my son is reading! thank you!
Lisa
Hi everyone, we have been unschooling since I pulled my son out of preschool at age 3. Joe is 8 now. He has had no formal instruction in reading except what they might have done in preschool.
We read a lot of books, we look at a lot of pictures, and we play a lot of games. My son also loves to watch youtube videos of people playing video games. he probably watches youtube 2 to 6 hours a day most days. I have read him thousands of video titles.
The evidence over the last 6 weeks or so is undeniable. he is reading words and titles and random things he sees. He is even reading short sentences. I love it!
Reading is what my husband was most worried about. I wasn't as worried about it but I wasn't quite sure how it would end up happening.
Now that I have seen him learn it I think that what he did was he just learned a lot of words on sight (naturally memorized the whole word).
I remember when he was 4 or 5 thinking he could probably read about 100 to 200 words on sight - things like Mcdonalds and Walmart and Starbucks and Stop and Exit and Enter and Push and Pull. things he saw every day.
McDonalds and Walmart have a picture that can be associated with the word but push and pull and exit and enter don't.
6 months ago I had no way to estimate how many words he knew on sight but it was more than when he was 4 and 5.
Today, he recognizes thousands of words on sight and somehow he has 'cracked the code' as I have heard others say and is able to figure out many words based on words he does know.
another thing he likes to do is make a guess on what the word is based on context and the first letter of the word. He's really good at that.
So basically, I just wanted to say thanks for all the links and talks and assurances. I'm seeing my son do it and it's amazing. he is amazing. this group is amazing. The fact that a child can learn to read with no instruction is amazing.
My son taught himself to swim at age 2 (we lived in Hawaii and we were in the water a lot). That's something I proudly tell anyone who will listen. Now, I get to tell people he taught himself to read by age 8.
I love the thought of the self-image and the positive view of his abilities that must give him. :)
Lisa
We read a lot of books, we look at a lot of pictures, and we play a lot of games. My son also loves to watch youtube videos of people playing video games. he probably watches youtube 2 to 6 hours a day most days. I have read him thousands of video titles.
The evidence over the last 6 weeks or so is undeniable. he is reading words and titles and random things he sees. He is even reading short sentences. I love it!
Reading is what my husband was most worried about. I wasn't as worried about it but I wasn't quite sure how it would end up happening.
Now that I have seen him learn it I think that what he did was he just learned a lot of words on sight (naturally memorized the whole word).
I remember when he was 4 or 5 thinking he could probably read about 100 to 200 words on sight - things like Mcdonalds and Walmart and Starbucks and Stop and Exit and Enter and Push and Pull. things he saw every day.
McDonalds and Walmart have a picture that can be associated with the word but push and pull and exit and enter don't.
6 months ago I had no way to estimate how many words he knew on sight but it was more than when he was 4 and 5.
Today, he recognizes thousands of words on sight and somehow he has 'cracked the code' as I have heard others say and is able to figure out many words based on words he does know.
another thing he likes to do is make a guess on what the word is based on context and the first letter of the word. He's really good at that.
So basically, I just wanted to say thanks for all the links and talks and assurances. I'm seeing my son do it and it's amazing. he is amazing. this group is amazing. The fact that a child can learn to read with no instruction is amazing.
My son taught himself to swim at age 2 (we lived in Hawaii and we were in the water a lot). That's something I proudly tell anyone who will listen. Now, I get to tell people he taught himself to read by age 8.
I love the thought of the self-image and the positive view of his abilities that must give him. :)
Lisa
Jennifer Schuelein
My son had a similar experience and also taught himself to read at age 8! :) This is great news!!!! I know that affirmation of your choices is important and this is just that.
My son also watches youtube videos of people playing video games. He learned to read by reading game books and through video games. It just clicked!
My son also watches youtube videos of people playing video games. He learned to read by reading game books and through video games. It just clicked!
--- In [email protected], "Lisa" <lisa@...> wrote:
>
> Hi everyone, we have been unschooling since I pulled my son out of preschool at age 3. Joe is 8 now. He has had no formal instruction in reading except what they might have done in preschool.
>
> We read a lot of books, we look at a lot of pictures, and we play a lot of games. My son also loves to watch youtube videos of people playing video games. he probably watches youtube 2 to 6 hours a day most days. I have read him thousands of video titles.
