By Maria Hawkins
Photo credit: ThomasLife
A few days ago a parent in my youngest daughter’s soccer class asked my advice on teaching her daughter to read. I took a deep breath to collect my thoughts before I answered. Her daughter had just turned three.
The world of reading and writing opens so many doors for our children, yet I often feel like there is an unnecessary pressure to kick them open before its time. If we just wait and encourage and fill their environment with literacy, I feel like the majority of kids will open the door on their own, or at least walk through with you, no kicking necessary.
Really your baby’s introduction to literacy begins with you talking to her and reading to her while she is still in the womb. Missed that window already? No worries! Just start reading and talking lots now. Whether your baby is a few weeks old or a few years old she will benefit immensely from being read to as often as possible and being surrounded by language. You can fill her world with language (or languages, as the case may be) knowing that you are setting the stage for literacy down the road.
