The earlier you expose your child(ren) to language the earlier they will become readers. Learning to read is a trained brain activity. While it may seem for some that reading is an innate ability that just happens, what is actually happening is the processing systems in our brain are functioning at an increased rate! This makes picking up language, oral and print, easily.
My son started to read words close to two years old and read books by the time he was three (he's four now). My daughter started reading words shortly after turning one year old and has been reading books a bit after one and a half years old (she's two now).
How is this possible? Follow this series of blog posts, "Grooming Stellar Readers" to learn how we are accomplishing this goal now.
In part two of “Grooming Stellar Readers” we spoke about observing your child and acting on what you see. During this stage you are paying attention to how long your child spends doing particular activities. Now that we have a practice and consistency mindset with the addition of knowing when we can provide direct instruction it’s time to Start Small.
Start Small
Remember you and your child are beginning this journey together. It is highly important to start small and then build upon what you are doing based on how well your child is adjusting to this change. Start small! Does your child know their alphabets? Do they know the sounds these letters represent?If not this will be a great place to start. While your child is playing or engaging in their favorite activity, sing the ABC song with them. Focus not only on the cadence but proper pronunciation of the letter. Be sure to pause when saying l, m,n, o, p. In addition, begin to introduce letter sounds. Research suggests following a letter sound and identification sequence. This is based on the frequency of the letter used in literature, mouth positions when the letter sound is made, and letter formation similarities. More information about this can be found here. Embed this practice throughout the day with your child. Once your child has shown knowledge, move to the next sound and letter combination(s).
Note: Consistently having your child practice their sound and letter identification will speed the process of them being able to identify and recall. Progress to introducing more than one sound/letter based on how much your child can handle.
To learn more about how you can groom your child into a stellar reader, set up a consultation by contacting us at info@cuenye.com
Comments