>
> The evidence over the last 6 weeks or so is undeniable. he is reading words and titles and random things he sees. He is even reading short sentences. I love it!
>
> Reading is what my husband was most worried about. I wasn't as worried about it but I wasn't quite sure how it would end up happening.
>
> Now that I have seen him learn it I think that what he did was he just learned a lot of words on sight (naturally memorized the whole word).
>
> I remember when he was 4 or 5 thinking he could probably read about 100 to 200 words on sight - things like Mcdonalds and Walmart and Starbucks and Stop and Exit and Enter and Push and Pull. things he saw every day.
>
> McDonalds and Walmart have a picture that can be associated with the word but push and pull and exit and enter don't.
>
> 6 months ago I had no way to estimate how many words he knew on sight but it was more than when he was 4 and 5.
>
> Today, he recognizes thousands of words on sight and somehow he has 'cracked the code' as I have heard others say and is able to figure out many words based on words he does know.
>
> another thing he likes to do is make a guess on what the word is based on context and the first letter of the word. He's really good at that.
>
> So basically, I just wanted to say thanks for all the links and talks and assurances. I'm seeing my son do it and it's amazing. he is amazing. this group is amazing. The fact that a child can learn to read with no instruction is amazing.
>
> My son taught himself to swim at age 2 (we lived in Hawaii and we were in the water a lot). That's something I proudly tell anyone who will listen. Now, I get to tell people he taught himself to read by age 8.
>
> I love the thought of the self-image and the positive view of his abilities that must give him. :)
>
> Lisa
>
Sandra Dodd
-=-So basically, I just wanted to say thanks for all the links and talks and assurances. I'm seeing my son do it and it's amazing. he is amazing. this group is amazing. The fact that a child can learn to read with no instruction is amazing. -=-
Thanks for sharing all that. It IS amazing, the way people learn.
-=-My son taught himself to swim at age 2 (we lived in Hawaii and we were in the water a lot). That's something I proudly tell anyone who will listen. Now, I get to tell people he taught himself to read by age 8. -=-
If you'll tell people he learned to read on his own (rather than saying "he taught himself to read," it will help them understand unschooling better, and it will help you, too, to really get the difference between something that involves "teaching" and the natural acquisition of knowledge--learning.
http://sandradodd.com/teaching/
http://sandradodd.com/learning.html
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Thanks for sharing all that. It IS amazing, the way people learn.
-=-My son taught himself to swim at age 2 (we lived in Hawaii and we were in the water a lot). That's something I proudly tell anyone who will listen. Now, I get to tell people he taught himself to read by age 8. -=-
If you'll tell people he learned to read on his own (rather than saying "he taught himself to read," it will help them understand unschooling better, and it will help you, too, to really get the difference between something that involves "teaching" and the natural acquisition of knowledge--learning.
http://sandradodd.com/teaching/
http://sandradodd.com/learning.html
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Sandra Dodd
-=-My son had a similar experience and also taught himself to read at age 8! :) This is great news!!!! I know that affirmation of your choices is important and this is just that. -=-
On this list, affirmation of people's choices isn't as important as clarity about what helps natural learning unfold.
-=-also taught himself to read...-=-
If you can avoid "teach/taught" on this list, you can start to avoid it other places, and it *WILL* make a difference in the clarity of your understanding. Not might, not could. Will.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
On this list, affirmation of people's choices isn't as important as clarity about what helps natural learning unfold.
-=-also taught himself to read...-=-
If you can avoid "teach/taught" on this list, you can start to avoid it other places, and it *WILL* make a difference in the clarity of your understanding. Not might, not could. Will.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Lisa
****** > If you'll tell people he learned to read on his own (rather than saying "he taught himself to read," it will help them understand unschooling better, and it will help you, too, to really get the difference between something that involves "teaching" and the natural acquisition of knowledge--learning. *****
Thank you Sandra - you are right. I watched the learning to swim unfold from the first time in the water till he was swimming as well as I can and I watched the learning to read unfold from the time we first talked about letters till now and he didn't sit down and employ any methods or do anything deliberately. He lived and played and did what he wanted and the learning happened within him.
Thank you Sandra - you are right. I watched the learning to swim unfold from the first time in the water till he was swimming as well as I can and I watched the learning to read unfold from the time we first talked about letters till now and he didn't sit down and employ any methods or do anything deliberately. He lived and played and did what he wanted and the learning happened within him.