Firstly, you should focus on the design and the styles of the changing table that you will purchase. This is important in order to make your investment worth it. Along with the design, you must also take a look at the overall construction and durability. The sturdiness of the product is very important because when the product possesses this kind of feature, you are assured of the safety of your baby. In connection with testing the durability, you must check the rails of the baby changing table. Make sure that the product is very firm.

Make sure that you will look for a baby changing table that comes with a changing table pad. What is good about the baby changing table pad is that it will make your baby feel very comfortable. There are some tables available that come with hard components and when your baby is sensitive, he or she might develop temper tantrums due to the inconvenience. Make sure that the pad is water resistant. This will also contribute to the comfort felt by your baby.

Before making a purchase of a baby changing table, make sure to assess the right size you need. If there is greater space in your nursery, you can look at the larger baby changing tables. If the space in your nursery room is very tiny, there are also some baby changing tables that come in a smaller width. Regardless of the size, always look for the one that will best fit the space of your nursery. If you have to choose between smaller and bigger tables, however, it will be better if you will go with the latter one.

You can also choose from the baby changing tables with storage spaces underneath and those without this kind of feature. What makes baby changing tables with storage beneficial is that you can use them to store the other needed baby accessories. This is well-suited for parents who are planning to maximize the space of their nursery as well as those who want to keep their baby’s accessories organized.

His vision begins to develop.  In his infancy, he is already trying to converse, but all he can  produce are baby sounds in answer to adult talk.  Although his senses are ready, Mother Nature prefers to proceed at her own steady pace.  This is when you as the parent, can play your part.  You can sing and talk to your child and he will soon try to mimic you, trying to say those syllables and sounds which sound gibberish to us. He is listening, developing his auditory sense.  Your baby watches and listens as you and others talk, observes that talking is often followed by things happening.

He associates sight and sound and becomes aware that when he ‘talks’ things happen too.  The more interactions there are between you and your child at this stage, the sooner your child will develop his senses.  The thinking and feeling processes are also developing, and with them a curiosity and interest in his surroundings, a thirst for knowledge.  Stimulating this process will enhance his ability to make connections, to assimilate, and later to analyze and give meaning to objects and words and the connections between them.

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It is important for you to interact at this stage, to your child’s development.  When he listens to your voice talking or singing, it leaves a deep impression on him.  He wants to talk to you and it shows in his interaction to your actions and the sound you make. The responsive mechanism within him and his eagerness to participate pushes him to communicate with you, through the means you have shown -  talking.

In effect, his auditory and visual senses are stimulated.

Nursery rhymes are useful and do play an important role.  Most have an auditory appeal that can be irresistible and can function as an educational tool.  Their strong appeal lies in their rhythm.  The rhyming works stimulate hearing and impart a useful lesson; the ability to distinguish between two words.  Consider the simple nursery rhyme:

Twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are

Up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky

Try it on your child with a bit of action.  Initially he will enjoy the catchy, lively rhythm.  He will begin to beat time to it and it will make him want to sing along.  He will start singing, unsteady at first, possibly stumbling over the words, and then with increasing confidence.  As he sings, he will develop the ability to make that fine distinction between the rhyming works, star and are, high and sky. The constant repetitive quality characteristic of nursery rhymes gets through to him as well so that simple words and meanings can be learned in an enjoyable way and practiced through repetition. This is how children learn to read, and you baby indeed can read.

Developing the ability to associate things is the first step in learning to read.  The earlier your child learns to talk, the earlier a foundation is laid for reading.  Reading is speech written down or put in another way, talk in print.  When you encourage your child to talk, you are also encouraging him to use a natural human ability, his hearing.  This is the focus of most early childhood development program to teach young children or babies reading.  He says what he hears, which stimulates him.  He wants to learn, more and more, to explore further the new phenomenon he has discovered.

Find More Reading Development Articles

When was the last time you read a book?

Are you a wide reader?

In a gathering, you can tell who the wide readers are. Wide readers think and speak well. They win the admiration, respect, and good opinion of others.

Reading expands the mind. In fact, many people consider it as one of the satisfying pleasures of humans, for it involves physical as well as mental activities.

Reading is primarily a mental activity. After all, you read with your mind and use your imagination to paint the setting of the detective thriller you are reading. You use you mind to imagine the pain that the main character experiences as the story unfolds. You bring into play the different arguments and ideas brought up by the author in that self-help book you are holding.

