"Your Baby Can Read" - Provo,UT

Every parent chooses to raise their children differently. I won't tell you what to do, only what I did. I liked the research on brain development done on children who had learned sign language as infants. If my memory serves me, it found essentially that a part of the child's brain develops that wouldn't otherwise do so. It's a part of the brain not used typically by most people. They have linked this type of brain development to advanced learning skills throughout childhood. What's more, because they learn how to communicate essential thoughts, they are much less likely to throw wild tantrums when they get frustrated; they simply sign what they need, you help them get what they need, tantrum averted.

My daughter, now almost 4, used about 20 signs routinely from the time she was about 10 months old (we started using signs with her at 7 months). She knew the alphabet at 18 months and had been speaking very well from the time she was just over a year old (she still used signs for several months even if speaking). She started reading 3-letter words on her own at 3.5 yrs, has an amazing vocabulary, can write her name well, and can write most letters of the alphabet. I'd guess this is where most 5-6 year olds are? Not sure. Who's to say, whether she might have been this advanced anyway, but I tend to think signing had something to do with it. We didn't focus on signing as much with my son, 19 months old, just because I was too exhausted and stressed out to think about it, unfortunately. He uses only about 5 signs routinely. He is developmentally right on track for his age with verbal skills, which are slower to come for most boys anyway.

Also, especially with my daughter, it was so much fun to finally understand at least to some degree what was going on in her little mind, the things she noticed, etc. We could actually have real conversations with her before she could even talk. It was so amazing to us.

I just wanted to throw out an alternative to early reading in case you were interested in learning more. Google for the research... I think you'll be impressed. Good luck!

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Oh brother ... only in our society do we want to push our babies to grow up so fast. There is absolutely no need for a baby to learn to read. Even if successful, it will not put a child ahead in school. The most it does is stroke a parents ego to be able to say "my child was reading before he was 1."

Most child development specialists agree that children develop different things at different ages. Jean Piaget called this early age "sensori-motor" meaning that babies are learning through their senses and movement. They have no concept beyond the here and now, and have no sense of object permanance - if you hide something from view they no longer realize that it exists. Not very conducive to reading.
Erik Erikson called this age "Basic Trust vs Mistrust." According to his theory of development, a baby must first learn that he can trust and depend on caregivers to respond to his needs - when he's hungry he'll be fed, messy he'll be changed, etc. His task right now is to be dependent and be taken care of, feeling that safety and security.
Your boys will need to learn language before they can learn reading. Their brains are still sorting out the way sounds blend to make words, and what those words mean, and later on how to verbalise and use the words to communicate. There is so much for them to learn before they are ready to read.

(About learning to read):
As children start to get ready to read (probably around 4 years old), they will begin to undrstand that words are made up of sounds. Rhyming games will be important, and other games playing with words. They will begin to realize that the print on the page connects to the words they hear. The begin to recognize the different symbols (letters) and learn to name them. They can even start learning that the symbols also carry a sound.
In kindergarten, children continue to learn to hear the different sounds in words. This is the beginning of phonics. They also begin to learn "sight words" - the high frequency words in text, which are often phonetically irregular. (The, I, my, like, here, is, he, she ...) So there will be some memorization. They also learn word families to help them read easier (at family: at, cat, bat, sat...)
The method you are talking about was once called "see-say" method. It is rote memorization of words, without connection to patterns or phonetic features. It works for some children who have a good memory, but children need to also learn the skills to decode an unfamiliar word. If you decide, when your boys are old enough, to teach them some words, start with high frequency words. It won't hurt their learning phonic to memorize some words. But they are way too young to be worrying about it right now. Right now they need love and cuddles, food and diaper changes and rocking and singing. There will be plenty of time later for them to learn to read.

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We tried the method using a book called "Teaching Your Baby to Read", which is probably far less expensive than a program, though you wouldn't have the movies.

They have really great, cheap flashcards at the store that you can use with your kiddos. I use flashcards with my daughter and love it because it enables me to interact with her and be a part of the learning process. I don't think that learning this way could be detrimental later on...the more exposure to letters, words, and sounds the better. The absolute BEST way to teach your children to read is to read to them often, even now.

I'm a child psychologist and just wanted to emphasize what the other literacy experts have said. Reading to your children at this age is crucial to their language development. But do realize they will not read until they are generally somewhere between three and five no matter how many flashcards you show them. At age three months they can barely distinguish anything but faces and that's all they are supposed to be doing developmentally. But they do recognize your face and voice, and the more time you spend talking to them, the better. Buying expensive programs is a scam - save your money. Play good music of any kind, read books from the library and talk and cuddle your child face to face as much as possible.

