My Reader // Happy Friday

I have been lucky enough to be blessed with two kids who love books. Honestly I wasn't sure if Connor would love books as much as Addison. I also heard that sometimes boys don't sit down long enough to read so don't get the same exposure to books as girls. For one, no one loves books quite as much as Addison. But two, Connor seems to love books - although he has his favorites and sometimes I read the same book over and over and over again.

But this isn't about Connor - although if you are wondering the book he loves is Giraffes Can't Dance - this is actually about Addison.

From the time she could sit up and flip through a book, she has devoted hours (seriously hours upon hours) looking at books. It always seemed like she had a book close by.

Her interest in books aren't that different now. She's five now and wants to read books so badly. My only problem is that I had no idea where to start to help her.

Unlike so many of her peers she was not mobile for a long time so she would spend a lot of looking at books and doing puzzles - more specifically her alphabet puzzle. She has known her alphabet and has been able to identity her letters from an early age. So it was only natural that she would start putting letters together. It started simply with stop signs and names.

She also spent time playing on the iPad a spelling game which even sounded out letters for her. And apparently she learns fast. School has also helped in her pursuit to read.

I started putting together flash cards with sight words which she could read faster than I expected. And almost before I knew it she was reading very simple books. She keeps pushing forward and reading whenever she could and her books have gotten a little harder. But we are still in the early stages of reading.

I am still in awe that I have a five year but now she is starting to read. By the time she starts kindergarten next year she'll be reading much more than just these simple seven page books.

It's hard to believe she is the same girl who had so many delays. She has come so far in such a short amount of time and I'm so proud of her. I love that I have a reader and that she wants to read so bad.

Go read a book!
Have a great weekend. 

Happy Friday!