So your baby can read program

I am so amazed by my baby every day that I really hope every one of you who is interested will decide to teach baby how to read. Throughout the day, I will ask TJ to read one or two words. This morning before breakfast he read the words "moon" and "cup" and played for a while with the sliding word cards. We are still doing half of the Review DVD once a day, most of the time in the evening before bed.

We sometimes brush our teeth, do our hair and skin care, and get water and a snack during the video. This is really easy for us, and teaching a baby how to read really does not have to be a gruelling high stakes intense process, it flows naturally from how the baby's brain develops and they start getting better command of language.

If you have even an inkling where you think this would be a good idea for your child, especially as a replacement for Dora or Yo Gabba Gabba, please teach baby how to read! Labels: teach baby how to read. Older Posts Home. Subscribe to: Posts Atom. Your Baby Can Read. Little Reader. Signing Time. My Blog List. When my daughter started kindergarten she was 1 of 2 kids in the class reading. They put her into year 1 for 1 hour a week for reading.

She came first in the class i don't know how much that means in kindergarten and also came 2nd in the School District Public Speaking competition. This year she is in year 1 and her start of year assessment she was reading at a guided reading level of 29 out of Again I don;t know a lot about this but apparently it is pretty impressive. I consider ourselves to be very typical parents. High school educated, although hopefully smarter then most ;-. Our daughter is a very typical girly girl. Like her parents she watches too much tv and eats too much junk food.

However she can read, loves reading, loves school, loves learning and has sooo much self confidence. Obvisouly I am in no position to say with certainty that this is all as a result of YBCR but I certainly think it has only had positive effects on my daughter and our family.

Which is why we are now involved in selling it. Regards Raoul. How about letting our kids learn to play? And perhaps we could let them be bored occasionally! My son has just started school. He can read a little, and he likes numbers. We have not taught him - he has just picked it up himself. I think the best I can do for him is help him to enjoy his homework, and to support his teacher in the work he is doing to educate my son.

I don't have a teaching degree. His teacher actually might have a better idea of how to teach him than me. Imagine that! I find myself in almost the same situation as Raoul, except we don't sell it, just promote it, and wanted to share my family's experience.

I don't believe this replaces traditional forms of learning, but as a supplemental tool, I think it's fantastic. I've even found that children's programming on PBS, like WordWorld and Super Why also have similar models that are just meant to give parents another valuable learning tool.

My wife and I sing to our son, read to him and always make time to play I'm still a big kid at heart and help him to repeat the things he hears us say, but the YBCR series has really made a great deal of difference in the speed at which he picks things up. In addition to having learned most of the words in the series, when he repeats something we say, we try to write it down and show him and, most of the time, thats all it takes for him to know it. He's read the same words off of magazine covers at the grocery store, store-front signs or in the doctor's office, which all have different fonts and colors.

He's also started to learn when to add "ing", "s" and "ed" to new words and in the proper context. He asks to watch the video almost everyday and at just over two years old, knows every letter of the alphabet, can identify and say all his primary and secondary colors by word or by hue, has started to sing along with several nursery rhymes and can read about words in two languages, no matter where he seems them.

We're working on phonics now and, as an example, was able to read "mall" after showing him "tall". As somewhat of an overachiever, I worry and am forcefully cautioned by my wife all the time about putting too much pressure on my son to be the same.

But he does all of this willingly and with joy. The beaming look on his face when he discovers a new word or gets something right is something I treasure and, while YBCR can't take all of the credit, I'm more than sure it deserves some. I think some of what it teaches can be beneficial, but I also think it has the potential to be over used.

While I do think children should be allowed to play and learn from play on a frequent basis , I don't think, as Prue suggested, that we should just let our kids solely learn from "picking up stuff" pre-school age. I think we need to be activitly teaching them from the time they are born. We are their parents.