To read effectively, reading helps you develop a wide vocabulary through extensive reading. A skillful reader has a wide recognition vocabulary. He may not know exactly what every word means, but he will have a good general idea of the meaning of the sentence.

Reading makes you alert and curious about new words. Other readers develop the dictionary habit. Every time they come across a strange word, they try to figure out what it can possibly mean by the context. If they cannot do this, they refer to the dictionary.

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Likewise, reading develops intellectual curiosity by exposing you to a variety of materials. You learn to read by reading books of increasing difficulty and variety. As in other forms of activity, you learn by actually doing.

Reading trains you to have an active and open mind. Merely grasping the writer’s idea is not enough. You must make a positive response to what you read. Be an active, not a passive, reader. Develop the habit of drawing your own conclusions, the habit of active thinking, of agreeing or disagreeing with the author. Keep your mind open; understand and weigh the ideas that you read. A practical part of active reading is the drawing of conclusions.

Allow me to share four basic rules for effective reading and better comprehension:

1. Try to read more and more. Remember the saying that practice makes perfect. Practicing in the correct way makes perfect.

2. Develop the habit of reading for main ideas. Look for the subject and predicate. Do not waste time on details or little words.

3. Learn to read with focus and concentration. Think of what you are reading. Do not let your attention wander somewhere else. Good readers read with understanding.

4. Learn to budget your time. Experiment with your reading time. Try purposely to read faster. Give yourself a time limit on specific material that you read.

Reading is a stimulating mental activity. It expands your reality and capability. You have so much to gain in discovering the joys of reading. Go ahead; grab a book right now!

Physically worn out, emotionally tired or mentally bogged down? Find out more ways on how you can find total relaxation and learn more stress management tips from www.healthstressmanagement.com.

Check out the full series at www.thenewboston.com Here is a link to the mybringback YouTube Channel. Go and subscribe now! www.youtube.com Also, the mybringback official website: mybringback.com

Dogs like their freedom. They do not like to be put inside the house all day. At the same time, they do not like to be kept outside always. They like their freedom to be inside or outside the house as and when they choose. This is not really a problem if the dog is well trained. They are taught not to stray around too much or associate with street dogs. They do out do their business and come back into the house. The best option to deal with this problem would be to install a dog door. A dog door is a small opening on the main door of your house.

It will just about big enough for the door to squeeze through comfortably. They come in various sizes and you can make your choice based on the size and breed of your dog. Of course if you have just recently got yourself a puppy then it should be kept in mind that the pup is going to grow up soon and so the dog door should be of such size that it will fit your fully grown dog at a later date. Dog doors are convenient as you will not have to keep going and opening the door for your dog to exit and then enter. You do not have to worry about your scratching at your door and ruining the wood. The dog can move out whenever he wants to go out and there is also no worry about the dog excreting within your home and dirtying up the place.

Dog doors come in various forms. They come as flaps, doors, sliding doors etc. They are made of various materials such as plastic, aluminum, vinyl, etc. it is made such that the dog can easily go through and it should also not hurt the dog in anyway. Some of the dog doors have some magnet or remote sensing based. The dog’s collar is fixed with an object which activates the door and it unlocks when the dog is close to the door. This way there is security and it also prevents entry of stray dogs and other animals into the house. There is a lot of information about dog doors online. You can do check for yourself and decide on the door which suits your dog and your home.

That`s something that you cannot expect from other animal categories. Well then to get dogs to do what you want them to do and be disciplined, they must be trained well. So how then can you train them? There has been a revolutionary invention made called dog training collars. These collars are made to train dogs. They can be used for all kinds of dogs, whether they are small or large, tiny or huge, all can be trained using this training collar.

Let us see how this collar works? The Dog training collars are made in such a way that they have a remote that you will use to stop the dog from misbehaving. So what you have to do is, simply put the bark collar on the dog. When he is not behaving the way you want him to or if he is not listening to you then all you do is press the remote button and the dog will get a small shock.

