My son, Brennan, is two years and seven and a half months old.
And he is reading!
I was sitting on the couch feeding my other son and not really paying attention to Brennan who was just talking to himself over by the bookshelf. Then I look over and realize that he is flipping through my daughter's early reading flashcards (mostly two and three letter words) and he is reading them correctly! I had him bring the cards over and we went through the whole stack! I have no idea how long he's been able to do this. For all I know he could have been reading for months.
One of the main reasons for this, I think, is that he watches his sister read (she reads to him, it's so cute!) and he also sees his parents read. If a child really wants to be able to do something, he's going to learn to do it much faster than if he is simply forced to do it. That is why reading to and in front of your children is so important.
It reminded me of a story of a guy my parents used to know in Phoenix. Very blue collar, uneducated man who at the age of thirty-something, had never learned to read. But he was a really, really good man and wanted his son to have a better life than he did. So he asked--I believe, his son's teacher--how can I help my son love to learn? She told him that boys in particular are more likely to enjoy reading if they see their father reading regularly. So every night for about a half an hour, this man would sit with a book in front of him and pretend to read while his son played in the same room. In the end, they both not only learned how to read, but learned to love reading.
I love reading. I want my kids to love reading. So far, I think I've done a good job.:) My daughter has been reading since she was three, and now my son has started reading at two. That is something that makes me very proud. I think learning to read and learning to love reading are two of the greatest things you can learn in life. I'm glad my children have caught the fire, so to speak.
Ciao!
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8 comments:
it sounds like you're doing a fantastic job of glamourizing reading. otherwise your two-year-old could just watch tv like everyone else. good for you :) i hope if i have kids some day i can get them to love reading, too. it's basically my fondest hope. (my second-fondest being to someday own a washing machine.)
That is so cool, Aprilynne. And such a cute mental image. :)
My daughter LOVES to read. I think it's fantastic. She's even writing her own books now...
and doggone it, they are better than mine!
Harrumph.
Yup. Very cool. The great thing about having kids close together is that you only have to teach the first one. They pass on almost everything quite willingly for the sheer joy of playing the know-it-all. ;o)
I homeschooled my kids for a number of years and when the first grade reader arrived for the oldest, the four-year-old insisted on being taught too. It didn't take him long to pass his older brother in reading skills.
It's not coincidence that he is the one who directed me to Nanowrimo a couple of years ago.
You are doing a great job not only teaching your children to love reading, but to love learning in general. They are lucky kids...of course their gene pool didn't hurt them any either...heeheehee...
Nicely done. My oldest daughter loves to read. Somewhere around age 12 she discovered how cool the YA section is a Barnes & Noble and has been on a tear every since. I've even written to some of her favorite authors Sara Dessen and Kevin Brooks to have them sign her books for her.
My son though, that's another story. I think when kids are forced to read stuff they really really don't like in school they sometimes associate reading with "work". That's where he is. Reading is a necessary evil at this point. He reads fine, but has a hard time just losing himself in a book. But, he's a couple years younger, so I'm still hoping. It's funny though, because he'll have no trouble reading scriptures and things...he's a funny kid that way.
Oh no!
Pretty soon he'll be thinking for himself and forming complex sentences!
Quick, where's the teletubbies and nickelodean to squelch the habit!
Aprilynne,
I think it's great when kids read. I love it! we have far to many illiterate folks in the U.S. and I want to start a program in my area that assists young people to enjoy reading. My little cousin who is only 7, reads at almost a high school level. That's just nuts. She is soooo smart! :*) I had to snatch back my copy of Stephen King's CELL from her. I told her she can read that in a few years...lol. Geez...
I am sure that your wonder kid's achievement will always give you a happy glow when you think about it. It's really a cool thing!
My mother helped me love learning. She would do all the things you were talking about, read with us, gave us little kids books, etc. Funny thing is, my 4 year old brother taught me to read at 3, not my mom!
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