Hi,
I have this program and have been using it for 8+ mths. I use the DVDs every morning. I don't use the slide cards very much - my son tends to break them. He really likes the DVDs and I like them much better than other so-called educational baby videos. My son has not yet learned to "read" from the program but it has had a tremendous impact on his vocabulary. I also have a few phonics related programs too that I will be starting soon (my son is now 2) but I think the Your Baby Can Read program was a better place to start for younger kids. I have done research on the timing and methods of teaching kids to read and I continue to believe the program is OK to use.

I have never heard of the system, but I have been working with my daughter since she was about 3 months. I have flash card with pictures, shapes and colors and I have always spent time with her going through them. I don't MAKE her do them, but it is something fun we do together. When she gets bored and crawls away lessons for the day are over.
Our biggest challenge right now is she wants to eat the cards.
I have never thought it would hurt her down the road and I never really thought of it as teacher her to read...
It is just a good time for her and I to spend together, to get her little brain to think a bit, to see some pretty pictures and show her learning can be fun.
She is only 10 months old so I am interested to see how fast she will pick up on things over the next few years, but I am not putting any pressure on her or me about it. If it never helps her out one bit, I still enjoy the time we spend together.
I don't think you need to spend tons of money on a kit when you can get flash cards yourself or make up things around the house...
Don't stress too much and just have fun learning with them.

My hubby and I bought this same dvd set for our twins when they were about 9 months old, which was the first time we had heard about it. We tried to show them the videos daily as it suggested, but as you probably know, life is busy, and days/weeks would pass and they didn't see it consistantly. They were interested and enjoyed them when we did play them, but honestly, I think they must be played for the child daily or it kind of defeats the purpose of buying the videos. We read to them daily, and still do, which I think is just as important. Our twins will be 4 in May and are currently in their first year of preschool. My son has known his alphabet, by both sight and could say the letters, since he was 18 months. His twin sister is a different story... she is stubborn and likes to learn things when SHE is ready so she had no interest (and still doesn't) in learning her alphabet. She can sing her ABC's and can recognize about 1/2 of the letters, but she is more interested in playing dress up and being a princess. Soooo, I guess the bottom line is, if you feel you can devote this time each day to show the videos to your duo, it may be worth while, but for us, it turned out to be expensive occasional entertainment. A lot of it depends on the child. Personally, the Letter Factory by LeapFrog has been a great video that our twins still watch today. We bought that when they were about 21 months old.

My brother bought this for us for Christmas. My job involves developing early literacy curriculum, so at first I was leery. They are just teaching the babies word recognition, which is only one of several key reading skills. A person can't actually read until he/she understands the alphebetic principle and can sound words out, phonetic knowledge follows that.These skills work together- it's not as if any reading program that focuses more on phonics than whole language will hurt the other.

I like the videos. I think getting a leg up on word recognition could only help. I think the only down side is that research says watching any kind of TV,even educational videos, is bad for kids before 2 years old. I know that, but still let my 1 year old watch them.
He definitely has learned from them. Vidoes also helped him learn some helpful sign language. From the videos, cards, and books my son can now name a couple of words from print- before seeing the picture. Also the videos do have some phonics instruction- they point out common suffixes in words. The creator argues that kids who are exposed to print very early develop the communication part of their brain. He also says that children will learn letter sounds through pattern recognition in the words. I don't know if that's true . . .like I said they work together.
. . .My son is a little destructive with the word cards, insisting on opening them himself and bending them incorrectly. He likes the books. Somtimes wanders away from the video, so I turn them off. Beware, the videos pretty annoying after awhile. I think that the best thing that you can do for your kid's education is take an interest in it and teach him, and programs like this help with that.

Since you have so much great advice on the actual reading part, I can only add that as wonderful as academic advances are socialization is a must for kindergarten readiness. I was just the guest mom at my son's school to welcome next year's kids. These mom's would come in and try to wow the teachers with their kids abilities from reading, beginning math computations, building skills that were advanced from a "normal" 5 year old, but during social time these kids didn't know what to do. They were hitting and having screaming melt downs because someone wasn't entertaining them with skill building. I'm just saying that smart is good but knowing how to play well with others is also VERY important.

The best thing that you can do for your twins is to read to them. I am almost finished with my master's in elementary education and have taken some extra classes on reading (I want to get a second master's in reading as well). Children will learn to read when they are ready; you can give them the foundations for reading, but this program, while it might be a good bonding thing for you to do with your children, can help them with memorization, but not with comprehension. If you focus on devoting at least 15 minutes per day on reading authentic books with them, you will give them the foundations of language, phonemic awareness, look of books and vocabulary. A really good thing to be doing with them in their early years are phonemic awareness books, games, songs, etc. These help them hear the sounds that the letters make. If you give them a strong foundation in phonics (the relationship), they will be able to decode words themselves and read. The problem with a purely "whole language" method to learning how to read is that while the kids can read some words, they are not able to sound out other words. While it can be good to be able to memorize sight words so that they can just see it and don't have to take time to decode it, phonics instruction is very important. Research shows that kids that are exposed to language through being talked to and having books read to them are more successful in reading because they have a broader vocabulary and better comprehension skills. I LOVE reading with my kids; there's nothing like having them curl up in your lap holding a book. My oldest daughter just started kindergarten this year and is reading over a grade level ahead- she loves reading books as well :-)

