Myth 3: Teaching a baby to read is putting too much pressure on her at such a young age!
Some people, when they hear that a baby is being taught to read, imagine the baby being subjected to the kind of reading lessons they were subjected to in school. In fact, nothing could be farther from the truth - because besides the fact that it would be developmentally inappropriate to give a baby the kind of reading lessons given in school, it would also be impossible to teach a baby to read that way.
The way to teach a baby to read is to make it fun, to make a game, and to do it often. Done that way, learning to read is something the baby looks forward to in the same way that he looks forward to his other favorite games. Once the child is old enough, he will start asking for - or even demanding - his reading lessons. There have even been cases of children crying because their parents had to stop a lesson. (BrillBaby's former editor, Maddy, reports that her daughter's first two-syllable word - at age 11 months - was "reading"! From 10 months, Naimah was having her reading lessons once a day; by 15 months this had turned into two or three times per day - thanks to the regular reminders! At 16 months, Maddy managed to film Naimah reading.)
So rather than picturing a "baby classroom" with its poor student being schooled before her time, instead know that babies love learning to read. Babies learn everything through repetition: as long as you teach reading in a fun way, your child will want more. Of course, it's quite right for parents to be wary about whether their baby will enjoy learning to read - no parent wants to risk putting their child off reading. By following the golden rule of teaching babies, you can effectively ensure that this never happens. The golden rule is:
Only teach your baby when your baby wants to learn.
If your baby is not completely happy either before or during a reading lesson, then stop at once. If that means you don't do a lesson at all that day, then fine. The goal here is not to teach your child to read within a certain timeframe. Instead, your main aims should be:
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To provide your child with mental stimulation.
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To give your child the opportunity to learn to read at the time when it is easiest (i.e. in the first few years of life).
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To bond with your child and have fun learning to read.
In our society, reading is considered a difficult skill to master. Why else would we need to wait until we are five or six to even begin tackling it? Because reading is considered difficult, most people think that the only way a young child can learn to read is if she is somehow forced into it.
In fact, research has shown that it is easier for children to learn to read before starting school than it is to wait until first grade. One reason for this is that the younger a child is, the easier it is for him to learn languages. This naturally gifted state of very early childhood can be extended to the written language with just a little help from parents.
The first few years of life are the easiest time to learn to read on an emotional level, too. That's because children at school are bombarded with distractions. As a child builds her social networks, and develops friendships and hobbies, it may be natural for schoolwork to become one of her lowest priorities. Teaching your child to read before first grade effectively frees her from the burden of having to learn reading on top of all the other new challenges she will face at ages five and six.