H and I are going to visit GD (just turned 3 at the end of December). We haven’t seen her, except for FaceTime, since New Year’s Day.
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Books not mentioned that I’m a big fan of:
Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type
The Whales on the Bus
Mike Mulligan could be too long
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Not for 3 year olds, but both my 4 1/2 and 5 year old GDs love The Barnabus Project but the Fan brothers. It is a repeat check out from the library. While it seems long due to the illustrations, each page only have a few sentences, so an easy bedtime book; last night was my first time reading it and it did not disappoint.
https://www.amazon.com/Barnabus-Project-Terry-Fan/dp/0735263264/
GD said Grumpy Monkey is her favorite book. I got it for her, of course. It’s about monkey who is grumpy for no good reason. GD can be emotional. I think it makes her feel better that it’s ok to feel like that sometimes.
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Oh a huge shout out for “Bunnies on the Bus” by Philip Ardagh–hugely fun to read.
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Our 2 1/2 year old grandson likes some of the card stock books. Tonight he had me re-read each of these three times. “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See?” by Mill Martin Jr/Eric Carle. “Go Dog. Go!” by P. D. Eastman’s Book of Things That Go (Dr Seuss Big Bright and Early Board Books). Richard Scarry’s “Busy Busy Cars and Trucks”.
I am working with our 4 1/2 YO GS1 on early reading. “Brown Bear…” was one we did, as it repeats. All 3 older Gkids actually came around when we were reading it, as they liked the pictures and the story (5 1/2, 4 1/2, 2 1/2). Some of the early board books are good for him - I have him spell out the words after I say the word and he repeats. A First- Start Easy Reader (Written by Rose Geydanus, T-r-o-l-l Associates publishing copyright 1980) - I picked it up probably for a few cents at thrift shop “Freddie the Frog” – that was one I used for GD1 and GS1 is liking it. It also has a basic word list at the front of the book, so I say the word, have him say the word, then have him spell it out. He is needing to get use to paying attention to letters that make up words - right now he sees the little “i” and the little “l” and has to differentiate. I point out when he has a “a” or a “the” or a “to” - that he needs to read those correctly. Kind of work with memory and visual short words. It builds up reading confidence. At 4K he is doing a lot with letters, sound blends, numbers. His sis in Kindergarten has a lot of really meaningful work, which is first grade work at some schools. She is on accelerated reader and is at 1.8 right now. After getting her off to a good start, and her good pre-school program before they moved, she is a solid student in her class.
Sometimes when GS1 writes his name, he has a backward small f. Their little brains sometimes mix up 6 and 9, or b and d.
I have a scholastic “First Little Readers” 20 book small paperback in a small box (purchased via Amazon). Each are 8 pages; for example "What Can I See? and a lot of repetition “I see a bee”, “I see a flower” etc. Used that with GD1 after she went through the other board books and easy reader books we had. When she read the book perfect, I would say “100%” and that book was retired. Since I saw her on very infrequent weekends (living 100 miles away), if I was there overnight, we often did some kind of a reading session.
After getting caught up with GD1 in her current school work and reading (I check the work as the dad stand in while he is away with Army training), I have been focusing on GS1 and GS2 who need the time that I had given to GD1.
GD2, now 9 months old, is a delightful baby - very easy and happy.
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Wow—I never did any of those things with my kids. As was just reading on his own in preschool—I guess from Sesame Street and tourists helping read signs when he would stop and look at them. D didn’t read until she was in 1st grade and went straight to chapter books. Kids are all so different.
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I didn’t do those kinds of things with my kids, either. I did read to them every single night and both attended preschool starting at age 3, but the focus there was social and not necessarily academic. Both kids started reading on their own at age 4.
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We read to our our kids regularly every day and every night. D got bored with picture books as she had seen and had them read to her so long she wanted books with lovely illustrations so started with books of myths and others with lovely artwork when she chose reading material for herself.
