Baby reading at 19 months!!

[jaydensmum]

I just read in Take 5 magazine today that theres a baby that can read and he's only 19 months!!! :eek: Well i better start reading to my son, he's only 2 months younger than this boy! :yes: Wow he must be real talented, ive never heard of anything like it before! :no:

[javalava]

How could that be real?? it cant be... maybe he has memorised the words... id doubt that was real...... cool if it is though!!

Ive read to jordan ever since i can remember every single night and he is pretty good with words and stuff but not really interested in acutally reading yet but its coming soon i think.

[MummyCharmzy]

thats pretty darn amazing if its for real.. seeing as most kids can hardly speak at that age and most preppies can barely read when they start school!

[Janelle]

What a genius :)

[Ashleigh<3]

I remember visiting my four year old cousin 5 years ago.
She was reciting roman numerals to me. :eek:
Funny, she was also correct on every one as I was only 14 at the time and actually studying roman numerals in highschool!
:laughing:

[meme]

wow, my bubba is 15 mths and hardly talking, let alone reading (actually she says lots that i understand but i think to everyone else it probably just sounds like 'bwop' or 'bwup':laughing: )

[sam's mum]

They have been pushing this on the 'news' lately as well. There are these dvd's that you get the kids watching from about 3 months, and they can actually read quite young. There was one girl who couldn't talk yet who had to mime what the words were. (teeth, point to here teeth etc). The guy who is selling it says that it increases their IQ. I think that they have enough to learn just now, and the other kids will catch up when they get to school, and by the time they all finish primary there will be a small difference, and at the end of high school, none at all.

[SnoozesWithCats]

One of my friends was supposedly reading some words before she was two. When she had kids herself, she told us she hoped they _didn't_ - there's a certain amount of expectation gets hung on you after something like that! She grew up to be bright, but not a genius - just an ordinarily clever person with very good language skills.

The youngest literate person I've personally witnessed is my nephew, who was able to write his own name (Samuel) at two and a half (don't remember when he started recognising it but it was certainly a lot earlier than that)

Some kids are amazing aren't they :yes:

[Nickster]

Yes, yes, :ecomcity: so he can read at 19 months.....but can he do the puzzles in Take 5?:laughing:

[Mum&bubs]

Wow my DD is 17 months & only learning how to say proper words :eek: Wonder if its for real or not. Ive been reading to her since birth & she can point to some pictures in the book (e.g dog, cat) and say those things but only by the picture :)

[Ashleigh<3]

Makes you wonder with how many young children (babies!) that are practicing literacy so early, how long it will be before Elementary/primary, public schooling education will have to change their core curriculum.
Will they have higher expectations of our children to work on a more advanced level?

[ladylo_fi]

Lemme get this straight - this is NOT a brag! :)

My son who's 19 months today can read over 10 letters and about 5 numbers and can point to them in all kind sof settings. He particularly loves number plate spotting (parked cars) when we go on walks and on signs in shopping centres. He can read words like 'moo' and 'la' (a singing word in a book we own) as he knows those letters singularly too.

I have read to him extensively since the day he was born and not a day goes by when he isn't read to at least twice. Of course some kids just aren't interested and then latch on real quick all of a sudden. He's also been great with his speech so perhaps all those synapses in the brain are connected to reading as well.

I don't walk around thinking he's a genius like some Mums do but it is a great source of joy to me that he has shown such an interest and developed his ability so early. I don't mention it much at mother's group and to friend's with kids as I dom't want to be perceived as bragging about him.

It could also be genetic as I began reading fluently and spontaneously at age 3. Most get there with the right guidance and love no matter the age :) A crucial factor is parental modelling of behaviour - my hubby and i are ALWAYS reading something, whether it's on the net, a paper, a magazine, a novel, my prep for school. I read to him when we're out as well (signs etc) and must sound like a right tosser to others! LMAO.

And that was great point the previous poster made about adjusting school curriculum to meet advanced needs. Unfortunately, as a teacher, I know that not all kids arrive at their first year of school with a wealth of literacy experiences behind them :( Some of them have never even owned a book or been read to in their lives. These kids are extreme cases but there's at least a few every year at my school and it nearly makes me weep. They rarely catch up to kids who are already experts with books. They often remain behind for the rest of their schooling, although this outcome is often compounded by other factors such as negligent parents, inadquate diet etc.