That is our job too, not just a teacher's job. Thank you, Dr. Cairney, for the moderate, unbiased view you are presenting to parents and educators. You have expressed both sides of the debate about teaching babies to read with honesty and clarity. In addition, I have read most of the books you mentioned. They are valuable ones. I am an educator who also taught my own children to read before entering school, not by using any program, but by playing with words and sounds and creating lots of games for them.

Because of that, they were all good students. I taught them as 3 year olds, not babies. I now own a Reading Center where I focus on teaching children to read and on helping struggling children pass their grade levels and attempt to "catch up" with their peers. I agree with you on so much that you stated.

But I do disagree with your possible conclusion that parents should focus on other quality learning experiences. First, reading with 3 year old children can be a way to play with them. It should not be only drill or practice or even sitting still. It can be exciting and playful, too. I, for one, could only "imaginary play" with my children for three or four minutes at a time before I was looking for something else to do.

But playing "reading treasure hunt," or "slap that," or "hide and seek" using words or colors or numbers held my interest much longer. They loved it too! And reading play is so much better for kids than television, even quality programs. Second, educators love to tell parents to read to their children. But as Rachel suggested, a parent can do so much more. Reading to your child really is not enough in the area of literacy.

Children should be beginning readers when they enter school. It ensures school success for them. I see children at the Reading Center who will be held back in Kindergarten because they cannot read well enough to move on to 1st grade. Almost all of the children brought to me are bright children who should NOT be held back. All they need is an individual to help them take their first steps into reading instead of a teacher dealing with a large group.

Yes, even fifteen is a large group. If a parent chooses to be that teaching individual, the child has all the one-on-one time he or she wants with the one person he or she most wants to spend time with, and the one person who will most likely appreciate and enjoy each step of progress made.

In so much of the world now, children spend a great deal of time in daycare settings. That setting is ideal for playful beginning reading. While the director is planning snacks, free play, crafts, and outdoor activities, why not plan reading activities as well?

Not reading worksheets, but reading activities, games, and play. And I'm not talking about "a letter a week. I am talking about 15 minutes of real reading play. I have created a reading program for children ages 3 to 6 that I use and am marketing to parents, preschools, and day cares, It may show up at the top of this comment, but feel free to delete it. I feel I should not name it here because this venue does not seem the right place to sell a program. But I appreciate their efforts to assist parents in this area.

I predict early learning is the wave of the future. If so, let's do it right, in short and playful segments. One child in our program recently told me, "Reading is my favorite way to play! Sincerely, Jodi Heaton Hurst.

I have been a preschool teacher for 24 years. It is wrong, wrong, wrong on so many levels. Young children especially infants and toddlers should not be 'watching' television. The end. Child development requires interaction in and with the environment. Pictures via the television do NOT provide the proper sensory input required for optimal development.

Your Baby Can Read? So what? Throw YBCR into the trash along with Baby Einstein and let your child bang on some pots and pans with a spoon or, gasp, their hands. Sing a song. But get rid of this kind of junk. It has no place in raising children to their optimal developmental potential. Why is child development a race? Catherine, and all, I have also been an educator for 24 years, many of those years with preschool age children but many also with elementary, middle school and high school ages.

My stand is that that there is room for lots of opinions. Of course, any healthy interactions between parent and child are wonderful. I agree with you. But the world changes as we all know. All change is not bad. And maybe making learning in the form of teaching numbers, letters, words and sentences a part of the quality childhood experience is a good thing. We have television and computers. I do not oppose those who are trying to find ways to appropriately use those tools in the lives of children.

My experience in the schools is that some children struggle to learn to read, and as a result, are held back a year in the early grades. Often that is a soul crushing happening and most often it is not necessary. A bit of appropriate one-on-one learning ahead of time is the miraculous prevention.

Our reading program which we also use in our preschools gives ample time to play and learn social and hands on skills. Children also learn to read and to manipulate numbers. He also reads but at an end of kindergarten level. Ria is only 3 but is very focused.

She reads at Simon's level and loves anything math manipulative. Dani reads everything even teenage books and magazines but prefers books with pictures in them. Her favorite thing is reading. Playing pretend with the stuffed animals or the kitchen is their favorite activity. And on and on. We know all of these children are going to be good students.

