Is My Child Too Young To Read?
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When my son was only an infant I placed a newspaper in front of him with large print just to see what he would do with it. I was amazed to see his reaction to the print. His eyes grew quite large and his hand went back and forth over the paper. I then presented him with magazines and he would look at the colorful ads with such an intense gaze. At six months, I found that he could sit still with a catalog in his lap and be absorbed looking at the pictures for about an hour.
As he grew into the toddler stage, he would pull a book from its shelf and pretend to read aloud. He would point to the pictures and follow the printed words with his finger. Eventually, as he began to speak, he would read the book aloud with emphasis on certain words he found fascinating. When he turned two, through our nightly bedtime ritual, he actually learned to read by listening to me read books and following along.
I include this story about my son simply to demonstrate what a typical child can do if he or she is introduced to print, using age appropriate learning activities, at an early age. Through close contact with an adult within a nurturing environment a child will learn to love to read.
Reading Begins At Birth
This may surprise you but it is true: reading begins at birth. As you hold your baby in your arms he or she watches your facial expressions and listens to the sounds you make when you speak. The soft rhythmic tones soothe the child and help him understand that voice inflection and tone of voice mean something. Some mothers read to their child while still in the womb. Doctors claim that this helps foster voice recognition while comforting the baby. All this stimulates an interest in communicating and is an easy transition to teaching your baby to read as he or she grows.
A study in 2005 showed that, out of a sample group of 87 typically developing middle-class eight month old infants who experienced shared reading, language ability was that of a twelve month old (in girls). Although the finding is just months apart, this is remarkable for an infant (source: J. Karrass, JM Braungart-Rieker, Journal of Applied Development Psychology, March, 2005). Infants who are read to at an early age (six months and above) prove to have better disposition, and stronger emotional and intellectual aptitude as pre-schoolers.
Stimulating Imagination and the Love of Reading
Wordless books with simple pictures or images work well in introducing infants to reading. As you read together point out the pictures, colors and use facial expressions to emphasize your excitement and stimulate interest. At this age, eye contact and touch (touching the pages and your face) are very important and it helps baby to enjoy the reading experience. As she advances to a toddler, use books with rhyming words, interactive pages, silly songs or nursery rhymes as well so that your baby can connect sound to the printed word. Hold your child on your lap and make sure the pictures and words can be clearly seen. Be ready to read books over and over as children tend to enjoy hearing the same story repeatedly.
Encouraging a Child to Read
Young children can also enjoy learning activities as a lead into a story. Be creative in finding ways to make a book come alive through play or simple crafts. In the picture shown, the book How the Wind Blows was introduced through science experiments with wind (simulated, of course). The child was given a straw (the wind) and a variety of objects such as a feather, wooden stick, pom pom, and paper to blow across the table. We formed a simple hypothesis, conducted the experiment and made conclusions. It was fun and quite effective in understanding wind as a force in nature. Remember to use age appropriate words in your discussions and to ask open-end questions to encourage critical thinking. When doing science experiements, let the child feel the articles and material used and allow them to be creative in making assumptions. By the way, the child in the picture to the right is now in elementary school and reads at a ninth-grade level. We credit this to using learning methods listed in this article.
Experiment Details
Hypothesis
| Do you think the wind can blow this object across the table?
| Observation
|
|---|---|---|
Experiment
| Pom-pom
| Yes - assumption
|
Feather
| Yes - assumption
| |
Craft Stick
| No - assumption
| |
Paper
| Yes - assumption
| |
Conclusion
| Pom-Pom and Feather
| Yes
|
Craft Stick and Paper
| No
| |
Note: (we used simple terms instead of the scientific words in our discussions, i.e. "solid" vs. density)
| We discussed the object’s density, shapes and weight. We changed the paper’s shape to a basic airplane and then changed our conclusion based on the observation: it did blow across the table.
|
A rule of thumb is to have fun introducing your child to print using simple creative activities. Don't push them to read by using rote methods. Although many parents have been successful in teaching a child to read using structured methods , it is best to introduce print within a relaxed non-academic environment. I will publish a hub within the next few weeks on easy to make books for infants, toddlers and pre-schoolers that are sure to help encourage the love of reading.
