Great article on why your baby SHOULDN'T be reading

Danielleee

I particularly enjoyed the 2nd half of the article.

 

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/rewire-your-brain-love/201005/your-baby-shouldnt-read?page=2

Dreamsicle23

Good post.

I die a little inside every time someone posts about wanting to buy it. 

Christmasbaby18

I agree...I teach first grade and I get kids all the time that know "how to read", but actually they just have a lot of words memorized but they don't really have any strategies for figuring out unknown words and it leads to a lot of frustration for the child when they get into higher level books. 

Dreamsicle23

Christmasbaby18:

I agree...I teach first grade and I get kids all the time that know "how to read", but actually they just have a lot of words memorized but they don't really have any strategies for figuring out unknown words and it leads to a lot of frustration for the child when they get into higher level books. 

That reminds me...my mom was convinced I could read well before kindergarten.  It didn't occur to her that we read the same 3-4 books ALL THE TIME and I had just memorized them.  That makes me LOL now. 

SeaStar430

Interesting, but the trial study involving two children climbing stairs is completely irrelevant and I know that the ratio of this type of article to ones that support early reading is probably 1:1000.

I don't plan on teaching Allie to read anytime soon, but my dad has his doctorate in childhood education/psychology and my mom has been a kindergarten teacher for 32 years, with her master's in childhood reading, and tutors kids to learn to read.  I learned to read at 3, read Charlotte's Web before I went to kindergarten, skipped a grade, was immediately put into the gifted program, was a sophomore in college when I was 18, and was at the top of my class through college.  I am now a professional writer.  There was never anything wrong with my "brain wiring."  My parents have given me textbooks on how to teach children to read and it is SO complicated the way their brains work, WAY over my head.  It's all about phonics and brain connections and I have no delusions that Allie will have the headstart that I did because I don't have the training my parents did.  They never pushed me to learn how to read, they just knew exactly what to do and what not to do.  I was essentially raised by "professionals."

I've asked my parents what they think of the "My Baby Can Read" program.  They haven't really looked into it, but my dad had a very psychological theory behind it.  He said, "It doesn't really matter whether it works or not.  The parents who do it with their kids will have kids who will most likely be ahead for one simple reason.  Because they are doing something.  It's unfortunate, but most parents still don't talk to their children, have conversations with them, or attempt to teach them anything.  Those children make up the majority of children in this country.  If you are attempting to do anything to get your kids ahead, regardless of what it is, your children have the advantage."

In otherwords, the moms and babies on the bump are definitely not the norm.

I'm planning on just handing my LO over to them and letting them take care of it. 

JinglesChic

SeaStar430:

Interesting, but the trial study involving two children climbing stairs is completely irrelevant and I know that the ratio of this type of article to ones that support early reading is probably 1:1000.

I don't plan on teaching Allie to read anytime soon, but my dad has his doctorate in childhood education/psychology and my mom has been a kindergarten teacher for 32 years, with her master's in childhood reading, and tutors kids to learn to read.  I learned to read at 3, read Charlotte's Web before I went to kindergarten, skipped a grade, was immediately put into the gifted program, was a sophomore in college when I was 18, and was at the top of my class through college.  I am now a professional writer.  There was never anything wrong with my "brain wiring."  My parents have given me textbooks on how to teach children to read and it is SO complicated the way their brains work, WAY over my head.  It's all about phonics and brain connections and I have no delusions that Allie will have the headstart that I did because I don't have the training my parents did.  They never pushed me to learn how to read, they just knew exactly what to do and what not to do.  I was essentially raised by "professionals."

I've asked my parents what they think of the "My Baby Can Read" program.  They haven't really looked into it, but my dad had a very psychological theory behind it.  He said, "It doesn't really matter whether it works or not.  The parents who do it with their kids will have kids who will most likely be ahead for one simple reason.  Because they are doing something.  It's unfortunate, but most parents still don't talk to their children, have conversations with them, or attempt to teach them anything.  Those children make up the majority of children in this country.  If you are attempting to do anything to get your kids ahead, regardless of what it is, your children have the advantage."

In otherwords, the moms and babies on the bump are definitely not the norm.

I'm planning on just handing my LO over to them and letting them take care of it. 

Very well written. 

lindseychase06

I am an early childhood educator, and reading is a passion of mine. I hope to share the passion with my son. However, I will not force him into anything his is not ready for. He already has a love for books, but its due to exposure. We look at/read books every day that he tolerates it. I take books in the car so he can just look at them when he feels like it. He is interested in them, knows how to turn pages. They are just one of many things we keep around to engage him each day.

When he is ready I will work more with him on the actual words. For now, we talk to him all of the time and are helping to build his vocabulary. The program does promote working with your child, but there are other ways to do it that isn't so intense.

Let them be kids and develop as they need to

Kingston54

Interesting information!

justmartha

My 20 month old reads flash cards already and he doesn't memorize them.  We thought he was at first, but one day we threw a bunch of cards at him he hadn't seen before and he tried to read the ones that had the beginning sounds of other cards like th- or wh-.  My daycare provider got some of the your-baby-can-read cards from a fellow mom and my son was already past them because she teaches them differently.    After my stepson's inability to read due to no one in his family sitting down with him, I refused to have my son lack the help.  My stepson is 12 and can't read past a 3rd grade level.  We took him to Huntington to get a hand on it.  He watched Tv most of his time from 3-7.  Never read a book.  My son watches Nick Jr. and reads and we read to him when he lets us.

