Mother on why she isn’t teaching her son to read before starting school
'Today he has more important things to learn'
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Your support makes all the difference.It’s not uncommon for parents to try and give their children a head-start by teaching them to read before starting school.
Whether it’s simply learning the alphabet or actually reading simple sentences, the thought is that the children will have an easier time in the classroom.
But one mum has now spoken out to explain why she’s deliberately not teaching her son to read before he starts school.
Stand-up comedian and writer Crystal Lowery wrote a lengthy post on Facebook explaining why she’s focussing on developing her five-year-old son’s creative, explorative and communication skills.
She reads to her son a lot, but is not yet teaching him to read because “he’s too busy learning other things,” she wrote.
“He’s learning how to be a good sport - how to wait his turn in Candy Land and not gloat when he makes it to the King's Ice Cream Castle before his sister does.
“He’s learning how to build. From blocks, to sticks, to Legos, he feels the weight of the different materials in his little sausage fingers, and examines the physical integrity of the various structures he has made.
“He’s learning how to exercise. He chases the dog, plays tag, climbs on playground equipment, dances (well), and practices karate (poorly). He’s going to need his body for a long time, so he builds his muscles through activity instead of sitting at a desk all day.”
And Lowery went on to explain how her son is learning how to take care of things, how to be creative, how to apologise, how to forgive and “that the key to happiness is to focus on his blessings rather than complaining about what he doesn’t have.”
While some people argue that teaching a child to read and developing other skills needn’t be mutually exclusive, Lowery believes that her approach will mean her son arrives at school with lots of important other capabilities:
“The ability to try new things without getting frustrated.
“The ability make friends, even though friendship can be a messy business.
“The ability to listen to others and follow instructions.
“The ability to problem-solve.
“The ability to concentrate on a task.”
Lowery points out that much of what children learn can’t be measured by a test, but she isn’t concerned with teaching him academics yet.
“Today he has more important things to learn.”
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