I'm of the mindset that it is never too soon to get our children moving in the right direction. There's a study by Anderson, Wilson and Fielding (1988)[1] which shows how an increase in reading corresponds to higher academic achievement. The figure illustrates that children who read an average of less than 1 minute a day score in the 20th percentile. That means that for every 100 students taking the test, these children score better than 20. This also means that 80 students score higher than them. By contrast, children who read 65 minutes a day score in the 98th percentile. That means that for every 100 students taking the test, these children score better than 98 other children. This also means that only 2 students score higher than them. So, we can give our children a tremendous advantage just by helping to foster in our children a love of reading and ensuring that they read each day.
Here are a few quick strategies that we can use with our infants to give them a head start on reading.
Recognizing and Identifying Symbols. Most of us easily identify the skull and crossbones or the bullseye as symbols. However, letters are symbols too. "D" is as foreign to a person who does not read English as "γ" is to a person who does not read Greek. Because children are not born English readers, the symbols that we call letters are foreign to them at some point.
When should we start? This activity is aimed at giving our children a head start on recognizing and identifying the symbols we call letters. If we wait until they get to school to start, it is too late. Once a child is able to open his eyes and follow the direction of your hand, you can begin. In my experience, this happens between the first and second month.
What do we do? Prepare 26 "flash cards" each with a single letter on it. The letter should be printed as large as possible. Although I call these flash cards, I recommend using a single sheet of 8.5" x 11" paper. Do not use fancy colors, fonts or graphics. Print black letters on white paper. The size and contrast is intended to help children to focus on the letters.
If your child is able to sit up facing you, then sit face to face. If not, then sit with your child in your lap. Go through each of the 26 letters one at a time. When reviewing each letter repeat the letter at least twice, and preferably three times. Trace the letter at least one of those times. For example: a mother might say "A" while tracing the letter. She repeats "A" while tracing the letter. She repeats a third time, "A" while tracing the letter. She then points to the letter and says, "This is the letter 'A'."
It should take no more than 10 minutes or so to work through all 26 letters. Repeat this 3-4 times a week for 3-4 months.
How do I know if it is working? When reviewing the letters, look for your child's responsiveness. Your infant will follow your hand as you trace the letters. He will look at the letters and look at you. As he gains dexterity with his hands, he will reach out towards the letters. Help him to trace them, if you would like. Over time, you will notice that your infant takes note of letters in other spaces. He may notice signage that is posted in public spaces. He may notice lettering on articles of clothing. These are all indications that he is recognizing these new symbols.
Most importantly... Enjoy this time and activity with your child. It is an important and invaluable use of time. It is also fun! You are working towards giving your child a gift that will put them in the 98th percentile of their peer group. It will also give you 65 minutes of quiet time every evening... And it is free! That’s what I call a win! Read more about the benefits of increased reading here.
And as always... Have Fun!
Jomo W. Mutegi, Ph.D. is an author of science-related children’s books, and an Associate Professor of Science Education at the Indiana University School of Education in Indianapolis. He is also Principal Investigator of the (ES)2 Research Program. To learn more about Dr. Mutegi’s books, visit www.JomoMutegi.com. To learn more about Dr. Mutegi’s research, visit www.ES2RP.org.
[1] Anderson, R. C., Wilson, P. T., & Fielding, L. G. (1988). Growth in Reading and How Children Spend Their Time Outside of School. Reading Research Quarterly, 23, 285-303.
My Problem. Two years ago, my wife bought a quarter sheet cake for my birthday. My birthday falls between the Christmas holiday and the New Year, so there are always a lot of food and dessert dishes around the house. For some odd reason, this year no one helped to eat the birthday cake. So in one week, I ended up eating a quarter sheet cake and two quarts of ice cream… by myself.
The Intervention. That same week, while preparing for my Spring Semester science methods course, I watched a documentary called That Sugar Film. Well, I didn’t need a documentary film to help me see that I had a problem. But it certainly didn’t hurt. After that week of hedonistic indulgence, I radically altered my diet. I avoided all foods with added sugar.
The Backslide. The no sugar diet was good as long as it lasted. Although others have gone much longer with greater success (see Shaub’s, Year of No Sugar), I made it for three months. Once March hit, my travel schedule made it very difficult for me to find alternatives to foods with added sugar. Before long my old habits took over, and while I wasn’t eating entire birthday cakes alone, I was eating much more sugar than I would have liked.
Explorations into Stevia. This is where my interest in stevia began. Stevia is different from artificial sweeteners (like saccharine or aspartame) in that it is a plant and it is regarded as a healthy alternative to sugar. In reading up on stevia, the first thing I learned was that stevia is much sweeter than sugar. On the low end are reports that stevia is 40 times sweeter than sugar. On the upper end are reports that it is 350 times sweeter. I have no idea how it could be determined how much sweeter stevia is than sugar. However, I did need some idea of how the two compared in order to accurately use stevia as a sugar substitute. The second thing I learned early on is that most of the stevia available in stores (e.g. Truvia, Purevia, or Stevia in the Raw) is more highly processed than table sugar. These substitutes often contain stevia mixed with non-natural sweeteners. What I wanted was the actual leaf from the stevia plant. But where would I find it?
If you are looking for the stevia plant in Walmart, you can forget about it. I visited 4 local health food stores before I finally found “dried stevia leaf” at the fourth store. The terminology is important. If you call a store and ask for “stevia”, you will very likely get a highly-processed sweetener that is made with stevia. If you want pure stevia (from the actual leaf), you should ask for “stevia leaf” or “stevia powder.” Stevia leaf is made by taking the leaf of the plant, drying and crushing it. It looks like dried basil or oregano. Stevia powder is made by taking the dried stevia leaf and grinding it into a powder with a pestle and mortar. This past spring I also found that nurseries sometimes carry seeds for growing stevia, and stevia plants. I now have two stevia plants growing in my garden. So there are a number of learning opportunities that I stumbled upon in my explorations with stevia. You may want to try some of them with your own family.
Summer Family Fun. One activity would be to develop a sweetness scale. Who determined that “stevia is 40 times sweeter than sugar.” The number (40 times) makes it all sound very official. But scales can vary. Work as a family to develop a sweetness scale. Then use the scale to measure foods you commonly eat.
Another activity would be to grow stevia from seed. Getting the stevia seeds to germinate is a big challenge. Stevia seeds are not as hardy as other seeds. So, it might require some experimentation to get them started. Vary the amounts of water and light used with different seeds and take good notes. This would be a fun study.
Use stevia to make a dish that you like. Although you might find some suggestions for a stevia-sugar substitution, is not always straightforward. Factors you will need to consider are (a) whether to use stevia leaf or stevia powder, (b) whether the loss of bulk from sugar will throw off the wet-dry balance of the recipe, (c) whether the stevia aftertaste will upset the dish. Pick a dish and make multiple versions of it until you get it right. The fun and learning is in the trial and error… and success!
And as always... Have Fun!
Jomo W. Mutegi, Ph.D. is an author of science-related children’s books, and an Associate Professor of Science Education at the Indiana University School of Education in Indianapolis. He is also Principal Investigator of the (ES)2 Research Program. To learn more about Dr. Mutegi’s books, visit www.JomoMutegi.com. To learn more about Dr. Mutegi’s research, visit www.ES2RP.org.
