Babies have the ability to learn to read beginning at around 3 months old. If you have the opportunity to begin early do so. Don’t wait until your baby is older. When you begin at a time when your baby is not doing much physically, they will give you their attention. When beginning with older babies, some parents struggle with holding their attention. When certain babies gain mobility, they have no time to sit still, even for a few seconds. Begin early and your child will never remember a time when they couldn’t read.
Aim for short fast sessions. – Teaching a baby to read requires several quick short sessions during the day. This means, you have some words that you want to teach your baby and you quickly show the words and put them away. This should take between 30 seconds and a minute. When you are ready to present some words, your goal should be to get it done. Flash the words and put them away. Do this 2 or 3 times per day. If you do this when baby wakes up, after a bath and after a diaper change, you are done for the day. This is not something you do all day.
You can use magnetic letters to easily create words on demand or to review old words. When you put together words, you can spell them out as you assemble them, thereby teaching your baby the names of the letters and how to spell. Remember your baby is like a sponge and will absorb all this information.
This helps them to see the letters and the words much easier and it will be easier for them to find the reading games you use for teaching a baby to read more fun. This will help them to want to read more often as well.
Last, if you teach your baby to read at a young age you are going to set them up for an easier time early on in life. You will also be helping them to develop a much longer attention span as well. Plus they will be more interested in reading and they will learn more because they will love picking up a book to read instead of sitting in front of cartoons and other television shows.