This will stop him from doing what he is doing. If he is stopped from doing something and gets a shock every time he does that he will stop doing that completely. For example to toilet train your dog you must give him a shock (this does not harm the dog) every time he dirties inside the house or in the garden. This way he will soon realize that he must go to the toilet only when he’s taken for a walk or when he is outside. Similarly you can use the collar to train him for other things as well. So go to your nearest store or online whatever you prefer and check out available offers to buy a bark collar for your dog today.

The plywood boat plans are preferred for almost every boat enthusiast of any level. It is also a favorite as it is cheaper than wood. Even more, this material is much easier to handle. It is essential to choose boat plans that will be affordable in nature, and can suit the owner`s need at the same time. It is important to remember that it is your boat and it is logical to choose the design you prefer. There are some boat building methods that are essential to include in the plan. One of the popular methods is the ply over frame. This method includes building the frame of the boat upon which the plywood has to be glued. The other popular method is known as the stitch and glue. This is an easy method. According to this method you need to cut the plywood according to the shape that is specified in the plan. Then you can assemble the other parts by gluing and stitching them together. You can use copper wire to stitch the various parts together.

The epoxy is mostly used for gluing purposes. The seam that is used is typically covered with the strip of the fiberglass, which is coated with resin. The seam is typically covered with strips of fiberglass that are coated with resin. The building of the boat also includes designing the boat. The choice of design depends upon the individual‘s wood working skills and experience. One will require a standard guide to achieve perfection. Plywood boat plans aim to manufacture boats that are not only attractive in nature but long lasting too. There are different marine colors that can be used for painting the boat, as well. The best among them is the epoxy paint as it not only protects, but also seals the wood.

If you want to build your own boat, you need to find ways to make it both durable and attractive. You can use various marine paint colors or special epoxy paints to protect and seal the wood. This is a useful plywood coating. You can learn about epoxy and its advantages, including the process of coating and application processes, online or some boat plans will also include this as an optional step. With so many styles and boat sizes to choose from, you should base your decision on your own requirements. In many cases you do not need any special tools and equipment. A table saw is usually necessary, but not always if you plan to build a smaller type of boat. After learning basic and simple designs you will begin to understand more complicated designs as well.

Reading expands the mind. In fact, many people consider it as one of the satisfying pleasures of humans, for it involves physical as well as mental activities.

. After all, you read with your mind and use your imagination to paint the setting of the detective thriller you are reading. You use you mind to imagine the pain that the main character experiences as the story unfolds. You bring into play the different arguments and ideas brought up by the author in that self-help book you are holding.

To read effectively, through extensive reading. A skillful reader has a wide recognition vocabulary. He may not know exactly what every word means, but he will have a good general idea of the meaning of the sentence.

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. Other readers develop the dictionary habit. Every time they come across a strange word, they try to figure out what it can possibly mean by the context. If they cannot do this, they refer to the dictionary.

Likewise, by exposing you to a variety of materials. You learn to read by reading books of increasing difficulty and variety. As in other forms of activity, you learn by actually doing.

. Merely grasping the writer’s idea is not enough. You must make a positive response to what you read. Be an active, not a passive, reader. Develop the habit of drawing your own conclusions, the habit of active thinking, of agreeing or disagreeing with the author. Keep your mind open; understand and weigh the ideas that you read. A practical part of active reading is the drawing of conclusions.

Allow me to share four basic rules for effective reading and better comprehension:

1)  Try to read more and more. Remember the saying that practice makes perfect. Practicing in the correct way makes perfect.

2)  Develop the habit of reading for main ideas. Look for the subject and predicate. Do not waste time on details or little words.

3)   Learn to read with focus and concentration. Think of what you are reading. Do not let your attention wander somewhere else. Good readers read with understanding.

4)  Learn to budget your time. Experiment with your reading time. Try purposely to read faster. Give yourself a time limit on specific material that you read.

Reading is a stimulating mental activity. It expands your reality and capability. You have so much to gain in discovering the joys of reading. Go ahead; grab a book right now!

Related Reading Development Articles

BY PROF.M.S.RAO, ACADEMIC GUIDE, ICFAI UNIVERSITY

“The writer creates half the text, the reader creates the other half”, Author unknown.

Man learns by various sources and means such as by observation, conversation, experience and reading. Right from the stage of Stone Age to space age the man has evolved himself by reading the scripts which he himself has created and passed on the baton to his next generation. No one knows how one reads with in himself because he feels himself and understands with in himself. Everyone has unique way of reading and yet a few styles which are common among all human beings. Let us look at the different dimensions of reading skills.

