Raising Confident Readers: How To Teach Your Child to Read and Write from Baby to Age 7 by Dr. J. Richard Gentry
This book is such a helpful resource for parents who want to encourage their child's interest in reading and writing. It outlines five phases of literary development and gives fun activities you can do at each phase.
The only caveat I have is that book lumps reading and writing together. They are certainly connected skills, there's no doubt about that. But it made the stages a little confusing for me. For example, Jonathan's writing skills are far behind his reading skills. For writing, he would be a stage "0" - he can make lines and circles, but no letters. His pencil grip also leaves much to be desired! For reading, he knows and recognizes his letters, and can tell you the sounds they make. He points out letters in words, and can recognize his name. This book would classify him as a stage "2". So for activities, I have been trying to pull things out of stages 0-2 depending on the skill they are emphasizing. This has worked very well.
The only caveat I have is that book lumps reading and writing together. They are certainly connected skills, there's no doubt about that. But it made the stages a little confusing for me. For example, Jonathan's writing skills are far behind his reading skills. For writing, he would be a stage "0" - he can make lines and circles, but no letters. His pencil grip also leaves much to be desired! For reading, he knows and recognizes his letters, and can tell you the sounds they make. He points out letters in words, and can recognize his name. This book would classify him as a stage "2". So for activities, I have been trying to pull things out of stages 0-2 depending on the skill they are emphasizing. This has worked very well.
Grace, is easily still in "stage 0". She won't sit still for books as easily as Jonathan would at her age. We've been trying to ensure we have some one on one time with her to sit and read. One of the activities Gentry recommends at this stage is making homemade books featuring your baby. I've seen this featured on other blogs, but this is the first time I've attempted this.
One of the books he recommends is "Who is this?" It's pictures of people you want your baby to recognize. For this book, I printed off pictures of Grace and her immediate family members (parents, grandparents, aunts & uncles). I put text under each picture such as This is Jonathan" and pasted them onto double-sided scrapbook paper. I inserted each page into a gallon-sized ziplock bag and used duct tape to "bind" the baggies together.
Grace loves this book! She opens it and pats the pages of the family members she recognizes. I sit with her and we read the book together. It was super easy to make-- I think I'll be making more for her!
