“She can’t!” Amazed, I said these words upon hearing from our proud, new-father son about our granddaughter. Although (you’ll pardon a proud, new-grandmother), we have the prettiest, best, smartest, most talented, etc., etc., granddaughter in this or any other world, she couldn’t be reading at age ten months! “Well,” said her dad, “she really doesn’t know all the words yet, but she is.” And when we saw her sitting in her mother’s lap, turning the pages of Pat the Bunny, that wonderful touchie-feelie book for very young children, we all agreed, Lauren WAS reading!
We all watched her and what we saw sure looked a lot like reading does. Just what is it that reading looks like? Well, sitting still is a large part of reading... whether in Mom’s lap, on the floor or at a table, and Laurent sat quietly in Mom’s lap. Reading also looks like giving attention, and Lauren was looking at the picture and listening to the words being read. Reading means learning when to turn pages, and Lauren did just that. When Mom said, “Turn the page, Lauren”, she did! When it was time to pat the bunny, Lauren patted. She looked in the mirror, touched Daddy’s scratchy face, read the tiny book enclosed, and put her finger through Mommy’s ring, all as she heard the words her mother read. There was no doubt how much she enjoyed what she was doing!
Is Lauren really ready for prime-time television? No, of course not.
She is, in reality, a very ordinary little girl with very special parents who realize the importance of early reading and who work hard to provide her with every opportunity. From the earliest days of Lauren’s life, someone has read aloud to her every day. From that early start she has come to enjoy the sound of words and then to associate the words she had heard with the pages and the words with the actions she has been shown. The reason I mention Lauren here is to show just how important and successful early reading can be! Lauren did not learn to look and listen by accident. She was trained to do so over months, by hearing many short stories, and associating the pleasure she felt while being in her parents’ arms with the reading time. It won’t be very long until Lauren will begin to pick out her own books to have read. Later she will begin to associate the words with reading aloud. When that happens, she will want to read for herself, and she will become a reader in every sense of the word.
Readers don’t just happen by accident ... and children don’t learn how to read only at school. With reading with every other skill, parents are always the first and can be the best teachers. Even if your child is 5 or 6 or older, begin NOW to read aloud to them, every day. It is the only method I know of that can almost guarantee your child will become a world class reader.
