Frequently Asked Questions

 

If I have taught my child to read before he/she goes to school, will he be held back until the others catch up?

Most teachers will be very glad that a child can read on entering school and will see that the child works at his own level and certainly not be held back. The fear is that a child will be bored at school if he finds the work too easy. However, any child who can read will be able to move on to the next level while others catch up!

 

Isn’t it best to wait until a child goes to school before teaching him to read?

A child’s brain works at its greatest capacity up to the age of around 5. Before this age, he/she will learn most and more easily. One example is the way children of bilingual families learn two languages with no trouble at all. Reading is just as easily learned before the age of 5. They can and do learn to read at school, of course, but it can take considerably longer and will take far more effort. This is why many children get bored and never read particularly well.

 

So exactly when should you start teaching your child to read?

The adult’s guide that comes with this kit will explain fully, but the quick answer is that a child is physiologially able to learn to read when he/she can match fairly complicated shapes one to another and can speak reasonably well. If the child is showing a willingness to read at this stage, the toolkit can be used to channel that enthusiasm to enable reading skill. If a child shows no interest in reading, do not force him or her to read. This toolkit works with just 5-10 minutes a day, so makes the best use of short attention spans.

 

What is so different about Reading Revival compared with any other method of learning to read?

Reading Revival uses the child’s instinctive ability to match things from birth. Reading is simply a matter of learning word patterns and recognising matches. Reading Revival works with the child’s instinct and introduces words gradually so that they can be easily recognised and remembered.

 

Can you use the books of Reading Revival in any order?

No. They have to be used according to the instructions: start with the word cards and then Book 1 followed by the rest of the books in order. This is because the scheme works by word matching, and is successful because the words are introduced in a strictly controlled and easily assimilated way.

 

My child has special educational needs. Can this toolkit help him learn to read?

If you think your child may have special educational needs, you must speak to the school about an assessment with a trained educational specialist. With the exception of the most severe forms of learning difficulty, testimonials from users of this toolkit has shown that it can significantly assist children who were about to be statemented, who are dyslexic, and who simply struggled to learn to read with any other method. This may be because the reading scheme makes the most of the pattern matching ability that is innate in every child, rather than using methods that address the more complicated phonics process. If the toolkit doesn't help bring about an improvement in your child's reading ability, then we will provide a full refund, but we have seen the toolkit help many children of different abilities and learning difficulties.