Your response to this question might be influenced by three main myths.
Myth 1 School is the place to teach children to read.
Is it? Where does it say the place to teach children to read is at school? Most preschoolers don’t know that reading is a possibility, and we are the gatekeepers to allowing, or stopping, them from having the experience of that possibility. Some preschoolers want to learn to read before being at school. Preschoolers are absolutely capable of learning to read anywhere. If they don’t want to, that’s fine, don’t force them.
Myth 2 Children need to be children, and have time to play. Don’t nurture early reading with preschoolers because they need to be children.
Who said there is a magical age to nurture children learning the beginnings of reading? Who said that learning to read doesn’t allow children to be children? Steiner philosophy says five years is too young to start learning to read. They start children on reading at the age of seven. Further, who said learning to read isn’t play? For example, you see your three year old sitting in the bean bag reading “Hairy McLary’s Caterwaul Caper” to Frankie, the family pet dog. This is playing – playing a role.
Myth 3 Reading ‘instruction’ is a formal programme where children are made to sit at a table and do ‘classroom’ type exercises. Preschoolers shouldn’t be made to do this.
I agree with these thoughts. I would never want preschoolers to do something formal and not fun. Preschoolers can learn the beginning of reading in a very informal way during play.
My fun-loving, play-based casual “CONVERSATION to READING” approach happens throughout the day:
- in the kitchen,
- bathroom,
- bedroom,
- car,
- cafe,
- restaurant,
- zoo,
- supermarket,
- shopping mall,
- supermarket, and
- at Grandma and Grandpas’
- aunty and uncles’
- the letter box,
- the airport,
- the beach,
- anywhere when on holiday, and
- ANYWHERE.
When I use my fun-loving, play-based casual ‘CONVERSATION TO READING” approach:
Children don’t even know they are learning, and they always want MORE.