Reading with Children - Is anyone out there teaching their toddlers to read?

Is anyone out there teaching their toddlers to read?

I ask because it was done to me (and I love reading) and when I tried it with my own children it was extraordinarily easy (great fun and a bonding experience too). It certainly persuaded me to become a Primary School teacher (teaching reading is not nearly so easy at 5 years old. You have to work much faster and some get left behind). Does anybody still do it?

Public Comments

i havent had my baby yet, but he already has a huge book collection that i started for him. i plan on reading to him and him reading to me as early as possible. dad thinks its silly that he already has books but i think the earlier the better!
I have many books that I read to my 2 year old. I wouldn't say that I am actively teaching him how to read but he does seem to follow along with it. He also recognizes the letters of the alphabet which he leaned as we played with his blocks and watched Sesame Street.
My wife and I do. We believe that education begins at home. We have a 4 year-old daughter and 2 year-old son. We surround them with lots of fun books and reading materials. We read them fairy tales before bedtime, or solve puzzle books together. We don't pressure them to learn, we encourage them, and compliment each little achievement.
My 3.5 year old already knows how to spell his name and recognises the letters used. I never remember not being able to read and would snuggle up with my Mum and read the last words of the Rupert couplets. I read to my son and daughter (who's not 2 until November) every night and they just love a story. Anything that can promote a love of reading is fantastic in my opinion and I can't wait till my kids can read for themselves - books are wonderful and I'm doing everything I can to help them appreciate them. It's particularly important that boys learn to love them.
I have always read with my children and my oldest boy who is now 7, is a very good reader.
I have always read to my daughter (4) as I love reading and want her to be as enthusiastic about books as I am. However, I haven't taught her to read as I wouldn't know where to start and was a bit concerned that I might teach her a different method than they use in school which may confuse her. I have taught her the alphabet and she can write and spell certain words. She started reception 3 weeks ago and I can't wait for her to bring her first reading book home!!
I could read and write quite a lot by the time i went into reception and i love reading now, i read Black Beauty (the full novel by Anna Sewel) when i was 7 and i really enjoyed it. I also enjoy teaching my brothers to read, i dont have any children of my own but i think its a really good thing to do! It gives them such a head start at school too!
My Niece can already write the letter M for her name and shes just 2. This is because of the positive introduction of books and stimulus from as early as 6 months. I believe another contribution to her growing ability to pick up words is the time she spends with 2 Grandmas for 1 day each, nursery for 1 day and Mummy for the rest. She actually reads to herself (describing whats in the pictures) which is quite normal in a child of 3-4 but for 2 years old is brilliant to see. I work as an artist with the early years and believe that active story telling and looking at books at home, and bedtime stories are very rewarding for the child and introduces language and script in a stress free, relaxed and fun manner. I think its a brilliant activity for toddlers and aids with other factors like general communication skills and speech. Its never too early to read to your baby... and sing too! But don't get me started on the bonuses of singing!
my daughter learned to read,in,kindergarden-5- i did read to her alot! she was on 2nd grade level at school at the end of the year-she got t-shirt for reading 300 books.teacher gave me credit for it too.lll i love to read,now, she does.faves are junie b jones,captain underpants, now she`s in the babysitters club- i still read her to sleep, but she reads these by herself!
We're not teaching our daughter to read as she's only 18 months, but she loves books anyway so we've always got a ready supply for her!
i have a 2 year old daughter who loves to read to us (althought she talks giberish , she thinks shes making sence).she will not sit and listen to a story. i found also that she loves to watch video's of thomas the tank engine and tweenies which have songs and the words come up on the tv. she tends to put her fingers on the tv and follows the words. her dad hates her touchin the tv but i think its cute(in a safe way of course)
when my girls were toddlers i read to them everyday took them to the library we all went to a program called teddy bear time and they all were reading early it came naturally all of them love to read all 3 of them
I read books to my 2 year old daughter. She is now able to recognise some letters and numbers. I'm not teaching her as such but she is picking up the information as I read to her.
My 4 year old knows her ABCs, can count to 13 and can read some of the things you out in front of her. She also has 2 websites I let her play on and she reads the folders in my favorites to find the one her game sites are in. She plays on pbskids.org and nickjr.com. She really learns a lot on her own though we do read to her everyday and point to the words as we read so she associates the sounds with the letters.
