Mastering the skill of reading is an essential requirement in everyday life. So, I think you will agree with the opinion of many, that the earlier you master reading, the better. The number of parents/guardians teaching their toddlers how to read, is rapidly growing in today's society.
Parents and caregivers alike, are not teaching their toddlers how to read in order to be trendy, but to give their child a brighter beginning for a successful future.
Giving your toddler lesson plans for reading promotes improvement in the brains' neural synapses. The firing of the neural synapses grants him/her the ability to generate intellect.
Teaching your toddler how to read, also, dramatically decreases his/her chances of possessing a low self-esteem, which is a rapidly growing crisis in our youth.
When teaching your toddler how to read, keep this in mind; the delicate, growing brain of a toddler can be trained to read, but only to a certain extent. Mostly, the educated toddlers are familiar with their ABC's, and whole words, but lack the ability to read smoothly or understand what they're reading.
The plus side to this is that, as your toddler gets older, he/she has already started developing comprehension skills.
You should not be alarmed if your toddler doesn't master reading at this stage in life. Reason being, neural connections in a toddlers brain are not adequately developed; rendering the child unable to comprehend the structure of a sentence, the formation of a word, or the meaning of a word.
However, there are some toddlers that are gifted with the ability to do all of this at an earlier stage in life.
When you begin the toddler lesson plans, go with the in-direct approach. This approach is highly recommended when teaching a toddler how to read. You dont want to intimidate your child, this will decrease self-esteem; a fundamental necessity when learning how to read.
Be sure to make your toddlers reading lessons enjoyable. You dont want to over-do-it or make your child feel forced in anyway. If your toddler is being fussy and unmanageable, he/she may be getting bored.
In my opinion, boredom is the minds worst enemy. If boredom occurs, you should find something else that he/she will interact with and continue toddler lesson plans later.
*Helpful Hint*- when creating lesson plans, you should have flexible learning techniques, arrange them by age or skill level for future lesson plans. ;)
As you know, you have to know the alphabet in order to read. So, grab some ABC books (not the catalogue. lol), bright-colored, illustrated or pop-ups, just something that will grab his/her attention. Flash cards are very resourceful; let your toddler hold the cards, this will reward him/her, resulting in a motivated mind, and a confidence boost! (for you and your child :)
A toddler's capability to learn revolves around how he/she learns. In my opinion, the Monkey See Monkey Do technique is the easiest way for a toddler to learn.
Your little one sees and hears more than you know. Just imagine what your child would think if he/she walked into the kitchen and seen Mommy reading a book!
*(Denis Waitley) " In everything your children will ever be, is who they watch, what they look at, what they read, what they hear and who they emulate as their mentors and celebrity role models".
Consistency is also a popular technique used in toddler lesson plans. If your child is persistent on reading a certain book everyday, then by all means, read it!
When doing this, your child is using consistency to memorize the words, letters, and sounds. While reading, make sure you read slow, smooth and punctual. Point to the words as you read them to help your toddler identify and connect the sounds of a word to its written form.
If you are a busy parent, as most of us are, you may be pushed for time with the everyday hustle and bustle. While running your errands, be creative and help your child identify road signs, and even the labels on groceries.
Adding this back-up technique to your toddler's lesson plan will ensure that he/she acquires a lesson for the time being.