According to the National Reading Panel (NRP), “The ability to read requires proficiency in a number of domains such as ‘phonemic awareness’, ‘phonics’, ‘fluency’, ‘vocabulary’ and ‘comprehension or reading comprehension’”. It indicates connectivity of many things during reading and also all the concepts mentioned will help for effective reading.

Another author Chall has come out with different stages of reading which is popularly known as ‘Chall’s stages of Reading Development’. And according to her, “Each stage of reading builds on skills mastered in earlier stages; lack of mastery at any level can halt the progress beyond that level”.

She divided the reading process into various stages. The first stage being the Zero stage which symbolizes pre-reading that is usually up to the age of 6 years of the child. It is also known as reading readiness. The subsequent stage is the Stage One, where the child is in the age of 6 to 7 years and it is also known as initial reading stage or decoding stage. In the next stage i.e. Stage Two where the age of the child is approximately 8 years during which child confirms himself and it is also called as confirmation stage. Further in the Stage Three the child who is in the age of 9 years, he reads to learn. In the Stage Four, the child turns into teen age and develops multiple shades of opinions and viewpoints and ultimately in the final Stage Five the man constructs his views and opinions independently and forms his own perceptions and judgments on various things.

TECHNIQUES OF READING:

Although there are number of tools and techniques in reading there are three tools by which you can improve reading skills. In brief, they are scanning, skimming and concept mapping techniques. All these can be deployed depending upon the context and also on the purpose of reading. Initially it is better to have cursory look on the contents by scanning, and then switch over to skim the contents by skimming strategy and at last read by applying the techniques of concept mapping. Concept mapping is nothing but drawing a two dimensional picture of a concept either mentally or physically. It is very important technique for noting information and connecting ideas. Since concept maps are pictures they can be easily retained in the memory. To substantiate these three strategies let us recall what Francis Bacon said, “Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed and some few are to be chewed and digested”.

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SQRRR is another popular technique which is the acronym for Survey, Question, Read, Recall and Review. According to this, while reading one has to examine and then question himself for the contents that are read. Whatever has been read is to be recalled with in the mind and ultimately the contents are to be reviewed.

The layered method of reading is yet another approach towards reading which is accepted and adopted by the majority of readers. As per this, you have to overview the entire material very fast and form an opinion on it. Subsequently focus little more on the important portions which deserve to be addressed such as introduction, headings and summary. It is a prelude to read the book and hence it is called as preview. It provides proper judgment and direction whether to go ahead with reading or not. After passing through this phase if the book or the material is worth to be read, you can go ahead with reading. It is in fact the semi final. And the final phase is the review. Whatever has been read has to be reviewed for better comprehension and for effective memory retention. Below are the tools and techniques for developing effective reading skills

TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE READING:

• Find out what you want to know and for that you need to cut through the clutter. At the same time assess what is to be skipped from reading.

• Question yourself whether you are reading for any specific purpose or for pleasure because at times intention is more important than action.

• Always lay emphasis on contents and contexts but not on the style or flow or delivery of the material.

• It is always important to stress on qualitative not quantitative reading.

• Cultivate positive attitude towards reading. The more you read and the more love you develop towards reading. Nancy Collin aptly said, “The only way to improve reading skills is to read”.

• Before you read, find out 2Ws i.e. why you are reading and what you are reading.

• Check your biological clock and read so that the degree of absorbability and assimilation of the material is higher.

• Keep the dictionary beside when you go for reading. If the meaning of a word is not known it will help you to know instantly.

• In every sentence there are key words to be focused. When the meaning of the key words is known then it becomes easier to understand and memorize the material.

• If you get boredom, give a break and restart reading so that you can grasp better.

• Surround yourself with various kinds of books.

• Learn to underline the key parts/words/concepts for further references.

• Develop the habit of paraphrasing the contents.

• Transfer the material from text book to note book so that the best part of the material is with you. By this, you can separate chaff from the grain. And when you write then the degree of retentivity is higher.

• Create your own short hand stuff from the material.

• While reading, new ideas and concepts will flash in the mind and the same may be added on the margin side of book. Failure to do will lead to missing the beautiful ideas.