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Thank you, teaches, for reinforcing the truism that as parents we must show our children the enjoyment and pleasure of reading from the time they are infants.
Thanks for visiting and commenting on the hub. I believe that if a childives to read he will be successful in life. Start early and keep building the interest. Appreciate your thoughts, Sturgeoni.
You are so right. We must set the example for children. They will learn to love reading because of the positive association. Thanks for commenting!
Great advice. Both of my children were reading by age 2 and honestly, I have no idea why!
Reading is such an enjoyable activity for me that your hub leaves me smiling. How wonderful that you promote the activity of reading as a happy time and ways for parents to introduce the activity to their children. Vote up.
This is really good information and advice. I too believe in not pushing the child to read by the rote method. It makes reading a real bore. Kids should be introduced to reading with fascination and the wonder element of what the book is going to reveal. One more plus point is reading books is easier on the eyes than TV. Voted up.A great hub once again.
Too funny but i would say that they were inspired by you in some way. Thanks for stopping by.
Reading is enjoyable and more so when it is coupled with activities and family. Thanks for commenting.
You are so right, Vellur. Reading is much better than tv and it helps children use their imagination in positive ways. Appreciate your vote and comments.
Thank you for sharing these very interesting ideas about encouraging children to read from a young age, teaches12345!
AliciaC, it is the child who is introduced to the printed word early in life that acquires great reading skill. Children can only excel in school if they love to read. Thanks for your support.
I really enjoyed your hub and I, too, am a firm believer in early reading. My 2 year old has been reading since she was 10 month old and now she reads books to me at bedtime. Thanks for sharing.
Congratulations, you have given your child great wisdom for life. I love to hear little children read because they truly express themselves well. Thanks for the support, Savanahl.
Hi teaches12345, a lovely article, my daughter (cloverleaf) was reading by the age of 3, while other young children played with dolls she took her books everywhere with her!
Thank you and voted up.
Thanks Movie Master for stopping in and leaving your most encouraging comment. Your little girl is most blessed with your loving guidiance in literature. I am sure she did quite well in her school years due to this advanced reading skill.
Each stage of a child's life offers new experiences with language. I enjoyed the gentle approach to reading that you discussed here. Kids really do start building blocks to reading long before they start conventionally reading. This is very good information for anyone that engages with a child!
KrystalD, you are so right in stating children start building blocks to reading long before conventionally reading. As a child's first teacher a parent can help build a strong learning environment supportive of future reading skills. Thank you for stopping in and for your support.
teaches - my daughter was grabbing books to read as soon as she could pull them from the bookshelves. Her favorite pastime was a trip to the library to choose her own books. At 9 months, she would repeat words as I read books to her. When she was two, she brought me a book and began to read it fluently, although she had never seen the book before. My younger daughter also loved books and would often look through them and pretend to read. She didn't read until she started kindergarten and never really had a great love of reading. When she was 17 she was diagnosed with dyslexia. The fact that she did read as early as she did was a testament to the fact that she wanted to so badly. The fact that we didn't find out about her dyslexia until age 17 was a testament to the fact that she learned to cope with the disability and learned ways to compensate.
Voted up and SHARING.
Very inspiring hub. Every children has own uniqueness, even their interest to learn. But we must give them full of support and guidance in learning something, including reading. In my experience in teaching, the best age for them to learn reading is in kindergarten. Thank you very much for share with us. Rated up!
Prasetio
I agree that kids start reading at birth. I was reading books at 4 and haven't looked back. My parents were instrumental in guiding me to read. Great hub!
Great hub! You are so right kids need to start YOUNG! I love the fun experiment as a way to encourage kids to read. Well done.
