Anyone heard about or used the Your Baby Can Read series?

[RCJ]

Same as General parenting board. I saw an infomercial on TV last night and I am looking into getting this for my 1 year old.

[BC-SgtMom]

No I have not heard about it - can you tell me more? Is it for letter or word recognition and does it really help in a child so young?

[RCJ]

I haven't really had a chance to delve into it too much, but I'm thinking that it skips straight to sight words. The baby watches a DVD with music they see the word, see the action and do the action. It teaches other concepts like colors etc. Here's the websight.

http://www.yourbabycanread.com/about-the-program.php

The websight shows videos is little babies like 9 mo. pointing or doing actions when a sight word card is help up. It also has 3 year olds reading books like Charlotte's web.

I don't think I care to have my child reading too early, but I do want to start introducing literacy skills in a meaningful way. I'm looking for some kind of teaching aid as I believe that you should start early, but I don't want to be a parent that pushes readng/literacy on my child every waking moment. I was looking for a fun/wellrounded way to go about it.

[jadejong]

In all honesty - I would save the money and just read a lot with your child. There is no better way to instill a love of reading. Children that young just aren't developmentally ready for structured reading or abstract sight words and cards. Just spend your time now enjoying books together.

[BC-MAV]

I don't see how any 3 year old would be reading Charlottes' Web!! You must have to really work at this program for your average child to be doing that. It can't all be rote memory of comon words or all phonics as some words don't follow phonics rules. And a child has to have the interest in something to want to learn it otherwise it would just be learning to memorize with no comprehension or gusto.

I think the best thing to do is to read to kids. Get them interested in books and being read to. They like repetition and learn through it so don't get frustrated when you read Goodnight Moon, The 3 Little Pigs, or whatever over and over. Gradually your little ones will pick up books and look at them by themself. They will retell the stories you have read to them. You can point out their name and letters on things that mean something to them: books, cereal boxes, stores, etc...

I just don't believe everythings I see on TV!

[RCJ]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I have decided to work with my LO the good old fashion way---like it did with my first two. I think the program does work, but I am not sure how beneficial in the long run it is. Also, each child is so different and I would like to allow for that individuality.

[BC-MAV]

You know I think I have seen that show/ad and it has a child of maybe 2 or 3 reading some big words from flash cards. It sounds good but I just don't know. I do like the book How To Teach Your Child to Read in 100 days... geared towards age 4, 5, 6, etc.... and up