Give Your Toddler an Advantage!

 

Good Monday am – Moms & Dads of Toddlers:

After decades of having a front row seat to the stages of our public, private, and parochial school systems, I would like to share the conventional wisdom as it was explained to me- as a very young mom:

From preschool – third grade, you Learn to Read.

From fourth grade – adulthood, you Read to Learn.

 

Today, I want to begin writing my first of many posts on the all-important topic of Reading. Don’t worry….promise to limit my educational posts to a few per month.

Even though my sons are now in their 20’s, I distinctly remember my amazement regarding their school’s expectation for fluency. I do not believe my sons’ schools were extraordinary in their standards. Simply stated, both sons were expected to be readers in the first grade. Day One. Without question.

For those precious first-graders who were not fluent readers of Sight Words and Consonant-Vowel-Consonant words (CVC such as cat, pig, tip), these little students were considered by some as “behind academically”. And some were under the suspicion of learning laggards or ‘late-to-mature’ children.

Please note that I taught my younger son to read using the same methodology as my older one. Two completely different personalities. Two different learning styles…one visual and the other auditory.

So the question you must be asking this morning is: How can I help my toddler? What are the absolute first steps I can begin today to lay down the foundation for reading?

Reading Readiness begins in your home. It is a key component to your child’s initial academic success. And it should be a fun experience void of the appearance of formal education.

It is imperative that you read to your child everyday – if work or other obligations make this impossible, then at least 4-5 days a week. Why? Well, the exposure to Oral Language will allow exponential growth of their vocabulary and their command of the English language.

Think about this…With only 26 letters in our language, your child will need to learn 44 phonemes (smallest linguistic unit of sound which makes a word different from other words). In addition, your son and daughter will need to master the 5 vowels which represent 15 vowel sounds.

It has been stated by clinicians that an older reader can only decode (apply appropriate letter-sound, letter patterns to sound-out words) an unfamiliar word if that word has been heard before and stored in their vocabulary’s hard drive.

For example, let’s say you are reading to your child today. You are reading a story with the word –‘serendipitous’. Even though your child will most likely not understand that word….over time, it is in their memory. And in 5^th grade, when this same word appears in their independent reader at school and with the knowledge of syllabication (syllable division), your child will recall ‘serendipitous’ and decode it successfully.

 

Reading to your Toddler:

1. When you do read to your child, turn off the television and allow only the sound of your voice to fill the room. No background stimulus. These reading times can be brief. No need for a read-a-thon.
2. Create a cozy ambiance. Equipped with an afghan or light throw, my son and I would make reading comfortable, unrushed, and relaxing.
3. Introduce modern-day classics to your pre-readers and to your older children. Figure out their favorite books (My sons loved “If you Give a Mouse a Cookie” series of books!) and read these same books until they will forever be etched in their childhood memories. Reading together should not be an instructional activity, but an anticipated time of fun with mom and dad.
4. Once in a while, read slightly above their level. Use this as an opportunity to introduce your little one to the world. Stop and explain frequently. Make these sessions casual and conversational. I read books to my young children about brand new – nonfictional topics with words they had never heard before.

Can you tell that I loved teaching my boys how to read many years ago?

Can you tell how much I love tutoring children now?

I must guard myself from disseminating too much information too quickly…no one likes to drink water from a fire hose. Do they?

Let’s make a deal. Enough for today. But do come back tomorrow.

Specific Reading Readiness Activities for Toddlers will be covered tomorrow morning.

Stay-tuned, Readers, there is something for everyone.

I’m working on a series of posts titled Clearing the Clutter just for you later on this week. Yes, it’s time to Spring Clean!