RedCardinal

Love the article, thanks for sharing.

spring_time

SeaStar430:

I've asked my parents what they think of the "My Baby Can Read" program.  They haven't really looked into it, but my dad had a very psychological theory behind it.  He said, "It doesn't really matter whether it works or not.  The parents who do it with their kids will have kids who will most likely be ahead for one simple reason.  Because they are doing something.  It's unfortunate, but most parents still don't talk to their children, have conversations with them, or attempt to teach them anything.  Those children make up the majority of children in this country.  If you are attempting to do anything to get your kids ahead, regardless of what it is, your children have the advantage."

The type of person who would buy My Baby Can Read is obviously interested in the cognitive development of their child.  Just as they would take the time to use the My Baby Can Read program, they would most likely also take the time to use more effective techniques such as exploring books, shared reading, visiting the library, etc.  Unfortunately, they are wasting time based upon the pseudo-science behind this program and the drive to get their child ahead.

Also, while I am sure you read Charlotte's Web as a child, I am also pretty sure you did not do it independently.  You most likely sat with a parent and discussed the story as you read it.  That experience is what led to your enjoyment of the book as a very young child.  It is also what led you to a love of reading, certainly not flashcards. 

luckylauren14

SeaStar430:

Interesting, but the trial study involving two children climbing stairs is completely irrelevant and I know that the ratio of this type of article to ones that support early reading is probably 1:1000.

I don't plan on teaching Allie to read anytime soon, but my dad has his doctorate in childhood education/psychology and my mom has been a kindergarten teacher for 32 years, with her master's in childhood reading, and tutors kids to learn to read.  I learned to read at 3, read Charlotte's Web before I went to kindergarten, skipped a grade, was immediately put into the gifted program, was a sophomore in college when I was 18, and was at the top of my class through college.  I am now a professional writer.  There was never anything wrong with my "brain wiring."  My parents have given me textbooks on how to teach children to read and it is SO complicated the way their brains work, WAY over my head.  It's all about phonics and brain connections and I have no delusions that Allie will have the headstart that I did because I don't have the training my parents did.  They never pushed me to learn how to read, they just knew exactly what to do and what not to do.  I was essentially raised by "professionals."

I've asked my parents what they think of the "My Baby Can Read" program.  They haven't really looked into it, but my dad had a very psychological theory behind it.  He said, "It doesn't really matter whether it works or not.  The parents who do it with their kids will have kids who will most likely be ahead for one simple reason.  Because they are doing something.  It's unfortunate, but most parents still don't talk to their children, have conversations with them, or attempt to teach them anything.  Those children make up the majority of children in this country.  If you are attempting to do anything to get your kids ahead, regardless of what it is, your children have the advantage."

In otherwords, the moms and babies on the bump are definitely not the norm.

I'm planning on just handing my LO over to them and letting them take care of it. 

 Don't discount genetics either. It sounds like maybe you have the genes of a smart person!  

I'm good at math. I didn't do anything special as a child to be good at math, I just get it. My dad is a numbers whiz. He actually went back to school to be a math teacher because he loved it so much (this was when I was in HS). I figure I get my math abilities from him!

But then you can get into the nature/nurture argument...

lmanforte

spring_time:

SeaStar430:

The type of person who would buy My Baby Can Read is obviously interested in the cognitive development of their child.  

Disagree. I know several people who want to do it for the showy aspect of it. Sad, but true. They also happen to be the type of parents that look great on FB but in reality spend NO time with their children. They just pretend to for the outside world. 

lmanforte

spring_time:

SeaStar430:

The type of person who would buy My Baby Can Read is obviously interested in the cognitive development of their child.  

Disagree. I know several people who want to do it for the showy aspect of it. Sad, but true. They also happen to be the type of parents that look great on FB but in reality spend NO time with their children. They just pretend to for the outside world. 

celiabwatson

Two things:

First- I teach 1st/2nd grade and therefore have taught a lot of kids to read over the years. 2 years ago I had a student transfer into my school from a Waldorf school. They have a very different approach and don't expose kids to reading/letters until they show "readiness". This child had only recently shown readiness and was theoretically going to start 1st grade in Waldorf at the age of 7 and therefore begin learning to read. When he came into my class he couldn't read or write at all. He didn't even recognize all the letters (and none of the lowercase letters). I was really worried for him. As it turned out, by the end of his first grade year he was reading at a 2nd grade level. It was incredible. I had a hard time keeping up with him, I had to keep moving him from one reading group to the next etc etc. Anyway, I completely buy the idea that if you wait until a kid is ready to read the process will be easier and quicker, though not every child will do that well. I think this particular child was probably destined to be a good reader anyway.

Second - We own "Your Baby Can Read". My MIL bought it for us. I have no illusions that my son will learn to read from it, nor do I want him too. However, I do find the videos kind of cute. They use a lot more language than most baby videos and are slower paced. They show a word and then show a video of that item/object/action etc. There are also sing along songs that are cute. My son enjoys watching it, though we do so rarely, but on the rare occasion that we do want to let him watch TV, we use that video and I feel a little better about it. Also, the flip books and flash cards that come with it are fun too. For my son it's like a surprise, because he has no idea what the word on the front says so when you flip it open he is surprised by the picture. They are high quality materials in my opinion and even if they don't teach your child to read they are enjoyable. 

hdodds

I'd like to vouch for a sec that is IS possible to read independently that young.  I was the same--reading books on my own around 3 1/2, and for my 5th birthday my dad bought me the collected works of EB White.  I LOVED Charlotte's Web.  Until 3 1/2, my dad read to me 3-4 books each night, until I realized I could do it on my own.  From then on, I ONLY wanted to read on my own, anything and everything, including the back of cereal boxes.  They tested me in Kindergarten on vocab and comprehension for placement in leveled reading groups, and they found I was reading at an 8th grade level. 

Now, my parents were lower middle class at best, but we always had tons of books and everyone read for fun.  That kind of culture has more impact on a child being a strong reader than any program you could buy.