When Should You Start Teaching Your Kid how to Read and Write?
When Should You Start Teaching Your Kid how to Read and Write?
Early literacy instruction, or at the very least, the establishment of a foundation for early reading abilities, can never be started too early, but it can never be abandoned until it is too late.
If you're still not sure, consider the following. American children suffer long-term, life-long damage from the process of learning to read more than they do from parental abuse, accidents, and all other childhood illnesses and disorders taken together, according to statistical data. In terms of pure economics, reading-related problems have cost our country more than the wars on terrorism, crime, and drugs put together have done.
Reading difficulties are a new issue in our society since they contribute substantially to the continuation of socio-economic, racial, and ethnic inequalities in the United States. However, it is not just children from low-income or minority backgrounds that have difficulty reading. According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 2002 national report card on reading, the majority of our students (64 percent) remain less than competent at reading despite our best efforts to educate them over a 12-year period.
Even if we were not aware of these alarming numbers, we would be aware that reading competence is critical to success, not just in school but in all aspects of life. According to the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), "There is no other talent taught in school and acquired by schoolchildren that is more essential than the ability to read and write. It serves as a portal to all other forms of information. The single most essential duty given to primary schools is to teach children to read by the end of third grade. Those who learn to read easily in the early grades have a solid basis on which to add new information as they go through the years. Those who do not do so will be condemned to a life of frustration and failure on an ongoing basis. "
More than any other topic or talent, the ability of our children to read will define their destiny more than anything else.
The ability to read is very necessary. It has been repeated so many times that it has lost its meaning, yet this does not invalidate the fact that it is true. In our culture, in our world, the inability to read results in children failing in school and adults being relegated to the lowest rungs of the occupational and life possibilities ladder.
The stakes have become even higher in recent years, as educational research has shown that how well children learn to read has other, even more life-altering implications than we previously realized. The majority of youngsters begin learning to read at a period of their development that is very formative. At the same time as they are learning to read, kids are also beginning to think in abstract terms. Their ability to learn is being developed, and they are having intensely emotional reactions to themselves and to how well they are learning.
What exactly does this mean? The majority of youngsters who struggle with reading place the responsibility on themselves. Learning to read leads these youngsters to be embarrassed of themselves on a daily basis, week after week, month after month, year after year. The process of learning to read teaches them to be ashamed of their brains, and ashamed of the way they learn.
In addition, they should be ashamed of themselves, which is a terrible reality. According to Dr. Grover Whitehurst, Director of the Institute of Education Sciences, Assistant Secretary of Education, United States Department of Education (2003), "Literacy failure is not the fault of any one individual child; it is the fault of policymakers, educational institutions (including schools), educators (including teachers), and parents (including parents who do not read well). Unless we change our perceptions of what it means to learn to read and who is accountable for its success, we will not be able to address the issue effectively. "
Do you want to sit back and wait for policymakers to come up with a solution? Do you have faith in their ability to do so? Alternatively, would you like to ensure that the task is done correctly by taking the initiative yourself?
I know what my response is because I have seen firsthand the irreversible effect that a reading problem early in life may have on a person's life. I saw my brother's life-long reading issues. It has the potential to leave a lasting impression on your kid!
I'm not guaranteeing that your kid will be able to learn to read at a young age or that they will not encounter difficulties. After all, there are a large number of youngsters who are affected by learning impairments in our country. These youngsters will have a difficult time. Early education, on the other hand, may alleviate their pain and make the battle a little more bearable. At the absolute least, you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you did all possible to assist your child—and your child will be aware of this as well. That can not be considered a waste of time!
In addition, you have a leg up on every other educator since you are familiar with your child's temperament, her strengths, and her shortcomings. You are the one who is most suited to begin teaching your child's first language.
To return to the original issue, when should your child's reading instruction begin is crucial. Traditional American educational methods recommend that children learn to read between the ages of 7 and 9 years old. It goes without saying that we can not begin to train a baby to read. However, we may begin as early as possible to build the groundwork for literacy, which will ultimately result in your kid being a better reader.
When it comes to defining literacy, it is the capacity of a person to read, write, and communicate in English, as well as to calculate and solve problems, at the levels of competence required to perform well on the job, in the individual's family, and within society.
Many of the basic activities we do at home with our children contribute to the development of literacy, so even if you are not actively starting the process of teaching your kid to read, you are already helping to make your child more literate. Simple things such as reading to your kids, repeating nursery rhymes, and singing songs are all examples of what you can do.
What happens, though, if you decide to become a more active participant? There are numerous things you can do to improve your reading skills, and you don't have to spend hundreds of dollars on an expensive reading program. You don't need to spend a lot of money to teach your kid to read at home—or, at the very least, to prepare your child effectively for the beginning of reading instruction at school—if you follow these simple guidelines. The majority of parents already have the resources they need in their homes to get started right away!
Because of this, I emphasize that it is never too early to begin, as long as you work with your child's growth and make learning enjoyable and engaging while also pushing him or her.
I believe that my most important approach as an educator is to provide learning opportunities for my pupils and then to get out of their way so that they may learn. Learning is a participatory activity in which the individual should be completely absorbed. The learner, I think, is only a passive participant in the learning process while I am "teaching" him or her. In my classroom, I view myself as much more of a resource and a guide than as a traditional teacher. This is the method I've followed for my son's schooling, and it's been shown to be very effective.
I've never drilled him on facts or even utilized flashcards in our house, despite the fact that we have a plethora of learning toys and aids and that there are many lessons taking place each day (both at home and abroad).
You should start as soon as possible if you can discover methods to make learning enjoyable and exciting—something that your kid really wants to do with you.
As your kid grows older, he or she will have plenty of opportunities to sit through dry lectures, mind-numbing repetitive exercises, and dull courses, so don't even bother bringing it up. Avoid going to school if you are unable to make learning enjoyable and more like play rather than work. Confide in the experts to provide your kid with the finest possible education. You should keep in mind that there are many excellent instructors out there, so your kid is not destined to fail even if you do not intervene. However, the system is not a success, and it is probable that your kid may be negatively affected by it at some time throughout the process. That is why I am involved in my children's education on a daily basis.