D absolutely loved being read to. When she was 3, she had memorized Babar & would “read” it - complete with moving her eyes to the next page and turning the pages at the correct time. I remember falling asleep on the couch when I was pregnant with S. D wanted me to read for hours, and I would nod off. S also liked books a lot, and although he didn’t sit for the hours his sister did, he would definitely sit a long time. Neither kid read before kindergarten, but both caught on quickly in kindergarten.
Then there’s GD, who likes books WHEN she likes them. She rarely sits through a book, and she will say, “the end” and get another book. We often just summarize the story to keep it moving along. Recently, though, she started listening to entire books, but only certain ones. She listens to books at daycare, and she recognizes words. She knows “happy birthday” and a few other words. She obviously recognizes the patterns, which will be helpful whenever the time comes for her to read.
My brothers and I all learned to read from the back of cereal boxes!
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We learned to read from Captain Kangaroo. Are You My Mother?, Mike Mulligan, Make Way for Ducklings. The book was on the screen and we read along. I think they repeated them about once a month. Then Romper Room would come on and we’d take the books and balance them on our heads while walking around the room “See me walk so straight and tall, I won’t let my basket (no basket so used te books) fall.”
No K or preschool for me, just The Captain and Romper Room (and a little General Hospital in the afternoon)
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Captain Kangaroo and Romper Room were my preschool, too! But my dad always sang, “See me walk so straight and tall, I won’t let my britches fall,” so we did, too. Makes me giggle thinking about it.
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I am on my second full week with Gkids helping while SIL is away on Army training. I have sorted some early word board books out, and GS2 (2 1/2) and I went through one that he picked up off the table last night (“First 100 Words Board Book”, Priddy Books). GS1 and GS2 both have speech articulation issues (as did their mom - she also had auditory processing issue/competing ear issue), so it was good to have GS2 repeat words with a little effort on his articulation. A niece and a nephew (from different siblings) also had articulation issues - one had speech therapy at school, while the other self corrected later on. GS1 in 4K gets good school preparation, and reinforcing with him all the pre-reading skills is helpful. Doing the same things with GS1 as I did with GD1. GD1 is advancing in kindergarten with accelerated reading - she is on 1.9. They go to library every Wednesday, but the school librarian said her classroom also has some accelerated reading books there. When SIL does the pick up from school, if GD1 needs another book, the school library is open until 4:30 pm. I know once he is aware of this, he will support the pattern establishing. With DD2, her 2nd grade classroom had accelerated reading books, and with me doing the drop off and pick up, I always made sure DD2 had the next book (GKids school has a wider selection of books in both library and classroom). By the end of 2nd grade, DD2 had outread all the 3rd graders - this helped her with Duke TIP (Talent Identification Program) to achieve state level recognition with ACT English section in middle school (they do English and Math on Duke TIP). DD2’s strong English score on college ACT helped her obtain Presidential and Engineering scholarships (she is an engineer).
Busy parents, two demanding schedules, sometimes cannot see how very minor things in a schedule can have a big impact. Keep these little kids brains going with things that are intellectually stimulating - as easy as always having a current book in their hand.
Or they can just enjoy the physical closeness of sitting on the lap of a loved one being read to on a regular basis. What prompts a love of books and reading later is associating books with good memories of someone who loves you taking the time in a busy day to just look at a book.
Reading early is not as important as loving to read. The skills will still come in due time. Race to the library, not to the testing scores. 
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I agree about everything you said, but when one is good at something, and they like to do it, it helps to establish a love of reading. It is nice that GD1 can be reading independently; GS1 likes to look at books and read what he can recognize but also say the story that he has heard. Kids like the little achievements.
