My Baby Can Read

My Baby Can Read!

Hard as it may be to believe, babies as young as 6 months can start reading with the right learning program and help from their parents. In this article, I will tell you more about baby reading programs as well as give you an overview on Dr Titzer's baby learning program Your Baby Can Read

With all the massive TV coverage and commercials of the Your Baby Can Read program there is now a lot of interest in baby learning programs, their effectiveness and the long term benefits/drawbacks for children.

So, can babies read at such a young age and more importantly is it even a good idea for babies and young children to learn to read? Aren't they better off playing and having fun?

Well, contrary to what you might think early learning programs are not new phenomena and there has been considerable research on the subject going as far back as 1950.

How can I teach my baby to read?

There are two approaches to early learning one the whole word approach and second phonics.

1. The whole word approach as the name suggests focuses on whole words and not individual letters. For example let's take the word CAT. In the whole word approach also known as sight word a child would be shown a picture of a cat next to the word CAT over time, the child learns to associate the image with the word CAT
2. The phonics approach on the other hand the focus would be more on the letters that make up the word CAT so instead of CAT it would be C-A-T.

So which method is better you ask? With both methods having their own distinct advantages it is best to have a holistic approach and use both approaches to teach your baby. Ideally, you should start your baby with a whole word program such as Your Baby Can Read and then also make it a point to include Phonics programs such as Hooked on Phonics.

When is the best time to teach my baby to read?

Now that we have talked about the different methods of learning, let's move on to the next logical question. When is the best time to teach my baby to read? Is it a good idea to even teach babies?

Programs like Your Baby Can Read use the whole word approach while others like Hooked on Phonics use the Phonics approach. So what makes Your Baby Can Read special if the whole word approach has been around since 1950 you ask?

While traditional whole word methods and phonics methods were built for school going children and classroom education. Your Baby Can Read is designed to work even for babies who are only 6 months old! Research over the last 10-15 years by education researchers such as Dr Robert Titzer shows that the traditional approach to learning in classrooms is too late and parents can build a very solid foundation for their babies future education by initiating education much earlier. Research has shown that not only do children who are taught early using programs like Your Baby Can Read do well not only in their preschool and kindergarten but continue to do well much later in high school and beyond.

Is it safe to teach my baby to read?

The other questions most parents ask and a very valid one is if initiating learning at such a young age might be too much pressure for the baby and if it would be better for the baby if he or she were just allowed to have fun instead.

It is completely safe and very healthy for the baby to learn to read as long as it is done in a non-competitive friendly way. As long as parents keep it as a fun activity, it will be extremely beneficial for the child as unlike in a classroom the baby can learn in a non-competitive atmosphere.

Babies are naturally inquisitive and are constantly learning from their parents and surroundings, they are already exposed to the oral word as they listen to us when we talk and by showing them written words and language they learn to associate the words we speak to the written language much better.

Don't look at it as a chore or teaching but just another fun activity for your child and as long as both you and your child have fun, baby learning programs like Your Baby Can Read can be very rewarding for your child's development.

Dr. Titzer who used the Your Baby Can Read program to teach his daughters Aleka and Keelin, notes that not only did his daughters learn languages faster than others but continued to do very well in school much later both of them maintained very high grades and even skipped a grade.

While Aleka and Keelin may be exceptionally bright students and their success may not necessarily be replicated by all children. There is no denying that early learning has a very significant positive benefit in a child's learning.

Whether you choose the Your Baby Can Read program or some other baby learning program the success will depend largely on the parents' involvement and encouragement. Remember no baby learning can be run on autopilot.

For more information on the Your Baby Can Read TV offer and to order the Your Baby Can Read program, click here