Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion What counts as reading?

My DS started sounding out words around 2 as well, but to me that didn't mean much as he didn't have the other cognitive skills to actually properly read at that point. I wouldn't say that I taught him, as in I didn't use flash cards or workbooks or anything, but I did tell him the sounds the letters make and point out words/print in his environment and I figured he would pick up what he would pick up. I might not have done even that had DS not been super interested in letters/the idea of reading. I would say if your DD is asking to learn to read or showing strong interest when you talk about reading then go ahead and teach as long as you keep it fun and child led. One thing I did once DS started reading was to read together and take turns per page, that way he got practice, had a great time reading with mom, and wasn't overwhelmed by too much work all at once. I also bought a lot of books to make sure there was always something interesting to read that tapped into his interests at the time.

I don't consider teaching kids a problem if it is child led. You wouldn't say that you taught your child to eat just because you prepared some mashed up food and placed it in front of the kid and offered a little guidance for getting it into their mouth. If you squeeze the kid's cheeks open and shove the food in, well that's totally different. If you make feeding time super fun with sound effects and games, well, maybe you will feed your kid more than they naturally would have eaten, but I think it's up to each individual family if they consider that to be acceptable or not. I did not feel pressured not to teach DS anything just to keep up the appearance that I wasn't pushing him. I knew I was just following his lead and that others would judge no matter what. I never helped him eat either, but it doesn't bother me if other people use airplane sounds to get food in a kid as that is well within the realm of normal parenting.

I think the vast majority of parents tell young children colors and numbers and practice counting, etc. and this is fine. I think most kids master this stuff when they are ready. As long as your child is eager to do the learning activities you are presenting and isn't getting frustrated and it is something you feel fits with your parenting style, I say go for it. Either you teach her or they will teach her at school, what's the difference really?