Apr 26

What is the Doman Method for Reading In Infants?

Reading and writing are the main skills that distinguish people from any other living being. These two activities are the main tools with which we develop our intellect. That’s why we offer you a practical guide to the Doman method. This can teach your child to read from 8 months of age.

A baby may begin to be stimulated with reading activities before the first year of life. This is Glenn J. Doman’s theory. He was the one who developed the method that has surprised many parents when they see that their children can process hundreds of words in a short time.

In fact, other researchers claim that babies’ vocabulary can be enriched by reading stories from the first month of life.

You can practice with your child, you may not understand the meaning of each word at first, but once you store the information, it won’t be long before you can associate these words with objects in the world around them.

And this is exactly what the Glenn Doman method is: to use everyday elements in a child’s life to teach them the word that accompanies it. Vocabulary cards or small posters will help form associations and remember how words are spelled.

Glenn J. Doman’s work is recognized worldwide through the launch of a network of Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential (IAHP founded together with Carl Delacato), located in the United States. It aims to encourage children to make the most of their cognitive, emotional, and physical skills.

What is it?

It sounds like an incredible achievement, doesn’t it? Many skeptical people still think this is very difficult, because of the habit of teaching the alphabet to children before they learn words. Therein lies the difference between the Doman method for reading and other strategies, in which abstract knowledge is a starting point for learning, such as letters.

Doman’s learning approach starts with the familiar, what the child knows, and then moves on to the abstract. This approach takes advantage of the learning speed of children, who like to understand and learn information, store knowledge, and new things.

Let’s see what exactly Doman’s method entails so we can teach our children to read from an early age.

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How to apply the Doman Method?

It should be applied in short sessions that should not last more than 10 minutes. If your child is less than a year old, it’s best to teach him or her for only three to four minutes. The important thing is that you don’t get bored, and leave it if you see that you don’t stay actively interested.

Three sessions are held daily and a new word group is added every day.

These little details will make a big difference. If your child is less than 18 months old, you should use large cards (15 x 60 cm), the letters should be about 12 cm high and 2 cm thick, the words must be written in red.

It’s important to place the cards about 45cm away from your baby.

For children over a year and a half, the cards can be a little smaller (10 x 40 cm), the letters should now be written in black and have a height of 7.5 cm and a thickness of 1 cm. You can place the cards about a meter away from your child.

Try not to make the lesson look like an obligation because the fun environment will help your children stay alert and want to learn more.

Organization for sessions

Choose word groups in different categories (family, house, body parts). Each group must contain five words, one on each card. On the first day, you can show it a category, but on the second day you have to add another category, you have to have 10 cards in total. On the third day, you need to add another category, to have a total of 15 words.

Then add a group every day until you reach the fifth day. Do this until you use 25 words in each of the three daily sessions. On the sixth day, you must stop using the first set of words. Add another group to get all 25 cards back.

This way, you’ll display each group of words for five days. 15 sessions in total is enough time for him to remember each of the words.

As part of those sessions or during the day between hours, you can look for a little while to read a little to your little one, there are a lot of funny stories and fables with which you can also transmit values, in this place you can find some funny and didactic stories and fables.

From family concepts to abstracts

At first, you can make about 200 cards with material for the whole month. Remember to give three short lessons a day. Make it fun so you don’t lose interest.

You can move from familiar concepts to more abstract concepts. He begins by teaching him words that describe his surroundings, such as a bottle, father, mother, water, bed, hand, nose.

Once you’ve gone through categories that refer to your family environment, you can start using other words. Try, for example, words associated with other environments such as your grandparents’ park, school, or home. In the same way, you’ll see how your vocabulary will gradually expand with the names of your family members, colors, and anything else you might think of.

Try telling him what object you’re talking about every time you teach him a new word. This will help you make connections in your brain.

The idea of this method is to start from what is known. From understanding how words are written to the abstract. Finally, your child will understand what letters and sounds represent. When you understand what a word is, it will be easier for you to understand the name of each letter and how syllables, words, and phrases are formed. as a lesson.

Remember that lessons can be done anywhere. Anywhere in the house, but it can also be fun to practice for example while you’re in the doctor’s waiting room, or anywhere else.

It’s not just learning, it’s also playing

Practice these instructions. You’ll see that the Doman method isn’t just an opportunity for your little one to start reading and writing. It also gives you time to share and enjoy it while increasing your intelligence. