As the mother of Donovan, ages 2-7, and Darren, 22, I knew from the beginning of their lives that I would not leave their education entirely in the hands of schools and teachers. I decided that I would give these children a head start in life, in their education. I’m just an ordinary, run-of-the-mill mother struggling like everyone else. I only have a high school diploma and 2 years of college, but I have high hopes and dreams for my 2 children. This is what I did to give them “the edge”!
I started reading to my children when they were fresh out of the womb. I think reading to them often, singing to them and talking to them (not baby talk), really gives them the head start they’ll need in life. Experts say that a child’s mind develops and learns quickly and gains most of the knowledge between the ages of 0-3… I believe them! He knew that somewhere behind those tiny heads, that information was stored for later use.
Now, at first, my mom thought she was crazy when she found out that my 18-month-old son not only knew his ABCs, but he could also count to 20. Shortly after 3 1/2, he was counting well. he passed 100. he had learned all the planets, most of the presidents, all the states (their location on a blank map) and most of their capitals, he could spell the months and days of the week and much more! By the time they started preschool, they could recognize and spell small 3- and 4-letter words. He would read to them every day.
The first thing I did was buy a rug (from Wal-mart) with the ABC’s on it and all the ABC’s would correspond to the animal names that started with those letters. I also bought flash cards (in the same place) that have everyday words. Once they started recognizing and spelling those everyday words, they started reading like little pros!
It really wasn’t hard work at all! It pays in HUGE dividends. Both of my children have been top of their class, not just ‘top of the class’! And you know what… they love it! The 22-year-old was able to write his name in cursive just after his 4th birthday. They are both excellent in math, English and especially in reading. My oldest son, even today, reads all kinds of books. Wherever he goes, if there is a magazine or literature around, he will pick it up to read. He makes his children complete. My 7 year old son is also an avid reader. He has been tested in school and in the first grade, his reading was 3.8, which means that he reads at a third grade level, 8 months after school. He is now in second grade and his reading average is 4.6, which means he is reading at a fourth grade level 6 months after starting school. His overall reading grade for the year is 104.6%. His overall grade in spelling is 110% and in math it is 99%. great speller! He wins 100s 99% of the time!
The thing is, your child can too! Don’t waste your money on expensive things, just go to Wal-mart, K-mart or retailers like these and buy the flash cards for spelling, counting, multiplying, etc. The 7-year-old has known all the multiplications (1-12) since he started school last year, just before he started second grade! It’s not that he’s a genius, it’s just that I started small and kept teaching until I had no more to teach him for his age. I even started teaching him geometry, 6th grade level, and he can actually solve most of the problems I give him. He has grasped the concept! It’s amazing that when you teach and teach them, the concepts of these classes become so easy for them to understand!
The most important thing is that you read to your child every day WITHOUT FAILURE! And, when they start reading on their own, ask them to read at least 45 minutes a day.
I bought the Scholastic dictionary, the encyclopedia, and many chapter books for him to read. He also has to read on the weekends. He has learned so many “fun facts” and knows quite a bit about almost any topic you ask him, be it animals, people, places, or things. It surprises me most of the time. My oldest son is the same.
I remember when he started kindergarten in Nashville, TN, the teacher asked me to come in so she could talk to me. He couldn’t imagine what the hell she wanted because she knew he couldn’t be misbehaving, he knows I don’t accept it!
Well, she said: ‘I only have one thing to say… I’m dumbfounded’! She said that she had asked the children to find the magazines that she had on the shelf and to cut out pictures and make a collage. She wanted them to write a story based solely on the images they saw. Well, my son bought a “People” magazine and took it with him and really started reading it – small words, big words and everything! She was so stunned that she had to call me to tell me.
My 7 year old son had a teacher who had the same reaction! He had started private school here in Memphis, TN when he was in what they call “Pre-K” (kindergarten). She told me one day, ‘Mrs. Ballard, Donovan can read. He said ‘aha’. She said, ‘No, Mrs. Ballard, I mean you can REALLY read.’ She said, ‘yeah, I know… I’m the one who taught her.’ Then I told him how he knows the names of the planets, presidents, states, capitals, months, days of the year, the Pledge of Allegiance, etc. She said, ‘Well pat yourself on the back… that’s amazing, fantastic’!
As I mentioned before, it’s actually not difficult. Other tips I recommend is pointing, a lot, at objects when children first start to “talk.” They will catch many words this way. Your vocabulary will skyrocket! My son and I would drive by signs on the way to school and work and say and spell words on street signs or think of synonyms or homophones.
One way to get your child to see reading as fun is to get them personalized books. These books have the child’s name written in the story. That child will not be able to put the book down. If they can’t read, I bet they WOULD TRY to read it and once they learn to read that book, they won’t put it down! I wish I had known about these personalized children’s books when my kids were young and didn’t know how to read or were just starting to read! I would have gotten a whole library of them!
I love teaching my kids new things and it’s a joy to see them really “get it”! I would love to help you help your child to read. It gives me a lot of satisfaction. Email me at [email protected] and I can tell you how to order these books. There are tons of titles to choose from and I am sure there is a title that suits your needs.
Keep up the work, the work and the foundation that you have already established and remember, the key is to READ, READ,
READ!!!!
