When do I start?

[Anyta84]

Hi everyone! I've just sign in and downloaded the program and I think it's really good!! The thing is that my baby it's only 2 months, is it too early to start with the program? I think it is... I also have the langauge problem: we live in Argentina and we speak Spanish, should I show him the flashcards in English or do I show them in Spanish? I will appreciate any comment about it!
Thank you all!

[KL]

Hi Anyta, glad you like the program!

Generally, most people starting babies on on a reading program (flashcards, dvd's, etc.) start no earlier than 3-4 months.  Many start much later than that too, and still get good results.

I would recommend that since your baby is 2 months old, perhaps you could start with the infant stimulation cards in our File Download section. (These black & white cards can be shown anytime after birth).

The most important thing, whatever it is you are doing, is to make sure the process remains fun and interesting for your baby.  Always let your baby be the guide, and there are no hard and fast rules.

As for dual language, simultaneously exposing a child to 2 languages is not uncommon, and many bilingual families do that as a natural course.  Typically, it would be more in terms of exposure to the SOUND of the language, rather than the written word, but I don't see a problem with exposing your baby to more than one language for reading, though you may wish to focus more on the main language you want your child to be the most familiar with.

As you speak Spanish, perhaps you could help contribute some Spanish word sets to the community by creating and uploading them to the File Downloads section!

KL

[EDITED to avoid confusion about when can we start using infant stimulation cards generally.]

[Anyta84]

Thank u KL for your response!! It really helped me!
If I have a little time I will try to upload some files with Spanish words... I think I'm going to use the ones that allready are in English and I will translate them.
Thanks again!

[Stef Ku]

Thanks Anyta84 for asking that question - it was the exact one I had in mind!  I was sort of wondering how early I should begin teaching by little one - she's already 3 months old (our little blessings grow up really fast don't they?)

I began reading up on some web articles about teaching babies early, and luckily I came upon this forum that discusses exactly that.  I was also able to download the infant stimulation cards, which I have already printed out and shown to Alexandra.

I am also reading this book entitled "How to Have a Smarter Baby" by Dr. Susan Ludington-Hoe, and I saw that it had a section about black and white high contrast cards for babies.  I think I was very lucky to get the infant stimulation cards from here - it saved me time on making them myself.

One more question - I was also able to download the Little reader program, and I loved it! - is it OK to begin teaching my baby flash cards from the software or should I stick to the Infant stimulation cards first?  :-*  Thanks!

[KL]

You're welcome, Anyta! Yes, translating our current sets into foreign languages is a great way to start.  We look forward to your contributions!

Stef - That's a great book by Susan Ludington-Hoe. As for your question, the most important thing to remember is to take your cue from your baby. Try it and see if she responds to it. Compare with her response to the B&W cards.  Etc.  In any case, keep the sessions short. Spend more time talking and singing to your baby at this stage rather than teaching reading. And make sure you don't neglect the physical aspect - maximize tummy time!  Those things would be my bigger focus at this age.

Let us know how she responds!

KL

[teresa]

It's never too early to educate your kids. I am 5 months pregnant with my 3rd baby and I should start educating him/ her now. I have not done that with my first 2 because I didn't know at that time. Now that I know, I will try to relax and do more mental exercise. Baby's brain cells are at the peak when they're 8 months old, and unused brain cells will start to die off. Therefore it's very important that we stimulate them early enough.

My daughter is exposed to 2 languages starting from 1 year old - we took her to a daycare that speaks another language so she was immersed in a second language environment. Starting from 2.5, she studied in pre-school where she learned her third language - English. At 3.5 now, she is totally fluent and conversational in all 3 languages. It's really not hard for a kid to know and learn multiple languages as long as they have enough exposure, although we sometimes hear all 3 languages mixed in 1 sentence!  . We hope to register her to a French immersion kindergarten next year so that she can learn another new language. :P

Teresa

[nohayo]

Dear Teresa,

That's amazing about your daughter speaking 3 languages That's exactly what I have been asking about on another thread

Are you worrying at all about the mixing if languages in one sentence? I don't like it in older people, so I was wondering if exposing to many languages at the same time as a child does that? or do you think she will grow out of it?

[teresa]

Hello nohayo,

No, I am not worrying about the mixing up at all. I have heard that they will separate the languages when they are older.  My daughter spoke 3 languages in 1 sentence when she was about 2 and we laughed at her. Now we caught her speaking 2 languages in 1 sentence sometimes. 

I am a strong believer that more language exposures will  give the little brain more stimulations. It's still beneficial even if they will forget the usage when they get older. Of course if they still remember it's the best case!

Teresa

[nohayo]

That's great !! so she already started seperating huh?! That puts my mind at ease I didn't know that at all

[lionsong]

I'm really interested in adding more of the Spanish words to our library. My daughter is learning Spanish (mainly through Dora the Explorer at the moment) and I want to start exposing her to a larger Spanish vocabulary. I don't speak Spanish myself, so I'm basically just learning along with her.

Naya

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