Need help! (combined issues...Doman+bilingual+flash cards)

[tarikumama]

Hello everyone! I am new here and I'm very glad to find this site....
Let me first say you are all brillparents here!!!
I am very encouraged to teach my 16years old son!!!

Well, I actually started showing words flash cards to my son when he was a few months old, but it didn't work out, since he would get fussy when I started showing cards...
(This was bit disappointment since I wanted to do Doman reading and math since I was pregnant...)

But, about a week ago, I came across this web site and determined to do Doman again.
So I started showing flash cards (in Japanese which is my first language).

First a few days seemed to go well...then as I add more sets, I started noticing him look down while I'm showing the cards. Then about 5th day, he closed eyes when I started!
Although he was smiling as he closed eyes, and he was so cute doing this, I thought to my self, OK...this is a clear sign of him not wanting to do this game any more.
So, I stopped showing the cards in Dorman method. (I went only 3 sets a day...there is no way I can do 5 sets at this point.

So I need help, advise and good ideas:

1)I tried something different, and showed cards while I was talking.
I went "oh I found your socks here!" (first showed him his socks then showed him socks card. then repeated) socks." (this was all in Japanese).  He was paying attention to my mouth, face and card.
But I don't know if this is an effective or ritht way to teach reading.
If so do I need to do with the same card like 15 times as Doman suggested?
And also, I don't know if this stimulates right brain...

2)I am trying to teach him Japanese as it is my first language.
But of course, I need to teach him English, as he is here in US.
(Oh, of course because his DAD speaks English ...but I can't get much help from him as he is working hard and not be able to spend much time teaching as I can.)

When you teach more than 2 languages, do you show flash cards with both languages?
Or should I focus on Japanese for now and do English later?
Or should I mix them up?
Can mixing them confuse a child?

3)I am getting YBCR DVDs, but these are in English.
So does anyone has any suggestions how to in corporate this DVD experience to teach Japanese?
Should I say what's said on screen in Japanese at the same time?
Or later time to review and talk about it??

4)In Doman method, cards are written in red and really big.
As my son is 16 months now, should I still use red? Can I use black ink?
Also, can he have access to flash cards?
Or they should be put away as Doman suggests?

5)Oh lastly, should I give Doman method a chance and do more of flash cards?
Should I modify the method? (If so any suggestions that worked for your child?)

Phew...
Okay...sorry for the long long post.
But my mind is very cluttered as I cannot find the best method for my son.
I actually started making DOTs cards too. But I am bit nervous to start showing them to him now, since he was not too happy about flash cards experience.

So any comments, suggestions, especially with experience with your child are much much  appreciated! 
Thank you so much for reading and spearing your precious time!!!!!

Have a wonderful day, everyone 
Tarikumama

[Tanikit]

What you describe is a very common problem when teaching little children to read. They need to find it fun and your little boy is being adorable and probably laughing at you while he closes his eyes.

At 16 months you do not need to use red ink - you can use whatever colour you like, just make sure it is easily visible (red and black being easy to see) You should still write the words quite big though - I used letters 2cm high (a e n m etc) and 4cm high for letters like k l g h etc) and these were fine even from 12 months of age.

You need to do what keeps your child's interest and while I have no proof I believe that boys in paticular are more likely to learn on the move - so you could put word cards on his truck and push it around, do a running game in the garden finding words on trees or bricks, hide words in drawers so he has to open the drawers to find them - no it is not the flashing of Doman, but Doman himself said that every toddler who was taught to read by their parents learnt no matter what method they used. Using lots of different methods does not seem to confuse babies and toddlers like it might an older child either.

I think while you figure out a method that works for you and your child (and you will probably have to keep changing methods as your baby grows older) then you should stick to the language you choose - maybe it is a good idea to show flashcards in Japanese and show him YBCR in English, but do not mix the two and don't speak over the YBCR in Japanese because the word he sees is English and should be learnt as the English word. Same when you show him Japanese words - just tell him what it is in Japanese.

Your child will learn both languages purely because you speak one and your husband speaks the other. You are ina very lucky position that way. Maybe just point out words around him and say them in the language they are written in.

My daughter liked to see the Doman method words in te bath - I laminated the words so they could fall in the bath and then flashed them at her and she took them, put them in the bath and stuck them on the tiles - bit of right and left brain then.

You could also try little reader as seeing the pictures after the words makes it a lot of fun for children and babies.

Good luck - don't worry too much, he will learn even if he closes his eyes occassionally. My daughtert was playing with phonics cards today pretending they were Star Wars characters and I let her. She's having fun and she knows the letters, why can't it be imaginative too and just plain fun every once in a while

[tarikumama]

Hi Tanikit,
Thank you so much for your great advise!!!

I didn't know this was common reaction. 
I will try all different way to show him cards and most importantly with fun!
I think I was losing the FUN part as I was getting stressed by not be able to get his attentions. 

I think I will stick to black and red for now and make sure writings are big enough.

Boys are on-the-move learner huh?! I must say this might be true.
Because when I show him cards while he is doing something, he still looks at them, and seems to be working fine. Thank you for the great game ideas too! I can't wait to do these later!!

After I post my question, I actually saw below bilingual teaching flash cards topic.

http://forum.brillkids.com/teaching-your-child-signing-speaking-foreign-languages/does-anyone-know-what-flash-card-method-to-use-when-teaching-two-languages/

In here, some suggests to mix languages.
What do you think about this?


 

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