Reading

[bronchitikat]

That's reading as in what you do with written or printed words to get their meaning, not Reading, the town in Berkshire.  I learned to read at my mother's knee.  I had pneumonia shortly before my fifth birthday so didn't get to school til much later that term.  Mum had been a primary school teacher before she had me, so she got out the old primers

Comments

[bronchitikat]

I think many of the reading primers were a bit dull, but we all learned to read so they achieved their purpose.

I taught S to read long before he went to school. I think maybe he spent the first year at primary school 'cooling his heels' as the rest of the class caught up.

I tried teaching D to read too, with less success, but she learned. She even tried Francis Hodgson Burnet's The Secret Garden when she was seven, and Pride and Prejudice some time afterwards - having seen the BBC TV series. A bit ambitious perhaps, but why not give it a whirl?

[annelaure]

Ah reading... I love to read. I think I've loved to read since... well, forever actually ! I have some beautiful memories of sitting on my dad's knees, being read books. I wish kids these days would have the same kind of memories to cherish... not often anymore though... shame really.

[bronchitikat]

I made sure I read to both our children when they were very young. I joined S up at the local library when he was about seven months old - they had a great selection of children's books and we didn't at home.

It was interesting to see what had come out since 'our day' and what was around that we still remembered!

But yes, too many children these days get stories told them by broadcasters rather than cuddling up with Mum or Dad and a book (real or electronic), which is a great shame. And probably the subject of another (slightly ranty) blog!

[annelaure]

And as an adult you can now rent a cd on which a book is read to you. Never tried that.

[bronchitikat]

There have been 'talking books' available for a long time. At first on cassette tape, now, presumably on CD or, I suppose, downloadable as a podcast.

I prefer to read the books myself. I tend to 'tune out' when someone else is reading. Sad, but there we are.

Come to think of it, there's an organisation which helps prison inmates with children record themselves reading a book so that they can still 'read' their children bedtime stories while they are inside.