ABCs and 123s - Page 4

[Lillian J]

Originally Posted by white_feather

Lillian - Interesting about the vision issues. Has this been researched, do you know? I still don't think I'd stop a voracious early reader from reading b/c of it though . . . but it is an interesting point.

I don't know whether it's been researched... That was just what one pretty highly experienced vision therapist told me, but I don't know what all she was basing it on. But, yes, I think it would still make no sense to stop a child who wants to read. Lillian

[mainstreetmama]

A post with both bragging and reassurance (I hope!)

hi,

just came across this thread and wanted to share my experience with my older kids (ages 13,11, & 8). We also have a 3 1/2 year old son.

When my older kids were tiny, they started showing interest in symbols sometime between ages 3 and 4 (counting out of order, sometimes pointing to letters and saying the wrong ones...) I didn't do any kind of deliberate singing of the ABC song or "teaching" them colors/numbers (mostly because I'm a lazy mom...the same reason I breastfeed forever, do the family bed, start solids late, etc!), and I think they all seemed to be a little bit "behind" when they started preschool because there were many other kids who could write their names, knew all their colors, numbers, letters....

They seemed to learn to read gradually at school during first and second grade. They were undoubtedly not at the head of any of their reading groups in those years. The summer after third grade each seemed to reach a turning point, where they began to want to read independently.

Here's where the bragging starts. They are now extraordinary readers, in the best way, in that they love books and would rather read than do just about anything else. This summer, they walked to the neighborhood library every few days and checked out a dozen books, rushed through them and went back for more. I review the books they read for content, but generally let them have a wide berth...they read graphic novels (age appropriate), victorian children's novels, any new children's fantasy that comes out, historical fiction, etc, without a lot of pressure about good books vs. bad --

I know why they became such strong readers...and it surely wasn't any "teaching" they had (pathetic public school). It's because we read at home. For most of the last 10 years we haven't had a TV, and before they spent so much time reading on their own, we read many, many books together. (If anyone's interested, I'd love to list a bibliography of the longer chapter books I started reading to them age 5 or so!)

Here's what I believe...if you give a child a hunger for the secrets in books, then all you have to do is just stand back, because they will be unstoppable in their drive to be able to get inside books on their own.

What does this mean to the parents of preschoolers and toddlers? It means reading CHarlie Parker Plays Be Bop and that insatiable caterpillar over and over again. Fortunately, many of these books are not only wonderful, they also come in helpful board book editions that can be chewed and read by multiple children.

So, at the end of this very long posting, that's all I have to say. It's not the mechanics of the ABC's that you want to give your child...it's a love of the written word! It's their birthright!

Love (and please forgive the bragging...reading out loud is the only thing I've ever done just right as a parent!)

Main Street Mama

[applejuice]

I made a book for my child with pictures of him holding an apple, holding a ball, holding a cookie, etcetera.

We took the photos together and put the book together.

For the numbers he got dressed up and we took pictures of him holding up 1-10, fingers in interesting and colorful places...

I still have the book.

For X, I stood him in front of a xerox machine. :LOL

[Lillian J]

Originally Posted by mainstreetmama

Here's what I believe...if you give a child a hunger for the secrets in books, then all you have to do is just stand back, because they will be unstoppable in their drive to be able to get inside books on their own.

What does this mean to the parents of preschoolers and toddlers? It means reading CHarlie Parker Plays Be Bop and that insatiable caterpillar over and over again. Fortunately, many of these books are not only wonderful, they also come in helpful board book editions that can be chewed and read by multiple children.

So, at the end of this very long posting, that's all I have to say. It's not the mechanics of the ABC's that you want to give your child...it's a love of the written word! It's their birthright!

:

- Lillian

[Gale Force]

I figure it's all a lot like everything else in child development -- follow their lead. My son was excited all through breakfast this morning and kept pestering us to work with him on Hooked on Phonics. When I first saw the system I thought "holy moley, that's a bit much for a 3-year-old." I was also skeptical about using a phonics approach and thought that word recognition would be better for his age. He loves it. He loves the puzzle aspect of it, he loves that he gets "stars" when he finishes books , and he loves having the ability to read.

When my sister was about 18 months, my mom found a system to teach toddlers to read. As an English teacher my mom was gung-ho until the first lesson when my sister showed absolutely no interest. My sister learned in first grade as did I and as did just about every other child in class.