Can a Two-Year Old Learn to Read?

Can toddlers learn to read? A toddler learning to say his ABC's is very common. There are many two-year old boys and girls running around singing all 26 letters of the alphabet to the tune of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star." However, learning to recognize letters does not usually start until at least four or five years of age. Letter recognition is usually the beginning of learning to read in kindergarten. Why do we wait so long to teach children to learn to recognize written letters? Is it because they are not mature enough to learn it at an earlier age? Most people assume that learning to read written letters is too much for a toddler to handle, but I can assure you, this is not true.

How many toddlers can name all the characters on their favorite TV show? My nephew knew the names of all the trains on the show Thomas at age two. Some of them were so similar I did not even notice the difference at first glance. My own two-year old son has no problem learning the names of the different characters on every movie and cartoon he watches on a regular basis. This adds up to many more than 26 characters. One day I realized that if he has no problem learning all of those characters, what is stopping him from learning all of the letters of the alphabet? The only thing stopping him is the fact that he is not exposed to it. Instead of allowing him to spend all of his time learning cartoon characters, why not introduce him to the letters of the alphabet?

Many parents will probably think that teaching a toddler to read would be too boring for the child. However, young children love spending time with their parents. Even doing something such as learning to read, can actually be fun. As long as they are getting attention from their parents, they will love it. Take advantage of this while they are young and still enjoy learning.