Reading Progress

I posted a video of Emma "reading" Go Back to Sleep! Emma does actually read some words, but she was not actually "reading" in the video. Nevertheless, we were delighted when Emma wanted to read us the book because we want her to enjoy reading. There's so much TV, video, and other screen entertainment to distract her, and we're not immune from those influences.

I will confess I am one of those neurotic moms that use flashcards, play Your Baby Can Read! videos, and sign, spell, name, count just about everything during our day together. I read that more children are exposed to words, easier it is for them to develop the skills necessary for them to succeed, especially in communicating with others.

Here's where we are with Emma these days:

Phonics: "First you take a C, then you take an AT, put them all together, and now you have a CAT!" She can do that with FAT, SAT, and MAT.

Spelling: Because she knows all her letters, she can spell out any word you put in front of her. Our trick of spelling certain words we don't want her to hear won't work for much longer.

Reading: She remembers words she has seen before, as in GO and DOG which I spelled in the bathtub. She then proceeded to recite from memory the first few pages of Dr. Seuss' Go Dog Go!

I document this here because I want to remember that this is where Emma is developmentally, not to brag to all 7 of my readers (who already know Emma is the light of our lives). I know of brilliant kids who were actually spelling and writing long before their 3rd birthday. Most importantly, though, she seems to enjoy reading, for which I am grateful. For now, we'll keep working on the basics and hope Emma will continue to enjoy reading. Maybe Emma will learn the remainder of the cute book, so you can find out how it ends for Willy John Jones and the toys he owns.