Reading Too Early?
Have you ever experienced unnecessary pressure from others to get your child to read? Have you ever been asked,, "Is your child reading yet?" You can teach them letters, sounds and combinations, but they'll read when they're ready. It's usually when they start to see the value in it.
Our society puts too much pressure on reading at early ages when children have little association of the items and objects they're reading. We must first expose them to the world around them. How can they know what a river, lake, boulder or brook is if they've never seen one? How can they have a comprehension for beauties they've yet to observe?
Does mom read? Rather, is she seen reading? A lot of what our children pick up from us is what they see us doing. So, let your children catch you reading.
Over the years some of my sweetest memories are of reading to my son or daughter at bedtime. This is the perfect time to engage with our children, snuggle up with them and enjoy reading. For us, this is a precious moment for us to giggle, it's often the time I'm most relaxed and that makes it fun.
While you wait for your pre-emerging readers to blossom at their own speed, read aloud to your children and follow their interests. Get books from the library, books of value. At some point, they'll likely want to choose their own books. This too heightens their interest in reading. At home, you may want to have a bin of books they can choose from as you introduce a "free read". They can choose from your recepticle of pre-selected books.
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What can you do instead? Instill good habits. Build intimacy. Curl up & read together. Have them help around the house. Thanks to Boz the Bear, we have a saying, "Even though you're little, you can do a lot". Help them feel confident in what they can accomplish. Allow them to develop other skills such as bike riding, throwing & kicking a ball (develops hand-eye coordination), drawing with chalk, playing with play dough (strengthens hand muscles for writing later).
Most of all, be patient. You know your children. Don't wallow in any unnecessary pressures from others or internal pressure to get your children to read. Your littles will find their way, with your help, in their own time.
