Early Reading at home

I have an almost 4 year old who is starting to get interested in reading. She says she wants to learn how to read so I have been working with her a little bit to get her ready to really learn to read. I am a big believer in going at a child's pace and not pushing them. Learning at this age should be enjoyable and fun, not forced at all. One thing I have started doing with her is reading a story I know has a lot of a certain letter. Today we read a bird book. So I gave her a block with the letter B on it.She traced the B with her hands, lower and upper case. We made B sounds and I told her to listen for the letter b. When the letter was prominent like in bluebird I pointed it out to her. We also love the Curious George Learns the Alphabet Book. It is so wonderfully illustrated and she has for a while learned to associate letters with certain words and sounds, like S-snail or T-tomahawk We are going slow, working on a letter every few days. This gives it time to sink in and helps so it doesn't feel so school like. I want my children to crave learning, love it and really want to learn. Not think of learning as some passive experience where they are drilled with flash cards and words. While this might help an older child learn, a child who is not even 4, yes it can be taught to them, but at what consequence? And are they truly learning it or just repeating blindly like a parrot? If she is reading at 4 she will be a young reader, but I have seen it pushed on kids even younger. But do children really younger than 4 understand phonemes and language rules? This is even hard for a 4 year old to grasp which is why I am going slow with her and teaching phonics. She already has picked up some sight words but over and over again I read how the combination of whole reading and phonics the best way for a child to become a great reader. Maybe tomorrow we will read the Cat in the Hat and work on C, or maybe if the rain clears we will spend the day in the sun, digging in the dirt and listening to the cicadas. That is the wonderful thing about this age and learning at home, no pressure, just love and enjoyment.

Reading to Your Child

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I read to Liv everyday, several times a day. We read before nap time and before bed time. We also read at other quiet times during the day. She is learning so much from our simple reading, but mostly she is learning to enjoy reading, which is a life long lesson.
Recently someone suggested to me the book "The Read Aloud Handbook"
At first I was a little apprehensive about checking it out. I read aloud and though I don't need tips on how to read aloud to my child.
But I was presently surprised with the information in this book. In addition to showing a lot of studies about how reading aloud to your child can benefit them he also has some great individual stories about how reading helped these kids.
There is also a great list at the end of some of his favorite read aloud stories. In his book he explains what makes a good read aloud book compared to a silent reading book. He advocates reading aloud to much older children then people usually read aloud too.
I just loved how he gives some great advice to keep your children enjoying reading. Many toddlers and young children love to read, but often around 4th grade they lose that love. He gives lots of practical advice on how to keep that love and enjoyment going.
This book is an excellent resource for all parents and I would highly recommend at least checking it out from your library.
Right now reading with Liv is one of my favorite activities. I am now 30 weeks pregnant and feeling every bit of it. It being a hot, humid summer does not help much. Reading in the shade or on hotter days in the house with the ac on is one of the few activities that is relaxing and enjoyable for both of us.
I am hoping that these memories will stick with with her and she will love reading, and turn to it as she gets older for a relaxing activity, not the tv or video games like many children today.

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• Tips For Encouraging Reading (brighthub.com)