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3-year-old reading

  1. #9
    capital is offline Banned
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    here is my 2 cents:

    I am also married to a guy from HK, but we livein canada, and I KNOW if we were in HK he would be so much more concerned about what everyone one else in Hk was doing and pushing for earlier school entry. His friends childre in Hk are doing home work unitl 9 or 1000 at night at age 6 and &7. CRAZY!!! I can't believe it. Of course they also think I am crazy because my children go to bed at 7:00 pm. When my chikdren at 6 and 7 there is no way they will be doing homework at that time of day, I plan for them to have already been asleep for a few hours.

    As a compromise we have our 4 year old in a montessori 4 half days/week starting at age 3.5. Most 3 year olds would attend a 2 half day/week preschool, and 4 year olds a 3 half day/week preschool. The school is very good, the children go to school with children of many ages (3 to 6) and they work at their own level. Each week they learn a letter, doing a work page. My son is not that interested in letters yet, so he primarily just colors the letter page. He has only recently become more interested in the letters and really it is only because he got an alphebet themed go fish game and he really like it. I'd say he recognized about 2/3rds of the letters. He does not know all the sounds that go with them, but is starting to understnd that they have sounds that relate to words and how your read. He can recognize (not read technically) his name and his and his brothers initials. Maybe in HK he would be thought of as behind but I don't think he is. I want him to learn at his own pace so that he enjoys it. On the other hand, he LOVES numbers, always chooses the math based activites at school, he is started to figure out how to add on his own, just things around the house. He has picked up much faster math skills than reading skills.
    We thought that just going from being at home to school 4 days /week was such a transition that he has been in no activites other than school.This spring he will go to soccer 1/week for 2 months. That is plenty. I cannot imagine having him in so many activites as your friend.


    My 2 year old is starting to learn the alphabet, but only in the sense that right now he is really into songs and likes thesong, he hs no actual concept of what the letters mean.

    I too did not learn to read until grade one in canada in the 1970's and we learned phonics. From what I understand now the popular thing here is a conbination of phonics and sight words.
    The very best thing you can do to ensure strong reading skills is to read to your child, what your child enjoys, even if you read the same book 50 times and be an example to your child in that you read a well. This I worry about becasue while I love to read and read all the time, my husband never reads if he can help it.


  2. #10
    carang's Avatar
    carang is offline Registered User
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    huh, capital...your hubby and mine sound very similar. my local hubby reads magazines and hk newspapers, which if you've ever seen one is 90% graphic photos,9% advertising and 1% news.

    i forced him to read a book once, harry potter. he enjoyed it, but it took him about 9 months to get through it!


  3. #11
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    nicolejoy is offline Registered User
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    I teach English in Hong Kong, phonics, and mainly to "younger children". I've taught a 3 1/2 year old who had a "reading level" of a typical 8 year old. He could read words like "knight" even!! And words with 2-3 syllables. Insane!

    I think it's good to use a child's curiosity to teach them - and if a child really wants to read that badly, sure - help them along. But there's no "use" in a 3 year old having that reading level, I don't think!! There's no sense in a 6 year old knowing algebra and calculus!!

    I'm all for helping kids to learn stuff that they're interested in - but I can't stand it when kids are PUSHED so hard that they really learn NOTHING because they're not ready to learn. I've had kids come in, they're at least one or two levels BEHIND the class - but the parent INSISTED that they MUST be in this class - because there are other 3 or 4 year olds in that class... and then the child really doesn't learn ANYTHING... it's such a waste...


  4. #12
    hkaussie is offline Registered User
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    I would say normal for a 3 year old is not to be able to read at all!!

    Many (most?) children in Australia only start to learn to read in their first year of school which is age 4-5. But some kids get interested in letters around 2-3, and if they are interested then of course a loving parent can encourage that, simply by reading more books, talking about letters, choosing toys that have a focus on reading, etc.

    If a child doesn't seem to pick it up, or show an interest, I think it's pretty silly to push the issue before age 4 or so. Maybe their talents at that point in life lie in things like fine motor skills, or being highly sociable. Encourage the things they already love, offer them the opportunity to learn new things, but don't panic if they aren't interested in the things you think they should be.

    If you want a fun website to help your little ones play with letters and phonics, try this one:

    http://www.starfall.com/

    If your child is still learning to recognise letters, the ABCs section is wonderful. LOTS of fun!


  5. #13
    carang's Avatar
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    hubby has to limit the $ i spend on books, or we wouldn't have any to buy food! i could easily go to a good bookshop and spend thousands without batting an eye...just the other day, i had to stock up for my hospital visit... hubby limited me to one book (i started it two days ago and am about 1/4 finished and it's LONGGGGGG!)... within about 4 minutes i had narrowed my selection down to about 10...and i could only choose one!!!

    my that was hard to do!

    (ps> i'm really into historical fiction, if anyone wants to trade!)


  6. #14
    sunniefaith is offline Registered User
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    Cara,

    Page One in LKF is still on sale till 1st May. I'm going to pop by tomorrow to have a look


  7. #15
    kidsgames is offline Registered User
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    To read aloud is a very important part of playtime for your child. Of course, there's the fun of snuggling up on the couch, looking at the pictures, an enjoying the plot; the playful use of words and the rhythm of language come alive as you read. When you read aloud, the magic of story continues in your child's mind long after you close the pages of the book. It is as though these cherished stories and characters are like tiny seeds scattered into your child's imagination. The character and events from favorite books will likely crop up in your child's pretend play, creative ideas, and drawing and paintings. It's also a nice, low-key activity for you to do when you feel like you're running on empty. Below are some of my favorite read aloud books for preschoolers. I hope you will invite some of these charming characters into your child's world. You may get them at Amazon.

    Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst, illustrations by Ray Cruz


    A Baby Sister for Frances by Russell Hoban, illustrations by Lillian Hoban


    Bark, George by Jules Feiffer


    Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey


    Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? 40th Anniversary Edition by Bill Martin Jr., illustrations by Eric Carle


    Bunny Cakes (Max and Ruby) by Rosemary Wells


    Caps for Sale Board Book: A Tale of a Peddler, Some Monkeys and Their Monkey Business by Esphyr Slobodkina


    The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss


    Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr., and John Archambault, illustrations by Lois Ehlert.


  8. #16
    carang's Avatar
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    thanks sunnie...can't get around too much after surgery, maybe i'll try next week. let me know if there's anything left!


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