According to Child-Central.com, the best time to teach your child to read is when he is still a baby, as this helps him learn quickly and eases his enjoyment of school and overall self-esteem. By introducing the written language through a big enough formant for your baby to be able to view, you can teach your baby how to read in a way that is as natural for your child as learning how to speak. It is important that your baby enjoys the process of reading, though, so avoid forcing your baby to read; approach it instead with a sense of play.
Step 1
Cut out some poster boards into 6-by-22-inch-long strips. You can purchase packs of poster board from office supply companies like Office Depot or Office Max. Take the poster board packs to a place like Kinko's and have them cut it up for you. Have them cut 100 sheets of poster board for you.
Step 2
Write words on your cards in big letters by using a wide-tip marker (as babies do not have 20/20 vision until approximately age 5). Begin writing words your baby hears often, such as his name, daddy and mommy. Make as many word cards like these as you can conceive of. You can choose categories like color words, dinosaurs or animal names. Be creative and have fun coming up with words your baby will enjoy reading.
Step 3
Select five words you would like your baby to learn. Put them into a set according to a specific category the words belong to (such as family, which could include your baby's name, mommy, daddy and the names of your other children, if you have others).
Step 4
Sit facing your baby with these cards. Be enthusiastic as you announce that your baby is going to learn how to read. Show the baby the cards and read the words aloud as quickly as you can (ideally in less than 5 seconds, as babies do not have very long attention spans). Praise your child for focusing on the activity when you are done.
Step 5
Repeat this reading session after 1 hour. Do not show your child a card set more than three times during one day.
Step 6
Show your baby the same set of cards after the third day. You can select one card to retire. Replace this card with another card from the same set to add to your child's reading ability.
Step 7
Add another set of cards, and repeat steps 3 through 6.
Things You'll Need
- 6-by-22-inch strips of poster board
- Markers with 1-inch-wide tip
References
- Doman, Glenn; How to Teach Your Baby to Read; 1993
- Child-Central.com: How to Teach Your Baby to Read
