5 Year Old Excels at Reading; The Secret of Success

You may have seen the ads which say you can teach your baby read for a price; but one Spartanburg County mom says she taught her toddler to read and it didn't cost her anything other than her time.

By: Connie Legrand | WSPA-TV
Published: September 21, 2009

You may have seen the ads which say you can teach your baby read for a price; but one Spartanburg County mom says she taught her toddler to read and it didn't cost her anything other than her time.

Christine Johnson's five-year- old son Cole has been reading complete and fluid sentences since before he turned five. Johnson says, "He wanted it really. I mean he's just really interested in it.” So when he was a year and a half old, she started reading to him thirty minutes to an hour a day. By the age of two, he was working on the computer. "We just started reading to him and he started picking up words. The main thing is that he picked up signs. He would see street signs and stuff and starting reading those, and then he started reading small words in books." By the age of four, she says he was reading sentences.

So while his kindergarten classmates at Cooley Springs-Fingerville Elementary in Chesnee are learning to read starting with one word and a picture, Cole's teacher says he is reading at a level with older students. Jennifer Lee says, "I can tell he has had a lot more experiences with his environment. He's had a chance to be around words and be around books and be read to." She can also tell he sees reading at home. Cole told News Channel 7 both of his grandparents read the newspaper and he sees his mom read novels.

As this kindergartner dreams of becoming a police officer, Cole knows how important reading will play in his future. He says "I think it's one-hundred percent important... cuz it teaches you new words.”

Some tips to help you teach your child? Lee says you should show your child how to sound out words while you are reading. Ask questions about what they are reading or what they have heard to make sure they comprehend it, and set a good example by reading in the home. Nothing but books required, and you can get them for free at your local library.

Cooley Springs – Fingerville Elementary website:

http://www.spartanburg2.k12.sc.us/CSF/CSF%20Homepage.htm