There are numerous documented benefits and advantages of teaching children to read early on, and teaching them to reading using phonics and phonemic awareness instructions. It is clear that early language and reading ability development passes great benefits to the child as they progress through school at all grades, and that early language and reading problems can lead to learning problems later on in school. For example, a Swedish study found that children with a history of reading problems at school entry scores significantly below average on reading in grade 4. As well, children that shows very low interest in books and story reading before age 5 also scored similarly low on sentence reading in grade 4. This is just one of many studies which have similar findings, and this makes it an imperative for parents to begin exposing their children to books and reading at an early age.

So how early?

Good question!

There’s no set guideline on when you should start teaching your children to read; however, you can start cultivating your child’s love for books and reading as soon as they’re born. Obviously, very young babies would not even know what books are, however, talking to your child and reading to your child will help them develop a keen liking for books and stories. As your child grows and gets older, avoid TV-sitting them, because as they develop a dependency on television as their main source of entertainment, it becomes very difficult to dislodge that need for TV entertainment, and get them to enjoy reading books. Instead, keep age appropriate books all around the house, and read to them often. You’ll find that they’ll start picking up books and pretend to read themselves, although at very early ages, they still cannot read.

People typically think that kindergarten or grade one would be an appropriate time for their children to start reading; however, this is not the best approach as studies have repeatedly found that children with good phonemic awareness before entering kindergarten continues to outperform, and achieve exceptional reading and spelling abilities as they progress through school. On the other hand, children who enter school with reading difficulties may continue to have reading and spelling difficulties.

Children as young as two years old can learn to read if they are able to speak, and they can learn to read very well simply by developing phonemic awareness.

The central question on any parent’s mind is this: Do early childhood education toys really work? This is a crucial question as no one wants to spend their hard-earned money on something that is of absolutely no use. So if you;re someone who is wondering whether or not to go and buy all those lovely looking early childhood education toys, never fear! This article will guide you through the ins and outs of whether these toys are worth the money and do they really help your child all that much?

Studies done by a University
There have been a few studies in recent times done by universities specifically on this topic. What these studies have shown is not really all that surprising to anyone who has actually bought them for their children. The simple fact of the matter is that these toys, in a combination with educational books and DVDs, will significantly boost your child’s success rate at school because they will get used to learning as a fun subject and it will help them when the studying really starts later on in life. Toys capture a child;s imagination like no other thing can and what you rather have your child doing? Nothing… or learning and having fun at the same time?

Where to find Early childhood education toys?
Finding these toys is easy. They are available in every good book shop, software store and toy store. You will also find a very large collection of various toys if you do even a broad search on the internet. Just research before you buy as you want to make sure your child is getting the best performance for the money you will be spending. Online shops are the easiest, as you will get the toys delivered to your door and they usually have a much larger collection in their e-store than a normal store can have physically.

When should you start using these toys?
Parents wonder at what age they should start giving their children these toys. The answer is simple – as young as humanly possible. There are varieties for 6 months and older. Remember… the sooner you start your child using early childhood education toys, the better it will be for them.

Early childhood education toys are a perfect way for promoting your child’s brain power and learning ability.

Flashcards are a simple and effective way to teach young children letters, numbers and words. Here we share techniques to make your child’s learning experience positive and effective.

Simple Words. Start off with simple words on your early learning flashcards that can be easily made into a picture that your baby can learn. Car, van, hand, foot, etc… are easy ones to start with. You can have a picture with the word on the card or you could point to what that word says. Early learning flashcards can be effective if used correctly and constantly. There is no point in using them once a week. Getting your child into a routine is essential.

Routine. By having a routine your baby will become familiar with the early learning flashcards. It’s just like eating and sleeping. You don’t change eating and sleeping times for you child so stick to the same time of day for getting out the flashcards.

Timing. Pick a good time when your child’s concentration is at it’s peak. You can’t teach a child anything when they’re tired. They absorb very little energy. A good time to pick is either after breakfast or lunch, after they’ve had a nap if they have one so they have plenty of energy.