• Don’t focus on filler words in the sentences. The words like is’s and the’s can be avoided while reading as these take longer time and not of much significance for understanding the contents.

• Try to recall the contents repeatedly which are in your mind and summarize the same and write down either on the margin of the text book or in the note book. If you are able to generate a few examples from the text book in a given context it will help you to enhance retentivity. And also link the contents of the material with real life events, examples and accidents.

• By using different colored pencils the importance level of the contents will be realized for further readings. You can keep your style based the degree of significance and the priority levels. Rather you can create your own mythology, style and coding as per the convenience.

• If you find it boring to read, keep the book upside down and read you will be able to apply more pressure to read with this.

• There is no fixed formula for reading and the methodology changes when you read text books, newspapers, magazines, journals and more so when you surf online content.

• Average readers read about 200 to 250 words per minute. And the speed can be enhanced without affecting the quality with faster eye ball movement and with longer breaks and pauses.

• You can make sense of sentence by omitting articles, conjunctions, prepositions etc., By this you can focus more on the contents and also you can save time.

• Try to convert the written information into pictorial format while reading for effective comprehension of contents.

• If the meaning of a key word is not clear then try to look at it from different dimensions of the origin of the word to get the closer or accurate meanings. Also if possible look at the prefix or the suffix of the key word for earlier and faster understanding.

• Daily fix some amount of time exclusively for reading and over a period of time it will become a practice.

• Train your eyes to take in words in larger gulps.

• Avoid confusing material and don’t get stuck. Such contents can be referred later on. Learn to skip unwanted and unproductive stuff. In this context, William James aptly quoted, “The art of becoming wise is the art of knowing what to overlook”.

CONCLUSION:

There are four skills that are essential for all viz speaking skills, writing skills, listening skills and reading skills. If speaking skills and writing skills become one side of the coin, then listening skills and reading skills become the other side of the coin. And the coin possesses value when it has two sides. To sum it up all four skills are like the four pillars for the development of successful all-round personality.

T H E E N D

There is so much misinformation about speed reading that as a user for over 30 years, and as an instructor of tens of thousands of learners from all walks of life and all levels of education, I feel compelled to debunk some of the most prevalent and popular myths. However, before we begin, it is essential to define what is reading.

Reading Defined

Although definitions may vary somewhat, reading can be defined as the act of interpreting visual symbols and deriving meaning from those symbols (letters, words, etc.). If you accept this definition, then it follows that reading is a cognitive thinking skill. Therefore, one can read, as fast as one can think (or interpret) the visual symbols.

So when someone wants to learn to “speed read,” there is a two-fold problem. One is seeing the symbols more quickly (that’s the easy part), and secondly is getting the mind to respond more quickly. Said simply, there are 2 components to speed reading – developing the mechanical skills of getting the eyes to move more efficiently, and learning to push the mind to think and respond more quickly (comprehension).

Myth # 1 – “It doesn’t really work.”

This is both true and false. One of my biggest challenges with learners is the notion that if they enroll in a program, then magic will happen. Because of the nature of learning a new system of skills and habits is difficult, the learner must immerse themselves completely in the experience and let go of preconceived notions of what they believe about themselves as learners and loosen their attachment to the “see-say-hear-understand” habit they grew up with. What I tell learners is, “it doesn’t work, you work it.” In other words, Dynamic Speed Reading is a system, a methodology to be applied to the act of reading, but the reader has to bring themselves and their mind to the process. One technique outside of the process will not work for all reading situations.

Myth #2 – “Speed Reading Is Merely About Moving Your Eyes Fast”

False. Although historically this is true, and most programs today focus almost exclusively on the speed of eye movements, this statement contradicts the definition of reading as stated earlier. In fact, this is the primary cause of cynicism and skepticism towards the concept of speed reading. It is not reading if you merely move your eyes and see all the print. Learning the mechanics without learning the comprehension process is only part of the solution. If someone is serious about wanting to develop their efficient reading skills, a strong emphasis on how to build comprehension is critical for success. I do not recommend software programs, or any other type of mechanical devices because of this. By definition, you can only read as fast as you can think or respond to the symbols on the page. Comprehension, or the cognitive skills, must be developed as well.

