Mine! No! I need it! I DO IT BY MYSELF!” Someone in my house has control issues.
Wilson, our two and a half year-old reader in training, is going through a new “phase.” Call it the terrible twos. Call it testing the limits. Call it newfound independence. Today his preschool teacher took me aside and said –after she informed me that he was acting out— “maybe he’s on the verge of some great milestone.” Let’s hope so.
We use to enjoy story time with complete pleasure and ease. Now we have battles. One minute he’s happy being read to, the next he wants to read to himself. Last night we couldn’t agree whether Sally, one of the My First Bob Books Pre Reading Skills characters, was a circle or a ball. I decided it wasn’t that important in the grand scheme of things and let it roll off, so to speak.
I know that as the saying goes, this too shall pass. What’s most important right now is sharing a love of books and reading, whatever shape that takes. Wilson can enjoy books at his own pace. If he wants me to read, that’s great. If he takes the lead, that’s fine too. We can also turn it into a game, pointing out colors and shapes and letters of the alphabet for as long as attention spans allow. I have enough battles with my little person already; story time and learning to read is not going to be one of them.
Got a reading tip or early learning experience you’d like to share? Let us know.
–Allison
Tags: Diary of an emerging reader, pre reading skills, preschoolers