We are giving them the skills that ensure success. Child development should not be a race. I agree again. But as long as we have schools that will decide to hold children back or punish them with bad grades, we must find ways to protect children. And what a fun way to protect them?

Play "reading" with them! Sincerely, Jodi. Forgive me everyone I think I'm the only commenter who isn't an educator! My wife and I have a 8 month old daughter. I am a working artist, who keeps our daughter during the day and work out of a home studio at night. It is a dream come true for me. Anyway, I saw an infomercial for YBCR and came across your blog while trying to gather information about it. Thanks for writing this.

First of all, thank you so much for your educational and candid blog! I am both an educator and a mother. I have a degree in education, but have chosen to homeschool my children. As such, it is my experience that children are all different and often times learn differently as well. It just didn't quite click for him until then. All learned with a combonation of phonics and sight reading. No matter when they actually started, they are currently testing at levels higher than their grade level in Language, as well as other subjects.

I now have a 10 month old, and am feeling tremendous pressure from other moms using YBCR. Like most moms, I want to give my child every opportunity to succeed in life,so I checked out YBCR at the library to see it for myself.

I can see how it is easy to get excited about the possibilities. However, after doing further research, including some of the resources mentioned in your blog, I have come to the conclusion All without the use of YBCR. Not judging those of you using the program, we all want to give our kids the best start possible.

But to those of you not using it, rest assured. If you interactively and lovingly educate your children in the ways afore mentioned by other teachers, you will have a bright, well-rounded, well-adjusted child. Isn't that what we all want? I've been looking for research on YBCR and am so glad i came across this blog.

I am a graduate education student and wanted this topic to be what i did my research on but there is not much other research to base it on, so i had to pick something else. There are so many other things parents could be teaching thier children at this age. I also work part time at and educational store where i constantly get customers in looking for this product or things like it.. Hi, I have question about using this program in older children. My son is 8, autistic and severely learning disabled.

After 3 years in school he has not mastered a single letter phonetically. In order for him to have life skills, I am desperate to find a way for him to recognize words.

Hi Jenni, thanks for your comment. I answered a question like this on my first post about 'Your Baby Can Read' and I think a parent also offered their suggestions about using it with an Autistic child - click here.

But Autism is another question. As you no doubt know there are wide variations in what autism is or how it presents itself in individuals.

It is also associated with restricted and repetitive behaviour. It typically starts before a child is three years old. Learning to communicate is usually an important first step; spoken language can be tough for Autistic children.

My own instinct would be to try other approaches first like the 'Language Experience Approach' see my previous post on this topic click here , but you've probably done this. I assume that his teachers have tried whole word strategies in the past. If not then maybe you should try this first.

One useful approach for children with learning disabilities is to use a game approach with whole word recognition incorporated see post on this here or to use lots of labelling around the home.

I'd suggest that you give other approaches a try first. All the best, Trevor. I wish you the best in helping your son learn to read. It is always exciting to see a parent who is willing to take action to make sure her child will be a reader! I tried to email this directly to you, but it did not go through so I hope you catch it here on Dr.

Cairney's website. The following is my experienced opinion. I own and direct a reading center where we teach young children to read. I have not specifically taught a fully autistic child, but I have worked with Asberger's Syndrom children with great success and with other children with learning disabilities, many of which were undiagnosed. Learning phonics is probably the most complicated and difficult way to learn to read. It is the the most abstract way that I know of that we teach children today.

I do not use this method for struggling readers. Trevor suggested Language Experience Learning that has always been, for me, a method to enhance reading rather than actually teach reading. His suggestion of whole word learning is the strategy that I always rely on for struggling readers. It has never failed me. I hope it works with your child as well. Briefly, this is the way I would begin: 1. Start with your child's name and the words "Mom" and "Dad" or whatever you are called.

Write them in large print on cards or whole pieces of paper. If he or she already knows those words, move on to step two. If not, play with those words. Is this Mom?