Justateacher, your girls must have been encouraged through your shared reading moments and caught on to the importance of learning this skill. It is always a thrill to hear how young children are when they first begin to read. Good job! Your younger daughter did very well in coping with her disability. Perhaps she can tell us how to best reach children with dyslexia. Thanks for stopping in and for your support.
Prasetio30, yes kindergarten is the first introduction to reading skills and the age which children grasp the concept quickly. For those who have a unique interest, parents should gently introduce them to print-sound connection through learning activities and shared reading moments. Thank you for your comments.
Give your parents a "high-five" for introducing you to the wonderful world of literature at such a young age. Thanks, Alecia, for your visit and comment.
Thank you, thebookmom. We had so many fun learning activities with our son and grandchildren during their early years. It is a great method for stimulating a child's interest to a book.
My kids learned to read when they were so young too... My older one knew books by heart and would repeat them word for word even when he was around a year of age... he is now in Med school, loves to study and is forever reaching up to the stars. I so agree with every point you make in this hub. Have a wonderful day. God Bless!
Sofs, yours is another story that proves gently guiding children to enjoy reading proves successful school years. You should be proud! Thanks for your visit and comments. Blessings!
Nice hub, great information. It is really intresting to know that reading could actually start at infanthood Thank you for sharing this great wealth of information. Remain blessed always. Best regards.
Thank you cristina327 for reading the hub and commenting. The introduction to reading at infanthood leads to acquiring the skill much easier once they are older and can connect print and sound. It is a good way to bond with your child.
No one is ever too young to read! People who can read well can learn anything, and it's never too soon to start learning! Voted up and awesome! :)
You are so right, justmesuzanne. You are never too young to read. It is a fact that if you love to read you will never get tired of learning. Thanks for your commenting and the vote up.
Wonderful hub and insight. I have always told my kids "If you can read you can write your own ticket in life.". They are both bookworms. LOL
I love you saying and hope you don't mind if I use it when I teach students. Totally true! Thanks for the visit and leaving a comment.
The quote is all yours, my friend. ;)
I think it's never too early to teach children to read. Your Details table at the end of the hub was especially interesting. Voting this Up and Useful.
Thanks CelestialCameo.
Thank you Alocsin for commenting. Your support means a lot!
An excellent hub that points out something that is so important today: children must read and develop a love of it. Great job!
Thanks, billybuc. Totally agree with you that teaching a child to love reading is a must today. Your child will have a headstart before entering preschool and this will help them enjoy attending.
Great tips! I love teaching children, maybe i should have been a teacher ;) Loved this hub!
Hey, Pinkchic18, it's never too late to start a new career! Your comment is very much appreciated. See you on hubpages.
Lots of helpful advice here. I'm going to pass this on to a friend of mine who has been thinking about teaching her little boy to read early. Voting up.
I am so glad that you enjoyed it and are passing on the idea. I encourage your friend to give it a try and she will be pleased at how her little one enjoys the book and being with her.
Excellent and timely hub! I find that today reading is not valued like it should be. So many children today hate to read and that really should not be so. Reading is something that they can learn to love at a young age if the parents are willing to instill it.
Very interesting hub and I agree about the importance to introduce books early to small children. It is so fun to read books with children and they learn very fast! Thanks for an interesting hub with an important message, voted up and more,
Tina
I agree that at this age they are fast learners, so why not take advantage of it and introduce reading concepts? Thanks for the vote up, thougtforce.
You are so right, North Wind, children today do not know the pleasure of reading. It's a shame since there are so many new fantastic books avaialable. It does take time to do these reading activities but it will benefit your child as they enter school.
I taught reluctant readers. I was responsible for making them avid readers, or readers who score well on standardized tests. If one teachers like a reader, and not like a teacher, miracles happen. I enjoy your company.
Thanks for the visit, dkm27. I agree with you that the teacher makes the difference in a child's learning to love to read. Thanks for the comment as well. Take care.
