Reading From the Diaper

Reading from the cradle: how to teach your baby to read before school

Many parents wonder how to teach their child to read before school. According to scientists, babies absorb the largest amount of information without much effort from 2-3 months to 5-6 years. It is during this period that the foundations of language and speech are formed, as well as memory and attention. The child goes to school at an age when the perception of new things practically disappears. How can you help your child learn letters and start reading?

One of the methods that has appealed to many parents is the “Read from the Cradle” method. Its main idea is to start learning to read from a very early age. As a result, the child can read confidently by the time he enters school.

In order to start “Reading from the cradle”, you must first of all understand that learning should take place in a playful way, without effort on the part of the child. He should enjoy the process and not feel any pressure.

The first step in learning is to become familiar with the letters. It is best to start at 3 months of age. You can stick pictures with letters on the inside of the back of the crib so that the child cannot tear them off. The baby will try to focus his eyes on the color picture, and from this time his education will begin.

When your child is 6 months old, you can make cards from thick paper or cardboard measuring approximately 10x12 centimeters and write block letters on them. It is best if you paint the letters with gouache in certain colors. According to experiments by psycholinguists, it is these colors that are associatively associated with these sound letters of the Russian language. But you can also use just black letters.

Show these cards and clearly pronounce the letters to your baby for a few minutes every day. Cards can be hung around the apartment, attached to an object whose name begins with this letter. Every day, bring your child to the letters and say: “This window is the letter O,” etc. Read the sound, not the name of the letter!

From 9-10 months, you can take a card and run your finger along the contours of the letter, while pronouncing the sound. If possible, purchase a material version of these letters so that the child can run his finger over them and better remember the shape of the letters. You can also use letters shaped toys.

From the age of 1 you can start learning to read words. To do this, you can use cards with pictures and inscriptions on them. For example, write the word “apple” on a card with a picture of an apple. Show your child the cards and read the words by pointing to the pictures. Give your child the opportunity to point to pictures and read words.

It is important to remember that every child is unique and can develop at their own pace. There is no point in imposing training if the child does not show interest in the process. It is best to approach learning in a playful way and give the child the opportunity to choose what interests him.

Thus, “Reading from the cradle” is one of the methods of teaching reading to children up to school age. The main thing in this process is not to impose, but to make learning interesting and playful.