Your Child Can Learn to Read before the Age of Three

The questions become what do you consider reading and what are your expectations? It may seem odd that someone would actually want their child to be able to read before the age of three, but language becomes part of a child’s world at the moment of conception. Hearing sounds and voices, both familiar and unfamiliar, are essential in those first nine months. Reading to a baby while in utero is a precious gift parents, siblings, and family members can give their new little one.

Reading Aloud

One of the most important ways for children to develop the knowledge needed to succeed in reading is for you as their parent, or caregiver, to read aloud to them beginning early in their lives. From birth to six months your baby probably won’t understand what you are reading, but reading to him everyday reassures him with the sound of your voice. Daily reading also gets him used to seeing and touching books. You might want to use board books with no or very few words. As you discover the pictures and colors in the books, make sure to note the names of each.

Letter Blocks

Playing with letter blocks and making simple words, or the child’s name, encourages awareness of language as a toddler. Having a couple of sets of letter blocks comes in handy if you want to make more words with the same letters. Again, identify the letters as you use them.

Talking to Your Child

Parents should talk to their child at every possible opportunity. Even before children can understand a word, they are learning speech patterns. If you feel a bit awkward just talking about “nothing,” talk about what you are doing, going to do, etc. Little children really do listen. Adventures, or field trips, to places like the grocery store, do it yourself stores, and department stores offer a plethora of language opportunities.

Library Dates

Make going to the library a highlight of the week. Local libraries often have story times for small children, and some have a craft or art time afterwards to reinforce a particular character or scene from the story. These story times are also helpful if you are a bit uneasy about your ability as a reader. Usually libraries provide resources for both you and your children to enjoy reading that are free of charge…just ask. As your child notices you reading, he will want to read more and more. Children are great imitators.

Television

Some educational television programs help your pre-three child learn the alphabet and even the sounds the various letters make. Many programs are interactive so our pre-three wiggle worms can wiggle to the letters/sounds. It is vital, however that you do not let the television take over as a parent replacement, only as a tool to communication and language.

Therefore, whether you think a child’s ability to read before three years old is important or not, exposing your child to language at an early age is vital. To be able to recognize one’s own language, and be comfortable with its use only insures academic and social success. There is documented research indicating the benefits of reading to young children…or children of any age. Besides securing a closer bond between parent and child, it increases the child’s vocabulary, he hears new words and sentence structure the parent may not normally use, and stories introduce him to his cultural heritage and a world of make believe. But more than anything, it instills a joy of reading and learning that will benefit him the rest of his life. Indeed, what a special gift to give your child.

Prepared by F. Kaylor an avid reader and writer and edited using the premiere grammar checker on the web.