by writethisway

Created on: April 27, 2007   Last Updated: May 18, 2007

Your child was reading at 2 years old! How did that happen?

Many parents turn to books or advice from others on how to raise their children. I did the same; reading, listening. Ultimately I decided good parenting in all areas, including reading, should stem from parental instinct. And it worked for us, both boys were reading at a young age!

Based on what worked for us, here is my advice on how to teach a toddler to read:

*Begin as early of an age as possible (even before birth).
*Read out loud daily.
*For the infant, use simple books with colorful pictures.
*Point to words as you say them, let your child follow your fingertip as they listen to the sounds and view the letters/words.
*Pronounce words both slowly and at a normal pace.
*Sing the "Alphabet Song."
*Find ways to familiarize your child with all vowel and consonant sounds. "My First Dictionary" style books work well for this.
*Help your child articulate their thoughts into words. Little ones can often communicate quite well with body language. The earlier they talk, the earlier they read; although body language works, ease them into verbal conversations as young as possible. Ask them to say what they want.
*Teach them how to speak words correctly; phonically correct speech will help them learn to read.
*Spell words out loud, make a game of it together. (Example: When they ask for a cookie, ask them to say the first letter of the word cookie; when they're capable of trying, ask them to spell the word; etc.).
*Reward their knowledge, praise them each step of the learning process. Children need praise to be excited about learning.
*Write a story. They create it by telling you, you type it up, and have them read it to you. They'll be using memory as well as visual reading, and if they are speaking phonically correctly, this is an excellent tool.
*Read at every opportunity; books, grocery stores, restaurant menus etc. Words are everywhere in our society, take advantage of that.
*Make learning fun, exciting and rewarding. If you, the parent, are excited then your child will be also.

Learn more about this author, writethisway.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.