Repeat. Don’t just say the word once before moving on to the next early learning flashcard. Repeat each word four or five times before moving onto the next word and make sure to point at the object as you say the word as well as changing the order the order isn’t memorised. By repeating the process, the child picks up on what you’re saying and they’ll be trying to say the word as well as recognising the word on the flashcard.

Interactive and Positive. Let your child interact by helping them point to the correct object. Encourage them to point to things and clap when guess the early learning flashcard correctly. Lots of praise is the key and they’ll soon pick up on it and repeat what you are doing once they realise this. As you go over the early learning flashcards daily, they’ll soon learn what you are teaching them. Then before you know it they’ll know when you are holding up the word ‘car’ and point to the object.

By keeping to the main points in this article when using flashcards you will be encouraging your child to learn and store the information early on when learning to read, talk and recognise words. Education is important and by starting early with early learning flashcards, you are giving your child the necessary tools they’ll need when starting school.

Educational toys are becoming a staple in most homes across the world. As parents realise the important of early education, they try to find ways to make it as fun and simple for their children as possible. This is where educational toys come into handy. They are affordable, fun for your children and provide them with the best educational material you can find. We take a look at a few of the most popular educational toys on the market.

Memory Games: One of the most popular toddler games on the market are memory games. These memory games help develop your child’s motor skill development and their memory banks. Playing these sort of games with your children are also perfect for strengthening the bond between parent and child. You can use these memory games while you’re on the road or at home for fun evening in. You can find memory games with numbers or pictures or a combination of both numbers and pictures.

Puzzles: The preschool puzzles help your children recognize objects and shapes. Most younger puzzles include about nine double-sided picture and word puzzle pieces. The most common puzzles have two distinct ways to play the game. You can either let your child connect the words on one side or connect the pictures on the other sides. You can also let them build each puzzle individually.

Building Blocks:Most educational building blocks have letters, numbers and pictures attached to them. Your child will be able to spell out words or create different situations with the building blocks. It is a lot of fun for toddlers.

Snap Cards: Snap cards are great fun. You need to match the word with the specific picture. When each piece finally connects together, on the other hand side, the word will be in bright, bold colours. This is perfect for children who need to practice their shapes and sounds.

These four games are the most popular educational toys on the market currently. Children absolutely love memory games, snap cards, building blocks and puzzles. If you can find bright, colour, fun, educational toys for your children then make sure you snap them up. You will be able to see an amazing difference when it comes to how far your child actually improves.

Educational toys are a fantastic addition to your arsenal of educational tools for your child and the betterment of their learning and academic skills.

Is there young children around your home right now? Running playing, making a mess sometimes, it is a wonderful time in a child’s life. They’re not old enough to have to attend school, yet they are developing the ability to be able to do so much. You should embrace this stage while it’s here, because before you know it it’s gone. Something that I wish I would’ve researched when my daughter was younger was childhood education programs. There are more common today then when my girl was younger. Today parents often pounce on the chance to provide their child with a head start. By placing your kids in an early childhood program they are given the chance to get a feel for what’s coming in kindergarten.

If you’re one of those parents that is considering an early childhood education program good for you. It’s a great way to propel your son or daughter. The more they learn at an early age the better off they are as they progress into public of private schools. They’ll be introduced to curriculum’s, and the different learning processes. There are a lot of kids that enter the public school system when they are four or five and have trouble adjusting to what’s exactly going on. Of course this is because they’re only interaction each day has been with their parents, now suddenly there are hundreds of other children, and only one teacher to instruct. Often kids don’t take well to this scenario right away.

If you enroll your child in an early childhood education program you will help show your children exactly what to expect when they do reach public school. You’ll likely have a greater success rate of your child adjusting well when they enter school as well.

Now if you don’t want to place them in early childhood education programs there are other options. Another wonderful way for your child to get a head start is with the Internet. The online world is loaded up with educational games to help teach your child new things in a fun way. I encouraged my daughter to play these games when ever she wanted from age four on. Some of these games she still enjoys playing today even at age eight.

If you are considering enrolling your son or daughter in early childhood education programs I recommend you do some research online to see what is available in your area. You’ll likely find numerous websites and find the perfect program for your child close by. It’s never to early for them to start learning, and hopefully they’ll never stop.