Reader Reading Questions

 

Kate said…

 

Hi Valerie,

I have been reading to my 7-month-old son, Kayden, since he was 3 months old. I know that infants and children benefit a lot when their parents read to them. Lately, I have been thinking about whether using flashcards with Kayden is a good idea to teach him words & pictures. I have done some research on the Internet, but am pretty confused as to whether I should apply the flashcard method, as there is a controversy on this issue. I would really like to know your view on this, and whether you do anything else to enhance your children’s language development, in addition to reading.

Thank you.
Kate

July 2, 2009 8:18 AM 

 

Plowmanators said…

 

Kate,

I just read and talk to my children. I am not a baby-talker, so when I talk to my kids I talk to them as I would any other adult. I don’t “dumb down” my vocabulary, either. If they don’t know what something means, they ask.

I think you can do flash cards, but just be careful about it. Don’t go into it with pressure or expectations of greatness. If it is something you both enjoy, go for it. If it is something that stresses one or both of you out, then I wouldn’t do it. I could see him really liking to look at flas cards of different pictures. Take it as a fun activity.

July 6, 2009 1:15 PM 

1 thought on “Reader Reading Questions”

  1. Kate – When my oldest was a baby, we were given a set of Eric Carle letter flashcards that we both loved. I taught him the sound of each letter with the card and he could identify all of them at twelve months old! This sounds crazy to me now – not the least because I now have three little boys and have NOT been this diligent in teaching boy 2 and boy 3 this kind of thing (sorry, all the rest of you boys ;)). However, it didn't mean anything to him in connection with letters and reading down the line, so I'd say it was a little early. I think besides reading to your kids, baby signs can be beneficial to go along with their language development, and mostly just talking to them – describing what's going on throughout the day, having little "conversations" with them. Hope this helps!

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