Reading: Start Early or Wait? Let Nature Decide
When is the best time to start teaching your child to read? The answer is not as clear as "experts" on all sides would have you believe. Some think early is better because kids with a head start in reading tend to do well in other subjects. Others cite research that shows early readers on level with their late reader peers by 4th or 5th grade due to boredom. Here's some earth shattering news.... If you pay attention, your children will tell you when it's the right time to start them on a reading program. Both extremes of the argument above have merit. Our position is that God created children as natural learners. Before we even realize what they're up to, our children have learned and classified dozens of concepts and they recognize words in a variety of contexts. The short answer in our view is that when a child is able to talk, they'll give you cues that can help you decide whether they're ready to start reading. Listen to your child's questions. Often, an interest in learning to read is clear from that endless stream of curiosity. The more questions -- and the more focused on clear learning goals the questions are, the more likely your child will take to learning the skills necessary for reading. Don't ignore the really obvious questions like, "mommy, can you teach me to read?" either.
There ae scores of books about reading instruction at every age and every level. Visit the Family Mentors Webstore and search keywords, "reading instruction" for some examples. You will want to consider a prepared reading instruction package liked Hooked on Phonics or Sing, Spell, Read and Write : Level 1 Kit
We started our children -- all boys -- around age four and took our time. While we used the Sing, Spell, Read and Write : Level 1 Kit