My young daughter loves to read books, so I buy her a new one on a´regular basis, both in Swedish and in English. I read a Swedish bedtime story to her every night and she likes to return the favour by reading me a story in English every night. There is a small problem as I fall asleep before she does:-D
Are you sure that this is her bedtime remedy for a good night's sleep? How funny! I love the fact that you are encouraging her to be bilingual. This will only prove successful for her as she moves forward. thanks for the visit and for commenting.
I agree that reading starts at birth. If left until school age and to the public school system a child will seldom reach full reading potential. My son is a great reader. Right now we are in the middle of the Accelerated Reading period. He is at 262 percent of goal. When he gets upset or mad at me he says "I am going to go to my room and read!" It is hilarious.
I love your son's positive solution in dealing with friction. Yes, it is hilarious! I should use that whenever I want to spend some quite time alone. True, if a child is not taught prior to entering school, he is already behind and will struggle to achieve successful learning skills. Thanks for the visit and for leaving a comment. Take care.
Hey Teach ~ I love your work. You have written what young parents need to learn about education and the potential for young children to learn. As a matter of fact, children can hear in the womb and musicians know this and play beautiful melodies, chords and harmonies for their yet unborn children, who may be born with a love and attraction for music. Blessings, Debby
You have added an important piece of information to the hub. It may make a big difference in a child's nature if music were played while the baby was in the womb. Thanks for your added insight. Be blessed today.
I am always grateful that my mother spent so much time reading to me as a child. I really liked your observation that reading begins at birth, with facial signals, etc. I'd never thought of reading as something we do apart from words, but it makes so much sense! Thanks for a well-written hub on an important topic! Anaya
Anaya, thank you for your kind comment and support. True, reading begins early and makes for a lifetime of enjoyment. Glad you were able to get some results from the hub post.
Very good.
Being a photographer I like to take some photo's and maybe insert the students name into a story I make up. The children eat it up and love to read.
God bless you.
What a great idea, Teacherjoe52 and I will try this idea next book I make. Thanks for your suggestion, visit and support. Be blessed!
This is a terrific hub. I enjoy reading and I hope my son (he's 2 now) will as well, (he seems to now at least.) I read him books sometimes and other times he says he wants to read it to me and he will point to the pictures and tell me some little story he makes up about it. It's too cute.
Hi teaches
What do you think of Smashwords.com?
I have a couple of books ready to publish and would be interested in your opinion.
Thanks
God bless.
You made me smile, urgurl_bri, my son used to love to pretend to read books to me also. This is good and shows he is interested in learning the skill. Great job! Thanks for the visit and kind comment.
Hey teacherjoe52! Thanks for stopping in for a visit. I have only briefly looked at smashwords. It is a great place to download books for a reasonable price. I am not sure how the payout is to the author. I know there are a few hubs on the topic of publishing ebooks that would give you more information. I can think of one by esmeow112 "How to Publish an E-Book at Smashwords" recently written to help those interested in ebook publishing. Let me know how it goes for you. Blessings.
Hi teacher.
Thanks for the tip.
I will lok into it.
God bless
Hope you find an answer and can proceed with your ideas for writing books.
Thank you.
I looked it up and it is very useful.
May God bless you on your adventure of being a mother and author.
I am sure your books help other mothers.
Thanks, Teacherjoe52!
You so nicely demonstrated that early reading opportunities gives a child a leg up on continued reading and learning for the rest of his/her life. Nice job! Up, useful and interesting votes. Ideally, all children should have this same opportunity!
Peggy, it would an ideal world if all children were introduced to reading early in life. For now, we must encourage others to take an active role in reading with children as early as possible. Thanks for stopping by and for your votes of support.
Sturgeonl Level 4 Commenter 3 months ago
You expressed the value of reading to children...starting from a very young age. Important information expecially for parents who might not know the amazing results that happen from reading to infants and toddlers. Great Hub.