Grace was just turning four when my cousin, Sarah, gave me this:
Now I think we've already established that I am not the world's best mother. I don't spend a lot of time playing blocks or playdough with my munchkins. When I get on the trampoline with them (which they beg for every afternoon), I jump happily and energetically for approximately 3 and a half minutes until my knees start to throb and my thighs burn and I have to sit down (and my kids start to whine that I am too old).
But I REALLY like study time with my kids. Watching them figure something out is, like, my favorite thing.
So Grace and I did the lessons in this book together. It wasn't her favorite thing. She hated sitting still for ten minutes at a time, but I rewarded her with stickers, and by the time kindergarten started, she was reading pretty well.
I haven't known when to start with Claire. I didn't want to start too early and get her frustrated, but I didn't want to miss the window of interest either. (Reading is kind of like potty training in that way.) I've looked at the book a couple of times with her in the past year, but she wasn't interested.
Anyway. If you're trying to teach your munchkins to read, and they will tolerate sitting with you for ten minutes or so, this is the method I recommend. I don't follow the script exactly. We do a lot of skipping around.
That is good to know. What if you're the kind of mother who doesn't play OR teach them things?? Then what...
ReplyDeleteWell most of the time that's what I am. The kids seem to be okay.
ReplyDeleteSo I have this book too. I tried all sorts of conniving tricks to get Hyrum to do the lessons to no avail. He would have none of it. So we skipped the lessons. He's now in first grade and reading okay, so I guess it wasn't the end of the world.
ReplyDeleteAre you still home schooling btw? I'd love to it again in the future perhaps, when Joseph has established his career.
That is so funny that you posted about this because I have been meaning to do the same thing! I got the book for Hattie in September and she was totally uninterested. Then in January when we were talking about resolutions, she suddenly said she wanted to learn to read. So we've been doing a lesson every day ever since. The only reason it works is because hattie is totally into it. She is constantly asking me if it's Anna's nap time so that she can have a reading lesson. Funny that she and Claire hit their self-motivated time at the same time!
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