I have precisely the same behavior from my 3 year old son as Victoria. CK is a voracious reader. I appreciate this, theoretically speaking, as I also love to read more than any other activity. On the other hand, I’m the one doing all the reading to my kiddo. If he had his choice, I’d probably be reading to him 3 hours a day. He doesn’t page through books much himself. I support his booklust with biweekly trips to the library.

As a child, I’d mostly sit out recess with a good book, from a young age.

I’d like to see him cultivate other kinds of play that he can enjoy alone. I’d like to see him constructing or drawing or running and using his body, but the kid mostly just wants to be read to.

This article is interesting but I seem to have the opposite problem. My toddler (almost 2.5) has always loved books. From before her first birthday, she would literally ask me to read book after book, for an hour or more at a time, exhausting her then-small stack and going through thrice more. She is still going strong. We make library trips every other week and by the end of the first week, she will have memorized 2-3 of the 6-7 books we brought home. And will remember them months later if I check out one again that she had particularly liked.

Some days, she touches nary a toy. Books all day long. It *feels* like too much of a good thing. I worry. Sometimes she seems to zone out a little, and may not even be paying attention to the story. And so I don’t always know how to handle it.

Do I read whenever she asks because reading is “good” and “educational”? Do I read often but not at every request, and instead encourage her to seek out more active play? (Activity does not come naturally to her; she is a calm sort of child.) How do I distinguish the times when a story would be good and the times she is perhaps using it as an escape? The obvious time is when she is tired — but could she actually be needing a snack or drink or something else during these times of intense book-devouring?!

She IS becoming more independent in her “reading,” which is fascinating. She will recite a book from memory or make up a new story for the pictures or tell a story that is a fun mixture of a handful of other books. Maybe this is her imagination developing.

Anyway, I just thought I would ask. I seem to have a “unique” problem with this one. I have contemplated putting all the books away for a day or two, but never have. It just feels wrong to even consider that!

Victoria

I just came across your website looking for articles about reading as I recently started to teach my baby. We are following Doman’s method and using flashcards to learn reading single words first and she is not yet one. I have read multiple reviews of this method and people having great results with it an it was recommended to me by parents whose babies are making great progress.

I was wondering if you had any views on actively teaching such young babies to read? We are only using flashcards for few seconds at a time and my baby seems to really enjoy herself.

Looking forward to your reply 🙂

Oh, gosh, Rachel! It’s amazing to me that so many who work with young children do not have even a minimal understanding of child development or readiness.

Thanks, John!

Great point, Rick!