J learnt her alphabet early as I took her to sing and sign classes when she was about 18 months old where they sang the alphabet, I've put words up around the house labelling objects and she has spent time on the computer copying words but apart from that I've not really done much work with her up until June last year when I started the beginnings of reading. Of course I've been reading to them all so much that she had picked up some and she memorised her favourite books to read to me and I'm sure given time and continuing naturally in that way she would have learnt to read in her own time but I just wanted to speed that up a bit so that she could then read about anything she wanted to read about. I think it opens so many doors and she is loving it!
I started off doing 15 - 20 minutes a day with her playing word games, practising letters, colouring letters etc then as she progressed we've made that time every other day. Now that she is on series 9 of Peter and Jane we perhaps do it twice a week. She can choose to read to me at any time which she often does and its so lovely to be read to, she is quite expressive and puts voices on for the different characters!
S is going to be 6 in September and has been doing similar to J since June but not as much. Its actually quite amazing how she has progressed and I think she will be reading fluently before she is 7 and then I have B who is 3 and is so interested in what the others are doing she is picking up words and knows her alphabet I shouldn't be surprised if she is even earlier!
3 comments:
I am just doing the same with Ruben! He is the same age as J. I've been quite relaxed about it but we have been doing more and more recently as I think not being able to read is holding him back a little. Its such a boost for their confidence too! Well done to both of you
Zoe x
Thank you Zoe, I met up with a friend today and their eldest was autonomous home ed and although he is doing really well in the adult world he has said to his parents he does feel held back by his difficulty with reading and writing and thinks it is important for them to do more of it with his younger siblings. He is a very confident adult but feels that completely drop when he goes somewhere where reading is needed.
Its such an independence step too I think because they don't need us so much to 'spell' things out for them and I've noticed how confident J feels when she reads a sign or label on something herself and can proudly tell me what it says.
I found it a challenge fitting it in at first but when I finally got into the routine each day it wasn't long before I saw great results. Good luck with it x
Think your right, I agree that children should be allowed to do these things when they are ready and I've tried hard to do that, I've read lots recently about how it makes no difference in later life whatever age children learn to read but can't help wondering if that's the case then why do so many adults struggle with reading? Words are literally everywhere and I think that it must be very difficult not to understand them. I'm glad that Ruben has had the freedom that my older three didn't(as they all started school) to learn things in his own time and I'm looking forwards to helping him with this huge achievement. Good luck with J too, although she sounds like she's doing great :-)
Zoe x
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