Monthly Archives: April 2011

Rediscover Books You’ve Read to Your Child

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Is there a book or two you enjoyed with  your baby or toddler a while ago?

It’s all the more likely then that you’ll both love revisiting it.

Repetition and re-reading aren’t new to your baby. She has loved them ever since you first communicated with her.  You’ve probably read the same set of ‘favorite’ books dozens of times over the years. However, have you tried exploring a book that was once your child’s favorite again a few months or years down the line? Try it to experience something magical.

It recently happened with M as we brought home, yet again, Eric Carle’s ‘Pancakes Pancakes’. After, maybe 7 months. She remembered the outline and had a  reasonably vivid memory of what happens in the book. But, boy, was it sheer delight to explore entirely new layers and dimensions with her this time around!

She noticed Jack’s bare feet and the fact that modern trappings like light bulbs and a stove and even a refrigerator were missing! She wanted to know how a water wheel worked and why they didn’t just use a food processor( or the Indian version, anyway) to grind the wheat into flour.  Eventually, her attention turned to the author as it always seems to these days – she seems to be fascinated by the fact that the author is the ‘Real’ person while what he writes about is ‘Just a story’. From wanting to know where Eric Carle lived to what he was up to these days, from wondering whether Jack was fictional or ‘real’ to how old Mr. Carle might be – more questions than I could possibly handle. So we paid a visit to Mr. Carle’s blog and set about finding M some answers.

The point of this post being…

You’ve GOT to experience the joy of re-reading an old favorite with your now older child.  Oh! the amazing secrets of your child’s mind it will reveal.

As a parent or teacher you probably don’t miss most of the not so subtle and some of the subtle changes in the way your growing child thinks, reasons, communicates and acts. And going back to read something you’ve read together earlier is another great opportunity to observe this expansion of your child’s awareness in action.

Have you enjoyed revisiting a book recently with your child? Go ahead and share your experience below…

Your Baby Can Read…When?

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I can’t tell you how many times I have begun to write about the Your Baby Can Read Program….and stopped. If you could see the drafts in my dashboard or the notes in my ideas pad, you’d see.  Not many of us could have missed the commercials showing months-old babies ‘reading’ or rather, what seemed to me more like spitting out the words printed on flash cards. I’ve seen the ads in reputed magazines and websites and have wondered, more than once, among other things, if the program really could be what it claims. An effective, scientifically designed approach to teaching babies as young as 6, 8 or 10 months old to READ.

Somehow, I myself was never drawn to trying it, just as I was never drawn to Baby Einstein DVDs, when it came to my daughter. I can’t put my finger on it, but something about the fact that you could sit your child down in front of a screen and expect her to learn, interact and expand her mind did not quite seem right.  Besides, I wasn’t even sure I was comfortable with watching babies…infants really…READING! I mean, the commercials were impressive – they actually showed you little ones recognizing words with as many as ten letters on sight. And although I marveled at a program that could accomplish this, I wasn’t sure if the babies should even be working on ‘reading’ from flash cards at that age. I wasn’t sure how or why the program worked and what kind of long term effects it may have on young minds. Besides, both Baby Einstein and Your Baby Can Read seemed to encourage at least some screen time – which again, did not sound like good advice to me.

Since I wasn’t really sure about how I felt about the program and whether I wanted to recommend it or was even willing to try it, I never really got around to publishing those blog posts in draft mode. However, I just came across this article, courtesy of Karen Nemeth, @KarenNemethEdM and realized that my uneasiness wasn’t unfounded after all.

Watchdog Group Cries “Foul” On Early Reading Program

It turns out that the same watchdog group that successfully campaigned against the way Baby Einstein DVDs were marketed as educational tools, has now filed a complaint against Your Baby Can Read as well.  They’re now saying that this program is not just ineffective and a false ploy to get parents to shell out money but also that it may actually be doing more harm than good to young minds.

Is The Thrill Of Word Recognition The Same As The Joy of Reading?

