I began teaching my baby to read when he was around 3 months old. He loved it and has never known a time when he couldn't read. It was a game we played throughout the day, after a diaper change, or first thing in the morning. I didn't know if he was learning to read, because he couldn't talk yet. Imagine my surprise when at 12 months he read his first word out loud!
That was just the beginning. He began reading words that I would write down on paper, in the sand or on the black board. He would amaze family, friends and even strangers with this skill. The fascinating part of this story is that all babies have this ability. If parents gain a basic understanding of how babies learn to read, their babies will be reading too.
He was never forced to read. He was always given the option of looking at a book or looking at words. If he did not want to, we played a different game.
He had a very long attention span by his first birthday, sometimes wanting to view his reading books by the stack. He loved learning to read and would sometimes view hundreds of words at one time, at his request.
Part of our morning routine was to cuddle and
read his reading books . These are precious memories and even if he had not learned to read, I wouldn't trade them for anything. Teaching your baby to read really bonds the two of you together.
In order to teach your baby to read, make sure the words you show your baby are large. You don't want your baby to have to strain to read them. You can use a piece of copy paper to write one word. Use a marker, red or black, and start off with your baby's name, your name and your pet's names.
I used plastic sheet protectors so the paper would be more durable. Just read each word to your baby and move on. By doing this frequently, about 15-20 times per word, your baby is learning to read.
You can move on from there to anything that interests your child. It is so much fun to gently lead your child into the wonderful world of discovering reading.
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