Reading at 3?

Of course, like most parents, I think my child is brilliant. As a former educator, I see her doing things that I consider above average for her age group. This is my quandry: My daughter just turned 3 in August. Lately, she has been obsessed with learning to read. She can identify a lot of letters, is starting to figure out beginning sounds, and understands that words convey messages. I have always been an advocate of developmentally appropriate teaching. A child learning to read at 3 isn't necessarily going to do any better in school or life than a child that learns at 6. Aside from basic skills, I have not pushed anything on her. I obviously have the skills to teach her, and probably most of the materials. Since she is the one prompting this, do I go with it at a leisurely (no pressure) pace or do I just wait until she starts kindergarten? Have any of you done this? Did it backfire? I know in the long run it won't make a big difference, but at the same time I want to encourage her learning. Suggestions? Advice? :book

I would definitely teach her if she is wanting to learn. As an educator, I am sure you know that the most fundemental thing in learning is reading. If you can't read and comprehend, you can't do much of anything. The advise I give is to teach children to read early and read well. I wouldn't worry about writing until her fine motor skills are developed a little more (around 4 or 5 sometimes even 6), but I really can't see early reading backfiring. She'll need this skill for the rest of her life, the sooner you start, the better and more grounded her foundation will be.

Just a side note, my 5 yr old has been reading for a year now. We are homeschooling because she was learning without us and there was no way we could put her into the school system. Now we are formerly doing first grade with her (at 5), she is breezing through it and is even a little bored some of the time. We have decided that she could use the review and do not want to push her too hard due to her age.

JMO Hope this helps :)

I say go for it -- although I'm with you on the "no pressure, don't push". I knew how to read before I entered Kindergarten. My mom said I begged her to teach me. I've always loved reading -- so much so that I ended up getting my BA in English!

Grab some books, get a library card, and have fun!

I agree with you Billie - absolutely no writing. She does not have the motor skills. I look at what she is doing, which were signs to me as a pre-k teacher that it was time to introduce reading. Thanks, Cori, for providing your own experience. I feel confident in knowing how to begin. I'll keep you updated.