I am no scientist nor early childhood learning expert. But, as a regular ol’ mom raising a regular ol’ baby who didn’t and couldn’t read when she was 10 months old, I can tell you that this exact thought has crossed my mind on more than one occasion. Even as I was flabbergasted that a child so young could recognize words, I was also pained to see little kids who in my view should have been exploring picture books and playing peek-a-boo on their parents’ laps were in fact being trained to do something that seemed unnatural for their age. Sure, it was great that they were ‘reading’ so young, but what good could that possibly achieve? How could the ability to recognize words that they probably didn’t even understand help expand their vocabulary or language learning?  I had no answers, but every time I came across the program, I did have more questions. For me and so many parents I know, reading to our kids is a pleasure, a source of relaxation and an experience of pure joy. Exploring books – whether they’re picture books, comics, Mother Goose rhymes or a bilingual storybook – with my daughter is something I love doing, probably as much or even more than she does. And it is that anticipation of joy and the unique bonding experience that makes me pick up a book to read to my daughter each time – not the hope that maybe she will begin to read before she is supposed to, developmentally speaking. Sure, I point to words and pictures and label them. Sure, like every other kid, she pretends she can read, even though we both know she’s repeating from memory. And yes, now that she’s inching towards her 5th bday, she does show interest in letters and letter combinations and the sounds they make – yes, she’s actually begun to learn to ‘read’ – as is appropriate for her age.  Sure, now that she appears to show interest and seems to have the ability to recognize and sound out letters and words, I’m paying more attention to the way we read and what we read, so she has more opportunities to build on her new found skill. But, not once throughout this process of reading to my daughter over the past 4+ years have I ever felt the need, inclination or pressure to coax her to begin ‘reading’ before she was ready to.  So, I guess the biggest question on my mind regarding the Your Baby Can Read program is the motivation behind it itself. Why? Why would parents want their babies to begin reading even before they could talk, stand or sit up on their own? What could possibly be so appealing about a program that trains babies to do something they will eventually do in a few years’ time anyway? Why was it so important to teach babies to read when they could have been spending that time engaged in finger play or story time instead? Ok, so your baby can read, but why do you want her to?

Milestones In Minutes?

I’m not sure how scientific the Your Baby Can Read program is or whether this campaign will be successful as the earlier one – but what I do want to explore is, why are we in such a hurry to ‘teach’ our babies a skill that they are bound to pick up anyway when they are ready. With time flying as it does and the universal acknowledgment of the fact that childhood years pass by far too quickly, how is it that some of us are willing and eager to cut them short even further?

Of course, since I have never tried the program and know little about how it actually works, I would love to hear from someone who has tried it and has an opinion to share. Have you tried Read to Your Baby with your child or know someone who has? Please jump in and leave your comments. Would love to hear from you and understand your views from the perspective of  a parent who has actually seen the product at work.

As for me – although the day my daughter begins to read independently will be a proud one for me, I’m pretty sure not all my tears that day will be those of joy. There surely will be a tear or two lamenting the fact that my daughter won’t need me to read to her any more! But, boy will I be glad I had some 4+ years to get there and not mere months.

What’s your take on Read to Your Baby or, for that matter, any program that accelerates development of any kind in kids. Is it worth getting them to master a skill or reach a milestone ahead of time so they can be better prepared to meet the challenges of a competitive world or would you rather let them be kids for as long as possible?

In other news…Bilingualism article Part 2

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Better late than never – Now Published:

Pursuing the Bilingual Edge: Teaching Children a Second Language
On Parent USA City.

I wrote a piece on Raising Bilingual Children a while ago, which was focused on children growing up in bilingual families and the benefits they reap from the exposure to two or more languages. The editor then suggested I write a follow-up piece highlighting how English-only families could give their children the bilingual edge. I had the opportunity to interact with some amazing, passionate people whose inputs made this article possible.

If you have views on bilingualism, raising children in a multilingual environment or thoughts on the challenges and benefits it poses, please do share them in the comments.

Bilingualism Boosts Brain Power

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Bilingualism – The Gift You Owe Your Child

And the balance tips towards bilingualism yet again – did you catch this recent NPR story on bilingualism and brain power?

If not, check it out – very much worth a quick listen(or quicker read)

Being Bilingual May Boost Your Brain Power

It may not come as a surprise to you if you already have some exposure to a bilingual environment. However, not all of us feel as confident as the parents in this story about our choice to raise our children to be bilingual and a little reassurance is never a bad thing.

All the more reason to read to your child everyday in not one, but two or more languages, if you can. All the more reason to have conversations in your mother tongue when you are surrounded by family.  All the more reason to reinforce your native tongue at home – trusting, believing that your child will slowly but surely pick up the dominant language(English, in most cases) when she eventually goes to school, even if you find yourself wondering if you shouldn’t introduce her to it sooner.  Now more than ever, it’s official and the evidence is mounting – if you have the ability and resources to provide your child a bilingual environment, and especially if you yourself have the advantage of knowing two or more languages, you owe it to your child to raise her bilingually.

Do it for her brain. Do it for her soul.  Do it to keep a language alive.

Until next time,

Read with love.
Read everyday.
Find something to read in every language you know and share it with your child today.