I hope this helps. I'm so happy that you are putting so much thought into your children's learning. There are so many parents out there that just think that it's the school's job, but in reality, it is much better for the kids to have that early foundation at home. Keep it up! Your twins will be grateful! :-)

Hi A.,
I personally use YBCR with my 2 yo daughter. I'm not going to lecture you on child development issues, but I will say this--Children have a huge capacity for learning early on and basically this program is designed to teach language AND phonics using a combination of sight, sound and interaction. If you're worried about them learning enough phonics, you shouldn't be. The program teaches them to sound out words and associate letter sounds with the words they're learning. I love that this program gives you so many mediums to teach--dvd's, sliding word and picture cards, word games, books--so they're not stuck doing the same thing every day. We love it--don't let those those preachy moms deter you from doing something that might give them a big head start! (**wink wink**)

I have mixed feelings about this. Yes, it is good to give your kids a head start but why make their lives all learning and no play. They will have thirteen years of formal school. Let them be kids for as long as they can.

Besides you can do the same things on your own notecards without spending the big amount of money. Good luck!!!

My mom, who has tons of education and has worked with early childhood development, loves the program. She did something similar with me as a baby and I have always loved reading and never understood why other kids in school didn't understand phonics. My mom just bought the program for my kids. My 5 yo is jealous he didn't have it. My 2 yo loves it and begs to do school everyday. He is getting the words, but we have just started, and haven't been able to be really faithful with it. Our 7 month old loves it, as well, and she's not much of a tv watcher, or much of one to sit still for that matter. I guess I'm saying I love what I see of it so far. I know, as a young reader myself, school, especially phonics seemed pretty much a given. I remember wondering why we needed all those rules. Didn't everyone know how to pronounce those words? If nothing else, the kids love it, and it's more educational than a lot of the options. GL!

I really don't know much about this program. But, from my perspective, why does a 3 month old baby need to start learning to read? Let your baby be a baby! Reading is very important, but not for such a young infant. The most important thing is to have books in the home and read, read, read together. Don't do it because it's a chore. Do it because reading is fun. If you do this, your child will grow up knowing that reading is something fun to do, and they will want to learn it. They will pick up on a lot just listening to you read to them. I have 3 kids, and my oldest 2 have both learned to read by about age 4 1/2, just before Kindergarten. My youngest is only 1, and he loves to look at picture in books. There is a time and a place for everything.

I would strongly suggest reading the book "Parenting Inc." Your 3 month old twins don't need to read yet. You can read to them. And you should, it is good for them, the bonding. Your twins will learn the things they are SUPPOSED to learn right now. Reading isn't a "right now" thing in my eyes, not at that age. I personally love reading, have a very different approach. Babies do not need videos, "creative toys", etc. Just parents that love, interact and teach. It creates the mindset for parents that this THING will do it better than you will. YOU will do it better than ANYTHING you can buy. You'll do great! Just enjoy your girls and spend your day on the floor with them. Good luck!

Hi A.:

My mom was born and raised in Germany and came to the US when she was 18 years old. She didn't speak any English and had to learn just like we did. I was born when she was 22 years old, and she was just starting to learn how to read the English language. She watched Password on TV every day and read to myself and by siblings every afternoon. I don't remember learning how to read because I learned it along with my mom as she taught herself to speak and read the English language. It DID give me a great advantage when I got into school, and I absolutely love language because of it. I am now in my 40's and my mother has gone home to Jesus, but the headstart this opportunity gave me was priceless. Don't let any one deter you from being the first best educator of your child(ren). You da mama. I personally only have my God daughter, but her mom and I started teaching her phonics when she was about a year old. Her grades in school now are phenomenal. Her reading skills are off the charts, and she is only 8. She talks constantly about school and if she can find something to read, that is what she is doing. She is not big on TV, but books and National Geographic magazines are her favorites, as well as any trip to a library of any kind. Have fun reading with your kids. It WILL give them a leg up.

This is marketing magic, three months old infants or toddlers or young kids do not need to learn to read. What's the rush? Kids will learn at their own pace when they are ready, usually around five years old. All of these " products" are just that, something else to sell to parents. ( sorry if I sound jaded, as a mom of three the oldest is 12 I have seen them all learn at their own paces). They will emulate you and your husband, so if you read and enjoy learning than they will too! Good luck!