“Reading early is not as important as loving to read”. Not being behind with their classmates with either math or english can help establish a child feeling success and pleasure with school. I do remember, maybe in 2nd grade, being divided up into 3 groups for reading - I think they gave bird names to the groups, but it was clear delineation of strong, average, and below average readers. My parents were trade school educated/immigrants. On our own, my siblings and I went to the public library often (small town). My parents bought an encyclopedia set, but otherwise we had no books at home other than a few coloring books. My brother 13 months older than me was reading at least high school level history books as 4th/5th grader due to impressing our grandfather who doted on him. So it clicked with me to push myself to read independently, and later master the math concepts as was presented in school. A few times a year our parents would go to the Parochial elementary school (and later I believe junior high) and get teacher feedback. I applied myself well, and took advantage of all our public junior high and high school had to offer.
I will agree to disagree. You do you! Early literacy is my profession and I can back up my comments with plenty of evidence base. BUT mostly I want all the loving grandparents, grandparents to be, aunts, uncles, loving neighbors or whoever is reading this thread to just enjoy the joint pleasure of reading a loved story together without a huge agenda.
I love all the old classic and new classic titles mentioned above! Plenty of engaged and enthusiastic book lovers here! I’m sure others here love hearing the variation of what books in the book pile are beloved!
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Glad you are keen on your profession of early literacy. MIL was a reading ‘expert’ IMHO - she taught first grade her entire career. Took the graduate coursework to be at top of her rural school pay scale. The superintendent of their school (who later became superintendent at my home town later in his career) - his wife homeschooled their kids AFTER their kids had MIL for first grade. To me that is a ‘stamp of approval’.
Many grandparents are not involved with the daily kid routine as I am over these short weeks. But as a SAHM since DDs were 3 and 5 until they were through college, I paid attention to getting all I could out of their educational opportunities. Both DDs appreciate and encourage all these little things with the Gkids.
DD1 had the overcome her speech articulation (with speech therapy) and speech morphology issues; her auditory processing has no remediation, she had to learn how to adapt along with teacher knowledge of this issue. If accelerated reader had been available in her classroom for her, we would have taken advantage of it. The Harry Potter books were the encouragement for both DDs on independent reading.
Having a new book available from Accelerated Reader; not pushing the child, but they advance at their own pace.
At the library time after school, after limited homework (K4 has a few pages that are completed by the end of the week, with Kindergarten having typically one page or one page/two sided), I go through a book with GS1 that he chooses (I pick up the older two kiddos in place of their dad). We have a gap in time between end of school and when T-ball starts twice a week. Just taking advantage of library resource and good use of time.
I see a push down with more skills learned/achieved in kindergarten; that is why 4K programs are getting more established. I remember what I did in kindergarten and first grade; and what DDs did in kindergarten and first grade. Now I am seeing what goes on with 4K and kindergarten in a private school. I know in some areas parents are paying more (or some are in very strong public school districts where their taxes pay for the education). I found out for these two kids, their tuition for this school year was $18,000; they pack school lunches (no school lunch program). This amount is, from what I understand, a little less than what they pay for their younger 2 kids’ daycare. Over the summer, the older two kids will be at a summer program which is run at the daycare.
So, IMHO, for all they have for attending 4K and Kindergarten, a little structure and encouragement with accelerated reader is not a bad thing!
We got the baby backpack to carry my 6th month old grandson on walks. He loves being able to see. Walking with a 20 pound pack definitely adds to the exercise component for us too
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I just skimmed the back and forth on early/accelerated reading, so not commenting on it either way – but would like to offer my anecdotal experience.
We always read to our kids as babies and older, mostly to establish bedtime routines or during playtime. Older S was a very early reader and enjoyed reading for pleasure, but stopped with all the mandatory reading in HS and university. D struggled more with reading, and only read what was required in HS and university.
Now that they’re grown (late 20s & early 30s) both read for pleasure. Surprisingly D more than S. She’s in several book clubs and started a “little library.”
2yo GD enjoys books, usually the same ones over and over. Sometimes with board books she’ll skip pages and lose interest.
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This book will make a great gift to cat owners expecting their first baby. Very cute illustrations and so hilariously true! 
https://www.amazon.com/Cats-First-Baby-Board-Book/dp/1683692934
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