. You will actually have to follow through the first through times and hearing her cry will about break your heart, but it is more important on so many levels to have a child that is respectful and obedient.

Answer 4

My son was also an early reader. What I did was make reading a fun activity always. We would go to the library, get a stack of books, bring them home and have a book party on the bed. I would read to him and ask him questions about how he liked it and whether he wanted to read it again, etc. The more I read, the more he wanted. In time, he would start reading ahead of me and then reading the books on his own. My son is now a teenager and reading is his great passion in life. I do believe it was the "fun" factor was the method that got him going in that direction.

Answer 5

How about reading to him? Write down the 100 words or so that he knows (on a separate piece of paper, like a flashcard) and have him say the word. He can already say it, and if you show him the object or whatever, he already knows that too, now show him what it looks like written down. Maybe put the words that sound most alike together or one after the other, e.g.

Say he can say 'Tower' and 'Flower', have him say it, show him a picture and than show him the word...first Tower, then Flower. Or, Cat, Hat, Bat, Rat?

Good luck, and have fun!

Answer 6

Read books to him, and run your finger under the words as you read them. Get some letter-shaped magnets for the fridge for him to play with. He might enjoy shows like Sesame Street or Between the Lions, that teach and entertain at the same time.

It can be done. My three-year-old nephew is reading at about a 1st-grade level.

Answer 7

Well
The ability to read is vital for success. It helps your child succeed in school, helps them build self-confidence, and helps to motivate your child. Being able to read will help your child learn more about the world, understand directions on signs and posters, allow them to find reading as an entertainment, and help them gather information.

Here you can find a step-by-step online program that can help your child learn to read: http://readingprogram.toptips.org

Learning to read is very different from learning to speak, and it does not happen all at once. There is a steady progression in the development of reading ability over time. The best time for children to start learning to read is at a very young age - even before they enter pre-school. Once a child is able to speak, they can begin developing basic reading skills. Very young children have a natural curiosity to learn about everything, and they are naturally intrigued by the printed texts they see, and are eager to learn about the sounds made by those letters. You will likely notice that your young child likes to look at books and thoroughly enjoys being read to. They will even pretend to behave like a reader by holding books and pretend to read them.

For more info visit http://readingprogram.toptips.org

Answer 8

Post-it Notes. Put them on objects that he likes to play with so he can see the name of the object. However, be careful with what you name or will confuse him. Don't but a note on a cup called "cup" and a note on a coffee cup called "coffee cup". To him the object looks to similar. Keep things simple until he has it and then separate objects such as those. Play games with him so that it seems fun. Ask him to bring you something that has the name on it and sound it out with him. Make him say it with you. Best of luck.

Answer 9

My daughter was an early reader, as was I. Passive teaching works best at this age. Read to him frequently and let him develop his ability at his own pace. You can point at words as you read them, but otherwise wait until he indicates an interest in words by pointing at them, etc.

Answer 10

Your his mother and you know his limits. With that being said, try flash cards. Go slow. Start with sight words like the, a, cat, ect. repeat repeat repeat. Don't push, make it a game. If your going to do words like cat, show him the word than a picture of a cat. Good luck.