DadDude
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« Reply #17 on: November 22, 2012, 03:09:11 AM » |
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We were using it (the very first ones) when E. was 12 months, but there was no way to know if he was actually learning the phonics rules. I gather that some parents (some reading this, I'll bet) used it around that age and had their kids reading phonetically much sooner than E. did. I didn't use a systematic approach (so much of this per day every other day, so much of that, etc.) and I think that those who were, well, more committed than I (and my wife) were could have had more noticeable success sooner. Anyway, in our case, E. started saying the words consistently...I forget, but somewhere around 20 months. So we restarted going through at that time, with "short a," and since then he's been making faster and faster progress, although with breaks. Re breaks, we took about a 2-month break, in which we looked at it relatively rarely (3-4 times a week and rarely for long), then we got into it again a month ago and made another bunch of progress, then in the last week or two he's been turning it down again and I don't insist. As I explained in my essay (linked below), H. was precisely similar with the flash cards. He would have periods of enthusiastic progress, then lose interest for a week or a month.
I rather wish that someone else who has taught his/her child to read at a very early age would tell the story in detail, as I have done. We need more data. Nobody should draw any conclusions on the basis of my two sons, who share a lot of genes and have gone through similar programs with the same main teacher.
I guess my point is that it can't hurt and might help to start on RB that young. At least, it will make it easier to get through the beginning stages later on. But don't get your hopes up too high about rapid early progress. Even for parents in this forum, while it definitely happens, it seems relatively rare.
Happy Thanksgiving (to everyone celebrating it)!
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