Let the Children Read

When should a child start learning to read and write? This is one of the questions I am most frequently asked. There is no hard and fast rule, for no two are alike, and it would be wrong to set a time when all should start being taught the intricacies of reading letters to form words.

If a three-year-old child wants to read (or even a two-year-old child for that matter), the child has the right to be given every encouragement. He or she might later be "bored" when joining a class of non-readers at child school. It is up to the teacher to see that such a child is given more advanced reading material.

Similarly, the child who still cannot read by the time he goes to primary school at the age of seven should be given every help by teachers and parents alike. They should make certain that he is not dyslexic. If he is, a specialist's help should immediately be sought.

Although parents should be careful not to force youngsters aged two to five to learn to read (if badly done it could put them off reading for life), there is no harm in preparing them for simple recognition of letters by labeling various items in their room. For instance, tie a nice piece of cardboard to their bed with BED written in neat, big letters.

Should the young child ask his parents to teach him to read, and if the parents arc capable of doing so, such an attraction should not be ignored. But the task should never be made to look like a hard job and the child should never be forced to continue, should his interest start to fade away.