Is this child's name? Put each of your own words on your heads. Laugh about it. Put them on the chairs you sit on as you look at them and talk about them. Walk to the bedroom and put them on the correct beds. Make faces to show emotions. Hold the word "Mom" up and point to it as you say, "is silly" or "is sad.

Take as long as you need in short segments. Two days? A week? That's fine. Once three family names are known, you know the reading pathway in your child's brain has been created and you will build on that structure. Add other family names if there are other people in your immediate household or that your child sees often. Again, two or three new words at a time. Now begin on animal names.

This is far better than naming objects in your house. Children get quite excited about people and animals; not so excited about "wall, door, chair, etc. You will next add some color words. You don't need to teach all of them. These words are a little more abstract than the family and animal words.

Do NOT write them in the color of the word. Stay with black print. Remember, you are playing with these words the whole time you are teaching them. Each session will be from three minutes to fifteen minutes long depending on the attention span of your child.

Laugh as much as you can laugh naturally. This is your FUN time with your child. If your child progresses this far and now knows fifteen to twenty words, celebrate! Our experience has been that the less concrete words like "see" and "go" and even "have" can now be introduced slowly. Your child really is reading and is on the way to reading real sentences. Don't worry. Phonics can come later. There is really no hurry. Some children even learn to read well without more than very basic phonics.

Please email me back if you have questions -- I did explain this process quickly after all and may have assumed a step that is confusing to you. I would love to hear from you when your child reads these beginning words so I can show you our method for moving him or her into the less concrete words like "see, go, have, the, can.

Jodi Brungardt. I enjoyed your posts. I use and love this product, I have my baby starting at 15 months on an "anti-testing" reading program. Meaning, I never ever ask him to perform, read a word, or respond in any sort of way to my prompting him.

I just show him words, and Your Baby Can Read is great for that. Children that age cannot see very well at all, and the large print on the screen is easy for them to actually see as opposed to most children's books where there in no way they can distinguish 12 pt print. My personal opinion is that people over-analyze the use of certain products. Granted, the maker of this product has some rather reaching claims, so people are going to react to that.

He goes to far in saying that kids deduce phonics, and that they all become brilliant speed readers and skip grades like his daughters.

But in the practical lives of the great bulk of the users of this product, is it is a replacement for cartoons, Baby Einstein, music videos, or worse, soap operas. Very very very few homes are completely TV-free during a toddler's waking hours. That is just a fact. Older kids want to watch TV, parents want to watch. No TV for 2 years is just not practical, period.

You make the bulk of parents failures before they've even got the kid into preschool. You'd have to convince me that these DVDs are worse than Sesame street, and they just aren't. They aren't great entertainment for adults, trust me, I know, but they are engaging for babies go figure.

They sing the songs, learn the body parts and actions, and point to the tv during the games. I don't see where you can go wrong really. With all the materials you get, it is not at all expensive, although for some reason people are convinced it is overpriced. Yes, they are making a profit, but buying children's books, DVDs, and other educational materials in the same quantities and the same quality is going to cost you this same amount.

After reading your reviews I found most of you haven't tried the product and are already against it. I myself have been working with my baby on reading since birth. I feel it is an important daily activity for us and an additional time to learn and bond. She is now 2 years old and has a vocabulary of over words. She loves to read and is starting to read some of her books herself. Myself, I love to read and look forward to our time together. I learned to read both ways phonetically as a child and then whole word reading in Jr.

High as part of an experimental reading program. Next Article Recalling The Fab 4. Voice — Central. Voice — West. Voice — Windward.

Voice — East. Voice — Leeward. There are some remarkable exceptions, like the toddler who surprised Ann Curry on TODAY in when Curry pulled out a cue card with a word the child had never seen before. March The parents of Elizabeth Barrett talk about the moment they knew she could read and reveal her amazing ability. Not yet a toddler, but she can read! He acknowledged that it starts with memorization, but insisted it leads to reading.

Related: Fussy newborns may have more troubles later on.