By Kitty Felde
I learned to read by figuring out what was printed on the back of a cereal box. I think I was four. I recently met a dad who kickstarted his son’s reading journey before his kid could even talk!
Henry and his wife started to read aloud to their infant son at six months! “It was kind of like just holding him,” says Henry, “getting him in the habit of him sitting with us, reading out loud with a soothing voice.” They began with what he calls “super easy stuff” like “Wheels on the Bus” and other short board books.
It didn’t happen overnight, but soon Henry could see that his son was enjoying the ritual and they moved on to longer books from Sesame Street and Dr. Seuss.
“By the time he was two and three,” says Henry, “he started recognizing things, being able to piece things together to the point where he was memorizing the words.”
Henry’s son is seven now and their summer project is a big book: the first “Harry Potter.” They are tackling it together, Henry reading one page, his son reading the next. Their new ritual is reading aloud as Henry is making dinner. There’s even a prize: they’ll watch the film version together if they finish the book by the end of summer.
Summer is the perfect time to escape the head and humidity and camp out at the Southwest Library. Librarians are experts in read-aloud books, so ask for suggestions. Your young reader can even sign up for the summer reading program and take home some swag.
Whatever the age of your child or grandchild, it’s never too early to start creating a reading habit.
Kitty Felde hosts the award-winning Book Club for Kids podcast and writes the Fina Mendoza Mysteries, including the newest title “Snake in the Grass.”