Is it the Doman method? I tried that one many years ago. It might have worked if I have been more tenacious but I finally gave up. I have seen kids that can read at 3 and unfortunately all I can say is, so what? The mothers could brag about it and he the children were pretty egotistical over it. Other than that, I didn't think it was such a great thing. Kids learn to read when they are ready. Why rush them into it? As a grandma now, I am of the opinion that kids should be kids and they will learn skills when they are ready and when they need them. It is far more important to love them, play with them,and give them the knowledge that they are pretty special, just because they are who they are. Ofcourse, I know some people will not agree, but just thought I would give you my 2 cents worth!

I would suggest saving your money. I don't know if recognizing words from a video is really necessary at such a young age. I would echo what others have said about reading to your children and showing them homemade or dollar store flashcards for words, but really why do they need word recognition at 3 months.

As a reading tutor we work on sight word recognition and phonics and I think that is important but are they really ready for that before kindergarten or preschool.

I don't think the program will hurt them in any way so if you really want to do it go ahead, but I know that for my kids I just wanted to let them play and be babies at that age.

I did purchase the Leapfrog Letter Factory and word factory videos when my son was about 3 and it helped him to figure out his letter names and sounds a lot quicker than my older kids did.

I would also suggest PBS shows like word world for putting words together.

Good Luck with whatever you decide, but just remember to enjoy the time you have with your babies. They grow so fast and will be in a learning environment for many years to come.

A.,

I wouldn't spend money on that. I did basically the same thing for my kids without buying a program. All I did was tape words up around the house on everything (door, window, lamp, refrigerator, etc.). However, they won't be reading at 3 months. It just makes it easier for them when they are developmentally ready to read. If they are phonetic readers they are going to learn best using phonics. If they aren't phonetic readers you have given them help by keying into how their brain works.

One more note: don't forget the importance of learning how to use glue and cut with scissors. Reading is not the only thing kids need to learn. Kids learn a lot by just playing.

Hey, I used to sell YBCR program, and I was so skeptical I bought it myself just to see how my daughter did with it. She was about 12 months. I didn't follow the program exact because I couldn't imaging making my daughter watch the shows over and over. Basically you use the first DVD for about 4 weeks then move on to the next one for 4 weeks etc. anyway I'm sure if you had a child who was interested in sitting for the same words again and again for that amount of time they would learn recognition. it isn't real reading per say, it is word recognition. I let my daughter watch when she wanted to, and she often requested the baby. (there is a baby on the front of all the DVD's) She loved that it is kids running around on the DVD. anyway I personally liked that if she was going to watch a show it was educational. She enjoyed it. we were at CarStar getting a car repair a few months later (she'd been watching off and on when she wanted to) and she ran up to the rug in the office and said Car mommy Car I didn't get what she was doing until she stood on the other half of the rug and said Star Mommy Star! she had recognized the words. She also could recognize the word Hi. and a few others. She lost interest in the DVD's when her focus was longer for longer shows and would request them instead. She's 3 now. and no longer recognizes the words Hi or Star. But still recognizes Car for some reason. So that is my experience with the program. I have given it as a gift to friends at baby showers with the note that personally I liked just having it for them to watch now and then and wasn't necessarily recommending the whole program. Kids will learn when they are ready. She's in preschool now and doing awesome. and I'm just proud of her. I'm not saying buy or don't buy, just letting you know my personal experience and how we have used the program. for 5 DVD's and the flash cards $79 isn't a bad price. When we cracked the starter DVD I actually bought a book that had flash slides that came with the first DVD. If you are curious without buying the whole program it might not be a bad idea to get that book with the first one and just see how you feel about the program. I think I spent around $10 for that. I bought it directly from the YBCR website. GL with whatever you decide you obviously care alot about your kids. Good for you. :)

I think you need to decide what you want for your children. Do you want them to be great at memorization and other rote work? Do you want them to be creative and more free-thinking? Before subjecting your babies to flashcards and other 'learn to read' things you should probably spend some time researching the benefits of both styles.

Just briefly, Austria which has the highest number of nobel laureates per capita does not teach reading until kids are 7. They believe in a more Waldorf-like approach where oral language acquisition is encouraged and allowing kids to learn socialization and sensory exploration is more important than 'reading'.

Japan has more of a memorization focus and kids start very, very young with flashcards and things can recite facts and figures to no end. They just don't have the nobel laureates and other benchmarks for creativity and other leaps of thought. (and just to be sure the gains in math for Asian children has more to do with how number words are pronounced than in an innate ability to be 'good' at math, from Outiers by Gladwell)

Experts agree that a rich vocabulary is more important for success in school (ie read and talk to your children) rather than early reading. Gains for kids that start reading early disappear by 1st grade and don't carry on to be long term gains in learning.

Its up to you, no style is necessarily better, but it will shape how your children acquire knowledge and their level of curiosity.