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Myth # 3 – “When Speed Reading You Lose Comprehension”

Again, false. Although the answer to this is included in myth 2, this needs additional explanation. As I explain this, keep in mind the premise that you are not reading if you are not comprehending. Comprehension means understanding. This myth has developed not only because most programs focus on merely speed, but also because of the nature of the adult learner trying to change a lifetime of habits around.

Typically the adult learner has formed the belief/habit that in order to comprehend well, you need to start at the beginning and read word by word to the end in a linear fashion. This belief/habit was formed as a result of early reading training from school days. However, research has proven that comprehension is a process. In other words, we need to build comprehension like we build our learning of any other skill. A useful analogy would be to take a trip to a new state, province, or country. You would start by looking at a map to get a general sense of direction of where you are to where you want to be. Next, you might look at the major highways that lead you there. Finally, you would focus on the specific streets that would get you to the point of your destination. Reading comprehension experts agree, comprehension must be built. Stated differently, you need to “prepare the mind to read.”

Another part of this myth’s development is due to the fact of the nature of the learning process in developing speed reading skills. As the learner works on breaking the habit of focusing on individual words both visually and cognitively, a dynamic flow of eyes over stimuli (words) needs to be achieved in order to create meaning faster. Here we are talking about the mechanical skills. As the speed reading student first enters this phase of development, comprehension will decrease initially as he/she struggles to learn fluency of the mechanics. This can be compared to first learning to drive a car. Remember? You had to focus on managing all various pedals, buttons, and mirrors while simultaneously navigating this ton of steel down the road safely. If you’ve been driving for years, you might not even be able to remember how clumsy you felt. Another good comparison would be learning how to do a new dance. The learner needs ample time to build fluency.

Myth #4 – “Speed Reading is Merely About Skimming, Scanning, Key-wording”

False. Skimming is sample reading portions of text – a sentence or two here and there, or some other approach. Skimming is a good “pre-reading” technique, but is not “dynamic speed reading” in itself.

Scanning, by definition, is to glance from point to point often hastily, casually, or in search of a particular item. We may scan the telephone book for a particular person’s number, scan the newspaper ads for a job, but we do not scan a new book, report, manual, etc. if we want to master it. Scanning may be used as an after reading technique, but is not speed reading.

Key-wording is an old speed reading technique where the learner was told “don’t focus on the unimportant words,” such as, “a,” “the,” “of.” This cannot be done. Try this yourself: sit opposite someone who is about your height and look at their face. While you do this try to not see their nose. Sight, the mechanical part of reading, is impartial. Or in other words, you cannot not see something within your field of vision. Your mind may not register or respond to something your eyes see, but that is another issue. In fact, that again is the issue of comprehension which we have discussed.

Myth # 5 – “You May Get Some Results At The End Of The Program, But They Don’t Last.”

This is both true and false. Reading is a skill like other skills, when you don’t do it for awhile, you will slow down. If you spent 5-10 years learning to play piano and then hadn’t touched the piano for 10-20 years, you would get rusty. All it takes once you have mastered it is occasional practice. When buying a program, look for long term support and follow-up.

Myth # 6– “If You Look At the Naturally Fast Readers, Only Really Smart People Can Speed Read”

The truth is one of the things that made these folks smart was the fact that they were voracious readers. They loved to read. When you develop more ease with reading, you’ll read more and enjoy it more, and learn more. When you read more, you’ll naturally get smart!

Now that these 6 major falsehoods of speed reading have been explained, what will you commit to do to deal with your information overload? In today’s knowledge economy there is no other option but to learn a new approach in getting through the piles.

Traditionally-schooled children are tested regularly on their reading skills because the traditional teaching methods rely so heavily on children’s reading ability as a way for them to learn other subject matter. The teaching reading is so significant for the traditionally-schooled child that they seldom achieve academic success without first mastering fundamental reading skills.

Developmental Readiness vs Early Reading Skills

The story of teaching reading in the homeschool has evolved somewhat differently. Home schooled children have many advantages and opportunities that enable the acquisition of reading skills less stressful than they are for traditionally-schooled children. Some homeschooling authorities many that there is really no need to be concerned about mandating the development of reading skills in homeschooled children because many homeschooled children don’t master reading until years after their traditionally-schooled peers. Many homeschooling educators believe that teaching reading is something that happens naturally.

