When baby are born are some born smarter than others? Perhaps it is a genetic gene that makes them smart. As these babies are growing into toddlers is it possible to teach them how to read? Can they understand what is going on? According to Sara Gable who wrote an article in ClassBrain.com:
The brain's task for the first 3 years is to establish and reinforce connections with other neurons. These connections are formed when impulses are sent and received between neurons. Axons send messages and dendrites receive them. These connections form synapses. Between birth and age 3, the brain creates more synapses than it needs. The synapses that are used a lot become a permanent part of the brain. The synapses that are not used frequently are eliminated. Because we want children to succeed, we need to provide many positive social and learning opportunities so that the synapses associated with these experiences become permanent (Gable). (See Figure 2)
All babies are born with the same opportunity. It is up to the parents or care givers to influence and help their toddler’s brain develop to its fullest potential. A babies surrounding environment has an impact on how they develop their learning skills. If a toddler is never talked to or show how to do something then how will they learn? With guidance and nurture it is possible to teach a toddler how to read. However many parents are skeptical that it is possible to teach a toddler how to read.
Some parents do not want to pressure their toddler to read. Some feel they might not like to read, because they are pressed. Some parents feel their toddler will learn how to read when they are ready. Judith Hudson, developmental psychologist supports those parents. She stated on babycenter.com: ...
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Child development is crucial throughout the early years, during this time the development of the brain occurs. The development of the brain contributes to the functioning of the body. The anatomy of the brain is made up of neurons and divided into four different lobes. The temporal, frontal, parietal, and occipital lobes control a variety of cognitive functions. The brain controls simple functions such as fine and gross motor skills, vision, and memory. According to Meadows (1993, p.263), at all sorts of levels in the brain there are programs for functions such as breathing, sleeping, and producing coherent language. Brain development in children is vital during the early years. During the early years, children brains are active enabling children to learn a variety of information. Many studies have been conducted and they have concluded a healthy lifestyle, physical activity, and exposing young children to a variety of education material assist with child development. The first few years of a child’s life is crucial as far as his intellectual as well as socio-emotional abilities are concerned (Bose, 2000).
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As I was reading this article, I remembered my struggles with learning to read when I was in elementary school. I used to dread when the teacher would call on me to read aloud to the class. At the time, I couldn’t read as fast as the other students and would struggle to sound out words. However, this problem became a thing of the past after my parents and teacher became aware of it. My parents worked with me every night to improve my reading level. Some nights I would follow along with my finger on the page to get familiar with the words as they would read aloud. Other we would change positions and I would read aloud while they followed to make sure I was getting all the words and pronouncing them correctly. I still believe that without the help of my parents and teacher I would still be struggling with reading today. I believe that children need to be read to for them to hear how words should be pronounced. Just reading with your child every night is important. From these experiences, they learn how to pronounce words on a page and their meaning behind them.
For toddlers it is a learning process and the first thing they learn about print is through their sight (Cowling, 2012). As an educator we can initiate children in early literacy experiences through conversations and play. Early literacy experiences can include a range and diverse activities such play as an alphabetic sensory table that will make connections to letter recognition, writing and reading and many other pathways of literacy. By putting together a sensory table the children have fun and it involves hands on way for them to become exposed to letters. This resources involves foam shaped letters, a sensory table and some containers and scoops, the short coming of this design and application is the fact that as an educator I do not expect toddlers to know the alphabet, however by exposing them to letters early on through play, I can show them that theses letters having meaning and as they get older, not only can they recognise the letters in their names, but also names of their peers and family
“Because brain development is so heavily dependent on early experience, most babies will receive the right kind of nurturing from their earliest days, through our loving urges and parenting instincts. “there are so many things that I’ve read that could make a baby smarter like reading to them while pregnant or even talking to them so the brain can develop the right way while in the womb but loving your child and catering to them is the right way and will eventually lead them to the right path to learn. Yes, speaking to your child and listening to them can and will critically develop the brains –building years. Parents do forget that a child’s developments are not when school begins but before that. If a child comes from a home that listens and speaks when the other one is done and knows manners the child will develop that and learn that is the right way to go about things as oppose to a house hold who may talk over each, shout or even hit their brains will pick all that up like a sponge. So talking to your child and actually listening to them is one of the best brain developments. “Language is fundamental to most of the rest of cognitive development, this simple action—talking and listening to your child—is one of the best ways to make the most of his or her critical brain-building years.” (Zero to
The Open University Press Davis, S.F. and Palladino, J.J. (1995) Psychology. Englewood Cliffs, N.J. : Prentice Hall Website : http://www.webref.org
The first couple years newborns develop physically and mentally at an amazing rate, unlike any other time of development during their life. Many aspects of a baby’s development form the base for life-long learning. According to Berger, the concept of plasticity of human traits, which states “personality, intellect, habits, and emotions change throughout life for a combination of reasons…” affect development (Berger, 2005, p.15).
readers: A perspective for research and intervention ―[Electronic version]. Scientific Studies of Reading, 11(4), 289-312.
“The single most important activity for building knowledge for their eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children,” a report from 1985 by the commission
This article discussed the views and opinions of both parents and teachers in regards to beginning reading. Literacy development is a major issue within early primary classrooms. Parent’s views on this were that literacy development is the responsibility of the school. The foundation of literacy definitely comes from the school but it is at home where it is practiced and reinforce and may even overarch the schools responsibility. Children whose parents are unable to assist them at home with their literacy development definitely fall out in respect to ongoing help and support. Children in my primary school classes whose parents were unable to help them struggled with their reading, word recognition and literacy skills the entire way through primary school. This shows that literacy development is not primarily the schools responsibility but the child’s parents at home also.