how did you learn to read?

Lizzy · Guru

how did you learn to read?

apies · Guru

i taught myself to read at a young age, just like some of the kids here.

i have been told that i was reading chapter books (like little women) by the end of kindergarten.

no one taught me - my mom just realized i was reading one day.

my mom was a single mom of 3 girls ages 3 and under. she worked full time so i think i had a lot of independent time to teach myself.

muffy · Guru

Funny, I have no idea! Too long ago... I'll have to ask my mom.

Cuppycake · Guru

My mom had these books that went along with audio cassettes, that my sisters and I listened to. Kind of an early version of Hooked on Phonics, I guess, but I can still hear snippets of it when I think about it. For the letter H, they had a boy running, and he couldn't catch his breath. He sat on the chair (shaped like a lowercase H) and his breathing was "huh. Huh. Huh." Not that anyone cares about that part, but I still remember it some 23 years later, lol.

My mom also played a game with us to learn our letters, numbers and site words, where she would have them written on a piece of paper, and we would run from her, to the words at the other side of the room, get the one she called out, and race back to her. Sounds ridiculous, but we've played that game with every kid in my family, and it was a blast, lol.

Like it did with Hannah, one day it just clicked (although for me, I'm pretty sure it was much later than it did for Hannah) and that was it.

Alicia · Senior Member

I started in first grade so I was 7(I remember dick and jane from 1st). Learning to read in first was the norm. My DS started(very, very basic) to read in K and had trouble with it in most of first. In 2nd grade he really took off and was several years ahead of his grade in no time. Raven started the last month or so of preschool.

Lizzy · Guru

Cuppycake wrote:

My mom had these books that went along with audio cassettes, that my sisters and I listened to. Kind of an early version of Hooked on Phonics, I guess, but I can still hear snippets of it when I think about it. For the letter H, they had a boy running, and he couldn't catch his breath. He sat on the chair (shaped like a lowercase H) and his breathing was "huh. Huh. Huh." Not that anyone cares about that part, but I still remember it some 23 years later, lol.

My mom also played a game with us to learn our letters, numbers and site words, where she would have them written on a piece of paper, and we would run from her, to the words at the other side of the room, get the one she called out, and race back to her. Sounds ridiculous, but we've played that game with every kid in my family, and it was a blast, lol.

Like it did with Hannah, one day it just clicked (although for me, I'm pretty sure it was much later than it did for Hannah) and that was it.

awesome idea, leah!! I am going to do this with ivy although i'll have to modify it because i don't have anyone else to play with her.

thanks so much for the idea!!

Supafly · Guru

IHNI really. I know I was not an early reader. My mom read to us all the time, mostly on my brother's reading level (he's 3 years older than I am). And I know she has told me I didn't read early, and I wasn't motivated in school, so everyone was surprised when I took the standardized tests and it came back that I was reading at a 12th grade level. They pulled me out of my groups at school and put me in the advanced reading group-and I loved reading and english classes from that point on.

So I was a far above average reader, but IHNI when or how I learned to read. IDR any specific programs or anything that we did. I just remember my mom reading to us all the time-I used to look forward to Huck Finn, I remember.

Lizzy · Guru

Supafly wrote:

IHNI really. I know I was not an early reader. My mom read to us all the time, mostly on my brother's reading level (he's 3 years older than I am). And I know she has told me I didn't read early, and I wasn't motivated in school, so everyone was surprised when I took the standardized tests and it came back that I was reading at a 12th grade level. They pulled me out of my groups at school and put me in the advanced reading group-and I loved reading and english classes from that point on.

So I was a far above average reader, but IHNI when or how I learned to read. IDR any specific programs or anything that we did. I just remember my mom reading to us all the time-I used to look forward to Huck Finn, I remember.

i really believe in early and frequent exposure to books. my mom was always reading (her own books...lol) but then i would read them too.

Sunshine · Guru

IHNI. I started reading around 2 1/2, and was reading Reader's Digest and whatever else my grandparents had around the house before kindergarten (a lot of Good Housekeeping too, I remember! lol)...I remember that the Drama in Real Life stories used to scare me.

I spent a lot of time curled up by myself in sunny corners with books and magazines. So peaceful!

Alison · Guru

My mom says I taught myself how to read at age 3. I guess I had started to memorize some books that were read to me often, but one day my mom heard me reading a book that my parents hadn't read to me yet.

I love seeing how it just "clicks" - Mason read his first book yesterday and it blows me away how fast it happened! I'm so excited to see how obsessed he's going to get, because since he was a baby, he has always insisted on having books in his room. Now that he's actually reading, I wouldn't be surprised if he starts staying up super late to read (which was something I did until college)!

LucsMama · Senior Member

I don't remeber at all. I do remember my mom always reading to me every night before bed. She would read chapter books to us every night... I remember the Narnia books the most. For Lucas' first Christmas she bought me the whole set of them

LDSMOM · Senior Member

Some of the local college girls needed to teach young kids for college credit so my mom took me to the classes. Within a month I was reading. I was just barely 4 at the time.

Juanita · Guru

I have no idea either.

daisy · Guru

apies wrote:

i taught myself to read at a young age, just like some of the kids here.

i have been told that i was reading chapter books (like little women) by the end of kindergarten.

no one taught me - my mom just realized i was reading one day.

my mom was a single mom of 3 girls ages 3 and under. she worked full time so i think i had a lot of independent time to teach myself.

yeah, this is how i was too - just figured it out. i think that's how it usually works when it clicks at a young age. i think i was 4. my sister was even younger (3 i think) which is how R has been. C is starting to put things together now too - she knows what words start and end with.

Lizzy · Guru

daisy wrote:

apies wrote:

i taught myself to read at a young age, just like some of the kids here.

i have been told that i was reading chapter books (like little women) by the end of kindergarten.

no one taught me - my mom just realized i was reading one day.

my mom was a single mom of 3 girls ages 3 and under. she worked full time so i think i had a lot of independent time to teach myself.

yeah, this is how i was too - just figured it out. i think that's how it usually works when it clicks at a young age. i think i was 4. my sister was even younger (3 i think) which is how R has been. C is starting to put things together now too - she knows what words start and end with.

this is amazing to me! do you work with cara? (i just realized I called Cara "Clara" and then thought "have I been doing that all along?" - i hope not!)

ivy is just now realizing letters make sounds....but she has come along way since starting school. she makes little books and today, she "read" one ;)

daisy · Guru

Lizzy wrote:

daisy wrote:

apies wrote:

i taught myself to read at a young age, just like some of the kids here.

i have been told that i was reading chapter books (like little women) by the end of kindergarten.

no one taught me - my mom just realized i was reading one day.

my mom was a single mom of 3 girls ages 3 and under. she worked full time so i think i had a lot of independent time to teach myself.

yeah, this is how i was too - just figured it out. i think that's how it usually works when it clicks at a young age. i think i was 4. my sister was even younger (3 i think) which is how R has been. C is starting to put things together now too - she knows what words start and end with.

this is amazing to me! do you work with cara? (i just realized I called Cara "Clara" and then thought "have I been doing that all along?" - i hope not!)

ivy is just now realizing letters make sounds....but she has come along way since starting school. she makes little books and today, she "read" one ;)

no, cara wont let me do ANYTHING letter-oriented with her. i hear rachel teaching her upstairs though. rachel is such a natural at making things appealing to cara (something i suck at - lol). she plays this "muffin game" where she stacks up the magnet letters on plates and tells cara they are letter-muffins, and makes cara say "duh duh duh D" as she eats the D muffin - i never get involved bc they have such a "thing" going on with this. but i think she's learning a TON from rachel.

i really do think that early reading runs in families.
all the girls in my family (cousins and aunts too) could read before K.
(you havent been calling her clara - LOL).

Cuppycake · Guru

daisy wrote:

Lizzy wrote:

daisy wrote:

apies wrote:

i taught myself to read at a young age, just like some of the kids here.

i have been told that i was reading chapter books (like little women) by the end of kindergarten.

no one taught me - my mom just realized i was reading one day.

my mom was a single mom of 3 girls ages 3 and under. she worked full time so i think i had a lot of independent time to teach myself.

yeah, this is how i was too - just figured it out. i think that's how it usually works when it clicks at a young age. i think i was 4. my sister was even younger (3 i think) which is how R has been. C is starting to put things together now too - she knows what words start and end with.

this is amazing to me! do you work with cara? (i just realized I called Cara "Clara" and then thought "have I been doing that all along?" - i hope not!)

ivy is just now realizing letters make sounds....but she has come along way since starting school. she makes little books and today, she "read" one ;)

no, cara wont let me do ANYTHING letter-oriented with her. i hear rachel teaching her upstairs though. rachel is such a natural at making things appealing to cara (something i suck at - lol). she plays this "muffin game" where she stacks up the magnet letters on plates and tells cara they are letter-muffins, and makes cara say "duh duh duh D" as she eats the D muffin - i never get involved bc they have such a "thing" going on with this. but i think she's learning a TON from rachel.

i really do think that early reading runs in families.
all the girls in my family (cousins and aunts too) could read before K.
(you havent been calling her clara - LOL).

That's incredible.

Seriously. I even "Awww"ed... and I'm a jaded bitter biotch, lmao.

daisy · Guru

Cuppycake wrote:

daisy wrote:

Lizzy wrote:

daisy wrote:

apies wrote:

i taught myself to read at a young age, just like some of the kids here.

i have been told that i was reading chapter books (like little women) by the end of kindergarten.

no one taught me - my mom just realized i was reading one day.

my mom was a single mom of 3 girls ages 3 and under. she worked full time so i think i had a lot of independent time to teach myself.

yeah, this is how i was too - just figured it out. i think that's how it usually works when it clicks at a young age. i think i was 4. my sister was even younger (3 i think) which is how R has been. C is starting to put things together now too - she knows what words start and end with.

this is amazing to me! do you work with cara? (i just realized I called Cara "Clara" and then thought "have I been doing that all along?" - i hope not!)

ivy is just now realizing letters make sounds....but she has come along way since starting school. she makes little books and today, she "read" one ;)

no, cara wont let me do ANYTHING letter-oriented with her. i hear rachel teaching her upstairs though. rachel is such a natural at making things appealing to cara (something i suck at - lol). she plays this "muffin game" where she stacks up the magnet letters on plates and tells cara they are letter-muffins, and makes cara say "duh duh duh D" as she eats the D muffin - i never get involved bc they have such a "thing" going on with this. but i think she's learning a TON from rachel.

i really do think that early reading runs in families.
all the girls in my family (cousins and aunts too) could read before K.
(you havent been calling her clara - LOL).

That's incredible.

Seriously. I even "Awww"ed... and I'm a jaded bitter biotch, lmao.

lmfao. i think R is going to be a teacher. she can get through to cara and no one else can.

Juni · Guru

daisy wrote:

Cuppycake wrote:

daisy wrote:

lmfao. i think R is going to be a teacher. she can get through to cara and no one else can.

Gavin is a lot like this too. He isn't reading yet but he teaches Owen so much! The letter sounds and all of his songs and nursery rhymes. One day Owen came up to me and did the whole "mother mother I am ill, call the doctor over the hill..." etc. I was all surprised and then he said Gavin taught him. It's awesome actually. :)

supergrover · Guru

I remember learning my first words from commercials (a car commercial with Yes and No, I just kept repeating the letters). I don't remember much else, except one night a took forever and read One Fish Two fish from cover to cover. I was probably 6. I wasn't an early reader, just normal for the time. My parents never ever read to us, sort of sad in retrospect. I do remember that twice in my school career I was bumped tracks because they assumed I didn't know things that I did. I recall the first or second day of second grade being called to the reading table and reading without any problem. The teacher looked shocked, pulled out something else to read and I read that as well. The next day I was moved to a different class because I already covered most of the reading lessons. Honestly, I came from a pretty poor background, so I think they just assumed a lot that they should not have. I had a very similar situation in middle school.

I do not expect Koda to read anytime soon really. I expect much like others that he will go from nothing to reading full books in one day. Tristen will likely read pretty soon. He is nearly there.