Welcome to part 5 of our sneak peek posts into Doctor Hammond’s soon to be titled book on raising emotionally healthy children. Today, we’re getting slightly controversial. We’re talking about the age at which you should start teaching your children to read, and depending on who you discuss this with, it can be a touchy subject.
According to GreatKids, usually between the ages of 5 and 6, most children begin to read. However, some schools of thought are that you should start teaching your children when they are toddlers or even younger. While I don’t personally agree with the folks that think babies and toddlers can read and should be pushed into reading, I can understand the logic behind introducing them at a young age to the excitement of reading by way of reading to them. I also think it’s a good idea to talk to them as if they are older children in lieu of using baby talk. Still, products out there like My Baby Can Read can make parents feel as though if their baby can not in fact read, that something is wrong with them. This isn’t the case at all.
Although you shouldn’t wait to begin introducing books, the sounds of words and what words look like, you shouldn’t worry if your kids don’t start picking up how to read for themselves until the age of 5 and 6. One reason there isn’t cause for concern until then is that until kids reach these ages most researchers believe that “most children have not yet formed certain neural connections that allow them to decode printed letters and then mentally combine them to make words. A few children are able to read earlier, but most of them just pick it up; they don’t learn through direct instruction.”* So, if you have a child under the age of 5 and you want to start getting them excited about books, by all means read to them and buy or borrow amazing picture book. You can also introduce them to read along and sing along videos that have the words transcribed on the screen, but save the actual word association and decoding for when they’re just a little bit older.
We would especially like your comments on today’s book preview below. Tell us what you think about when your kids should start reading. Then, come back next time when we’ll break down reading levels by age and grade.
*http://www.babycenter.com/404_when-and-how-can-i-teach-my-toddler-to-read_6900.bc