Your Child IS Ready to Learn To Read

There are few milestones as important to us as when we learn to read. Anyone who has had the opportunity to witness a child who is able to read their first word knows the joy and excitement that is felt as they come to realize their new ability. This can only be matched by a parent’s pride as they see their child reading for the first time.

Needless to say, teaching your child to read is one of the greatest gifts that you can give to them and although we often wait till children enter school to begin the teaching, many parents today are opting to start much earlier and give their child an advantage as they enter formal schooling. Homeschoolers are even beginning the reading process much earlier and benefiting from the impact is has on advancing in other subjects.

You may wonder when your child will be ready to learn to read. This is a common question among parents. Though there are many schools of thought on this subject, most are in agreement that a child is ready to read when they are starting to communicate verbally. This would be the time they start to say their first words and recognize the association between the spoken word and its meaning. For some, this can be as early as 10 months, but most commonly is between 12 and 15 months of age.

It may seem that this is a bit too early an age to learn to read, but studies have shown that this age is actually quite ideal. Since they are able to make associations between the spoken word and an object, they are also able to associate between a written word and an object. At this stage it is merely a matter of introducing the learning process.

Each child will learn to read at their own pace, but there are some very common techniques which can be used which have proven to be especially successful in babies and very young children. Many of these techniques involve similar principles of repetition, recognition, and memorization. These techniques are presented to the baby or child in a way that fun and interactive so that they remain entertained and interested for a longer period of time.

When you think your child is ready to learn to read, look for programs that offer these techniques and present them in a fun, playful way. You will be surprised how easily your child is able to grasp even complex reading concepts in this way.