Anyway, I'm raving on now. Better get to bed :)

[Ashleigh<3]

Ladylo_fi

I didn’t think you were bragging at all. :)
I wouldn’t be able to contain myself if my child was as skilled/doing so well for his age as your little 19 month old boy!:o

I have no doubt all the extensive amounts of reading you’ve practiced since he was born has helped.
Genetics having an influence gets me curious as well.
My Aunt was very smart, she unfortunately passed away, but her eldest son has always done extremely well in school, he’s 23 now and has just been given a scholarship to one of the best universities in America. And his younger brother’s are both very bright, both were tested from a very early age and were moved up a year in their school. They're still at the top of their class. I'm sure my Aunt would be proud.:)

[Niki]

:yelclap: wat a cleaver ds you have ladylo_fi :yelclap:

i would be teeling every1 if my son could do that :D

[Ashleigh<3]

wat a cleaver ds you have ladylo_fi

i would be teeling every1 if my son could do that :D

"Yeeeepppp-uh!! :p That's mahhh boooyy!!"

:laughing:

[bubbles28]

They have been pushing this on the 'news' lately as well. There are these dvd's that you get the kids watching from about 3 months, and they can actually read quite young. There was one girl who couldn't talk yet who had to mime what the words were. (teeth, point to here teeth etc). The guy who is selling it says that it increases their IQ. I think that they have enough to learn just now, and the other kids will catch up when they get to school, and by the time they all finish primary there will be a small difference, and at the end of high school, none at all.


I AGREE

[Pixie]

I grew up in a bookshop, bit of an advantage but I could read aloud and to myself by the time I was 2. I don't think it's ammazing just depends on the child and how much you go with it!

[cheezelkat]

I can't really see an advantage to them reading early. They will just be bored throughout school.
I read to DS everyday though :)

[ladylo_fi]

Yep, you're right, some kids really are bored in their first years of school thanks to being able to read already, but really, what the teacher needs to be doing is catering for their needs at all levels. If your kid isn't being catered for, then ask why! :)

Having said that, I have a friend who has a gifted daughter who was reading Shakespeare's sonnets at age 5 :eek: I can imagine the challenges that teacher faced trying to cater for kids with no reading ability and her amazing abilities plus everything in between! AGH.

That's when i think Gifted classes really come into their own. I had the fortune of teaching a year 2/3/4 Gifted class before falling pregnant and can vouch that they responded really well to being in that environment and all kinds of teaching and learning styles were possible due to ability grouping.

That said, I support intergrating kids of all abilities in one class as long as they are ability grouped for key areas like Maths and English. That way, everyone gets what they need at their own level which is vital for them to succeed no matter the ability. Just think, if some of our greatest brains were left bored and idle during their schooling years (which some of them might have been!), then perhaps they wouldn't have gone quite as far. The more people can learn, the more they are capable of achieving I guess. It's a theory anyway. :)

Sorry, a bit off track there but relevant I think :D

[cheezelkat]

Yep, you're right, some kids really are bored in their first years of school thanks to being able to read already, but really, what the teacher needs to be doing is catering for their needs at all levels. If your kid isn't being catered for, then ask why! :)


I was an early reader and throughout school, I was just sent off by myself to read books whilst the class read their set titles :rolleyes:

It would be nice if the school system was very different to cope with kids of different abilities.

[ladylo_fi]

So sorry to hear that :( From memory, I pretty much had to do the same but gritted my teeth and waited until i got hom to do the more challenging stuff.

I think this is something that a lot of schools are paying a lot of attention to these days. The buzz words in education are all about 'ability grouping' in mainstream classes as well as having specialised classes to meet special needs (including gifted and talented). My school has 5 levels of homework but it does depend on individual teachers to implement these practices.

I hope you find that things have changed radically by the time your little one gets to school :D

[A Party of Five]

If you want to teach your kids to read try "Reading Magic" by Mem Fox and Paul Jennings "The Reading Bug, and how you can help your child to catch it".

Mem Fox is the best, we just love her. Thanks to Mem and some hard work, are DD who is four and can read!:thumbsup: