Learning To Read

We left a day care in February that really stressed literary skills. Jacob could recognize all of the letters of the alphabet, read his friends names quickly, read numbers up to ten and was beginning to figure out adding and subtracting. When we changed to the horror day care we recently left, Jacob had lost a lot of those skills. It seemed he had lost about three months of progress and was closer to where he was in September or October instead of February. I knew it was because no one was working with him on it and was only a little concerned. I knew it would come back to him once he started the four-year-old kindergarten curriculum this fall.

We left that day care almost exactly one month ago. Since that time, Jacob has started reading! No. He can't pick up a book and just read but he has started to site read words and even sound some out. He shocked me last night. I picked up a book I had never read to him before. It was a beginner reading book. I read the first page pointing out the words as I read and sounding some out. As I began to read the second page, Jacob read along with me! He got a couple words wrong but it was obvious he was reading! I began to test him by having him read words without my help and sure enough he did it!

It actually started last week when I was reading a "Biscuit" book to him. He could read all of the "bow wow" "wolf" and "meow" words no matter how they changed them around. Now he is moving on and beginning to be able to read other words as well.

M is also making huge gains. He has begun trying to learn to write and read his name. He is a long ways from being able to do it but this is the first time he has shown any interest in it. He can also count to about 15 and does it regularly. I am sure it won't be long before he starts reading letters and numbers also.

All of these gains after just 1 month in the new center. I couldn't be more pleased. Both boys are just thriving there and making huge gains in a very short time period. Jacob's teacher was actually suprised he was not going to kindergarten in the fall. She thought he was just as prepared as the other children starting in the fall. He won't though. I don't like starting kids early and his birthday isn't until the end of September.