| There is much debate about whether babies should | | | | connections and associations between letters and |
| be taught to read by the rules of phonics or if they | | | | their sound values on their own. Whenever we figure |
| should be taught with the whole word method, also | | | | things out on our own it makes much more sense to |
| called sight-reading. The answer may surprise you. | | | | us. This is true for babies as well. |
| Phonics Vs Whole Word Method | | | | Once a baby has been exposed to hundreds of |
| Should parents that want to teach their babies to | | | | words, it is an ideal time to begin to introduce words |
| read stick with phonics or should they begin with the | | | | that follow specific phonetic rules. By this point in the |
| whole word method? The answer is that there is no | | | | reading program, babies are already able to identify |
| either or when it comes to learning to read. In order | | | | many of the sounds in the language. This is evident |
| to learn to read well, we need to embrace a | | | | when asking a baby to read a new word that they |
| combination of both methods. Although much of the | | | | are unfamiliar with. Parents notice that even if the |
| English language is read phonetically, there are many | | | | baby cannot read the word correctly, they are |
| exceptions that cannot be read using phonics. This | | | | relying on phonics to make a close attempt to read |
| means that programs that claim to be strictly | | | | the word. They will not confuse the beginning sound |
| phonetic, can not in fact teach children to read the | | | | of the word to be something completely other than |
| words that are exceptions except through | | | | what it is. For example, let's say that your baby can |
| sight-reading. | | | | read the word banana and now you show your child |
| So how does this affect the way we teach our | | | | the word bandage. Your baby will make an attempt |
| babies? | | | | to read it and get pretty close or will be able to read |
| This depends a lot on the child's age. For babies 3 | | | | the word. It is extremely rare that a baby would say |
| months through 3 years old, the whole word method | | | | that the word bandage said something like garden. |
| is the most effective choice for parents teaching | | | | By beginning a reading program using the whole word |
| their babies to read. By introducing babies to | | | | method babies are given the opportunity to be |
| hundreds and thousands of words through | | | | exposed to many words. This allows them to have a |
| site-reading, they are gaining a greater understanding | | | | better understanding of language before the words |
| of language and the phonetic patterns. This is a sort | | | | are organized into phonetic patterns. When deciding |
| of immersion method to teaching reading. Babies are | | | | to teach your baby to read, it is a combination of the |
| immersed in written language and allowed to make | | | | two methods that make the best readers. |