One of the most watched baby videos of recent weeks is this one of a baby who, with 16 months, reads. Or that is what they say, that there is a 16-month-old baby who reads, since his father asks for the words and he takes them from among all the cards he has around.
The game is "Your Baby Can Read" ("Your baby can read") and the baby's parents bought it to help him develop his language and knowledge of words. The big question is: Do you know how to read or not?
Do you read or associate?
The video is from a long time ago, in fact it was published 4 years ago and now, for whatever reason, it has seen the light and has reached almost 1.5 million views. I have seen him mention in various media and all agree on the amazing ability of the baby, who is only able to read with only 16 months.
However, I am quite skeptical, I see only a a baby recognizing words based on the shapes he sees in each letter, typography and color. Not all of them are the same color, not all of them have the same typeface and, of course, not all of them are the same. Do you want your child to recognize the words even if he can't read? You show them over and over again, as you say the word, and you will get it to associate the sound with the card.
That's what the baby does, solve the association he knows when his father tells him the word. Over time it is no longer necessary for Dad to show it to him. He has it so internalized that he himself is able to catch it.
From that to read there is a stretch, I do not need to say so, but if you ask me if that is good or bad, try to teach him, then I would say that not good not bad. It is a way like any other to teach the words, although I have a relatively important doubt: when the baby says "tree", or when he says "run" do you know what they mean? Because learning words without knowing what they are does not have the same benefit as learning them knowing the meaning. In that case, I would prefer to spend time with my son talking about real things, not using words to memorize them without meaning to him.
Babies who do impossible things
When I saw the video, I couldn't help remembering the baby who, in theory, was excited to hear her mother's voice singing. Everyone saying that he cried with emotion and I convinced that the boy did not like his mother's voice, or something scared him. Well, in this case something similar happens to me, many believe that he is reading and I only see a child taking some cards that he thinks they are called as his father tells him.
