| When you first set out to teach your baby to | | | | language you are creating and strengthening |
| read, you may not realize what an incredible | | | | connections in their brain. As you continually do |
| journey it will be. I think that most parents when | | | | this, these connections are made stronger |
| they begin do not realize how quickly their little | | | | thereby allowing your baby to learn more rapidly |
| child learns new material. There are some babies | | | | than in the beginning of your program. |
| who are learning to read up to fifty new words | | | | Introduce sentences and books early in your |
| each week. While this is wonderful and exciting, it | | | | program. |
| can be draining on parents who are trying to keep | | | | The end goal of teaching your baby to read is not |
| up with their babies' voracious appetite for learning | | | | to have them only be able to read single words, it |
| new words. | | | | is to have them be able to read sentences and |
| Let us look at how parents can not only keep up | | | | books very well. This step requires a little more |
| but also press on to keep their babies' reading | | | | work and patience, but it is not by any means |
| program moving steadily along. | | | | difficult. The best advice I can give you is to begin |
| Continue to teach your baby new single words. | | | | this step early in your program. |
| Continue to add new words to your baby reading | | | | Teaching your baby to read sentences and then |
| program regardless of what stage you are at. | | | | books takes some practice. As soon as your |
| Each time you expose your baby to a new word | | | | baby has learned 50-100 words, you can begin |
| their little brains are taking in the word and the | | | | reading short sentences and books. An easy way |
| phonetic patterns that make up the words. There | | | | to do this is to read to your child often and point |
| is something for your baby to learn from each | | | | to each word as you read. While your child follows |
| and every word you expose them to. | | | | along, they will be learning many new words. |
| Once you have been moving along in your | | | | Another way to begin reading sentences is to buy |
| program you can add words new words at | | | | some sentence strips from your local office |
| random. Get a pack of 5x8 index cards and a | | | | supply store. You can write simple sentences for |
| marker and write down whatever words come | | | | your baby around the words you are learning or |
| to your mind. Think of words that you use in | | | | you can even write lines from favorite books. |
| your daily conversations with your child and words | | | | You can stick up your sentences in a pocket |
| that excite your child. Do not be surprised once | | | | chart or with a magnet on the fridge. Several |
| you have been involved in a baby reading | | | | times a day read the sentences with your baby |
| program for some time if your child learns new | | | | as you point our each word. Make sure to create |
| words after one or two sessions. | | | | sentences about things that interest and excite |
| Each time you stimulate your baby with written | | | | your baby. |