I got a ribbing from my health visitor because the methods I was using to introduce my little one to letters and words, were not the same as those employed at the locl school, and would inhibit her learning as she wouldn't know what's right. Nonetheless I persisted, and by the time she got to school she was able to write and read not only her name but a large number of short monosyllable words, and used her knowledge of words to combine and make others. Low and behold though, the methods i used, (phonics with the letter sounds and combinations of letters to make sounds) has been introduced in our local school this year so poo to the health visitor. Theres a huge number of education sites where you can download flash cards etc, but make sure what your using will be in line with your local schools eductaion policy...
I have a 2 year old who can say has ABCs all the way through and can count to 10. I have never spoke to him in "baby talk". He loves for me to read books to him.
I've always read to my son from day 1 (literally). It's all in if the parents love to read. My husband hates to read, but he sees how much my son loves it and he reads him his bedtime stories and loves it. My son is 3 and he's writing his letters, knew his whole alphabet at the age of 2 and has been able to count to 20 at the age of 2. Now that he's in Pre-school all day, his learning has slowed down, but still ahead of the class.
i have read to my daughter since the day she was born she is only 3 1/2 years old and she is the smartess kid i know can count to 20 and count to 10 in spanish she knows all her colors and shapes, animals and sounds. she is really smart and i keep working with her day after day. she also knows her first, middle and last name, and mine and her dads, and her grandmas, and grandpas
Yes ! but holding their interest is the key here's a helper freebie most of this can be stored in them have fun
Yes! My daughter was reading fairly well by the age of four. She is now six and very advanced for the first grade. Now my son is four, and I am working with him too. I have lots of great ideas and materials if you were looking for new ideas or inspiration.
I started reading books to my daughter (now 4) when she was almost 3 and used flash cards. She attended a nursey part time at 3 and out of the 52 (morning and afternoon children all 3yrs old) children in her class, she recognised the alphabet quicker than the other children AND started reading 2 months before her 4th birthday. The only other child to do that was the teachers daughter who is also in the same class. It does make a difference to start young. Keep up your good work.
YES, YES, Yes finally someone else who feels that it is never too early to start teaching a child to read, I have sat with my daughter since she was 6 months old and read her a bed time story, she is now 14 months and I don't even try to get out of it any more she will shout and scream until she gets a story, I love books and can speed read which is a skill I hope she picks up
Yes but he is only two and a half so can recognise certain letters but not actually read yet, but he loves books. I am teaching him English & Spanish simultaneously
i read to my three year old son alot and he has started to pick up parts of the books that i read frequently and he copies the sentences after i have said them, so i think reading to children early is a good start for them and they will enjoy it all the more at school.
I am teaching my 4 year old to read -- is that a toddler? My neighbors sons goes to Montessort and learned to read from ages 3.5 -4, but he does seem to be exceptionally verbally gifted. My daughter approached me with it. "So and so can read the right words and I can't, can you show me how to read the right words". So we are doing the "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons". We did lesson 37 tonight and it's going great! She has loved books since she was itsy bitsy. She can't wait to read!
Can you believe that every Chinese student (2-3 years old) I have taught in China is expected to be able to read!? There printing ability is marvelous at 3 and 4 years old, I have a friend who s son could recognize 2, 500 Chinese characters (i.e read) by 21/2 years old. Should we follow this example?! Sometimes it scares me to have my own son in this environment. I'm all about education ( my son is completely bilingual at 2, says his alphabet counts to ten, knows his shapes and colors, sings several songs perfectly), but I say don t lay on the pressure. I teach my son and all of those Chinese Kindergarten children through play!
my son is four soon and we read everyday, hes keen to learn and can already write small words, i dont know how parents cant read or teach their children such important skills, its an amazing feeling when your child finally picks up a book and reads or a pen and wrotes and you nkow that it was you that taught them. He goes to school next year and i want him to have a good start
Yes, my little girl is 20 months and I've taught her up to 'G' in the alphabet and she can count to ten. She recognises words like, 'Cat' 'Mum' & 'Dad'. I use fridge magnets to teach her as well. I think all 3 year olds should know their alphabet & be able to count up to 20. It definitely depends on the parents though.