Because they are taught in different ways than traditionally-schooled children, homeschooled children may not require mastery of reading skills at the earliest possible age. Traditionally-schooled children must abide by a relatively fixed standard that is designed to ensure that all children develop at the relatively same (fairly slow) pace. Teaching dozens of children the same material requires that all of the children are approximately at the same basic level of preparation. A public school teacher faced with teaching ten, twenty, or even thirty children at varying learning stages is likely to be unsuccessful at such an endeavor. Assuming or requiring that children learn specific skills by a specific age simply makes teaching large groups of students far more efficient.

The Influence of Maria Montessori on Reading Instruction

The work of Maria Montessori changed the face of teaching reading and opened the door to a new home schooling movement. Dr. Montessori challenged traditional teaching theories and methods by presenting research that children learn at varying rates and that hands-on activities enable children to learn better and more completely than traditional rote memorization teaching techniques. Her pioneering work in the late 1800′s and early 1900′s made dramatically clear that having multiple learning levels in the same classroom generally provides surprisingly unexpected benefits. Regardless of age, children learn from each other. Older children teach younger children without even realizing it. And, younger children give older children the opportunity to learn by experience. However, because the Montessori classroom relies on individualizing teaching methods to each student, employing this method in the public school environment is seldom. More about Dr. Montessori’s work can be found at www.montessori.edu.

Intentionally or unintentionally, homeschooling is Montessori-like in the practical application of homeschooling teaching methods. Like Maria Montessori’s theories, homeschooling today emphasizes the specific learning style of the individual student over the need to teach certain skills by the time a child reaches a certain age. The child who is a so-so reader might be verbally proficient and a verbally weak student may be an above-average reader. This suggests that the homeschool teaching partner plays on each child’s strengths to teach each individual child. This format is far more easily implemented in the homeschooling environment than it is in a traditional school setting.

Standardized Assessments Encourage Early Reading Skills

The movement towards assessing student progress has invaded what was once a rather freestyle homeschooling environment. Students nationwide are now expected to perform at certain levels based on their age and academic grade. And, even though standardized assessments can be good indicators of overall performance, they are somewhat constraing to homeschooling enthusiasts because they fail to consider the different learning styles and speeds of individual students. Essentially, periodic standardized assessments, which are now required of many homeschooled children, are ultimately forcing homeschooling educators to ensure that their students learn academic skills at roughly the same pace as their traditionally-schooled peers. This means that teaching reading has recently become more important within the homeschool environment.

Many educators, homeschooling and traditional, strongly dislike standardized testing. Still, it looks like it’s here to stay, at least for the moment. And, for the homeschooled child to meet the expected standards and to stay on track, that child has to have mastered certain skills, especially reading, by a comparatively early age. In situations where standardized testing is an important assessment tool, children who fail to develop early reading skills are likely to be incorrectly assessed. And, an incorrect assessment is dangerous to both the child and the homeschooling program. For this reason, it is important for homeschooling educators to emphasize reading skills as a learning tool and that they emphasize teaching reading.

Reading as More Than an Ordinary Skill

Teaching reading to children as early as possible does not have to be a perceived slight to the homeschooling approach. Like Maria Montessori, many homeschooling educators take issue with forcing children to learn any skill before they are developmentally ready because there is no definitive research showing that teaching kids to read early can harm their future development in any way. As a result, apart from the obvious difficulties associated with teaching children skills that they may not be prepared to learn, early reading development probably still is a worthwhile endeavor.

The benefits of reading are well-documented. Reading is fun, opens doors to new subjects and adventures, and helps prepare children to think critically and embrace information that is both educational and entertaining. Reading is so important to today’s teaching methods that its importance spills over into the areas of mathematics, social studies, science, and other academic areas. The student who is interested in reading develops faster in many academic areas than peers who are unprepared with basic reading skills.

Homeschool parents and home school providers have a large basket of tools available to encourage their child’s early reading skills. Some reading experts insist that the first ten years are crucial for reading development and that teaching reading and a love of reading before the age of ten sets the stage for a lifetime of reading enjoyment. Many theories strongly suggest that reading to young children helps them develop a love for reading. When young kids then express a desire to learn to read on their own, they then practice reading by doing with adults and older peers, and ultimately can read for their own satisfaction and/or pleasure. Children who have become regular readers and who truly enjoy reading live in a world that is forever enriched and expanded by this one simple skill — reading.