Can A Baby Read?

Babies all over the world are learning to read. Evidence of this is available through a Google or YouTube search. Simply type in babies reading, and you will find babies as young as 9 months old showing off their ability. It is really quite fascinating to see nonverbal babies demonstrating their ability to read. But the question remains, how did these babies learn to read?

Babies learn to read using the whole-word method, also known as sight-reading. If those terms are new to you, this just means that they learn whole words. They are not learning to read by first learning the alphabet, then the sounds of the letters and finally blending the sounds to form words. Babies that have learned to read are shown a word and told what it says. Repeated exposure to seeing words gives them the ability to learn to read.

Many people argue that sight-reading is not really reading. It is just memorizing and knowing a specific number of words. But here comes the fascinating part. When babies are taught to sight-read, they naturally absorb the patterns and the rules of the language they are learning. They actually learn phonics on their own through the immersion method. They are being immersed and surrounded by language, and they pick up the rules of phonics automatically. This does not occur overnight, but through regular exposure to language, babies are able to learn to read new words, by breaking them apart phonetically.

If you are wondering how this is possible, how can tiny babies be learning to read, I will tell you. When babies are born, the brain has not made many connections, or synapses. Much of the brain's wiring is taking place after birth. This means that experiences are what create strong and capable minds. What you expose your baby to will highly effect their mental outcome. A baby's brain development depends entirely on its environment.

During the first 5 years, babies are able to easily pick up language, in many different forms. They are able to learn to speak as many languages as they are exposed to. They are capable of learning sign language, and they are able to learn the written language, all at the same time.

As parents and caregivers, we should strive to create language-rich environments in which our children will thrive. From birth to five there is rapid growth occurring in our children's brains. These are the formative years, where we create an excitement and joy for learning new things that will last for a lifetime.