My DD13 didn't really start to
read-read (using phonetic decoding skills on everything) when she was four. While this sounds reasonable, this is a child who is probably PG, so I'd call her a "late" reader in that cohort, certainly.
Like doubtful guest and ultramarina, we just left it alone, though she showed many signs of "readiness" before age 2, even.
Within about a six month span, though, her reading level went from "phonetically-controlled readers" to Harry Potter and Mary Poppins. She would read for eight to ten hours a day if we let her.
We suddenly found ourselves in the position of having to point out to DD that not all of the books in our home were... um... appropriate for children. When she picked out Frank McCourt's
Angela's Ashes, I mean. (Yikes.)
She LOVES to read. Obsessively LOVES to read. I'm very glad that we didn't
push reading on her and make it a power struggle. She's that kind of kid, and it would have ruined it for her.
So my advice is to leave this one alone. Three is still very young. That extra year or so certainly didn't make much difference in the long run to my DD, who is handily managing her junior year in high school at the moment. My personal feeling is that hothousing at 3 doesn't generate additional levels of giftedness, and even MG children
can be taught to read at those ages, but teaching a child to LOVE reading is quite a different matter.
Reading is its OWN reward system. Treat it that way!
Others have mentioned Jim Trelease before. I'll add our endorsement, too.
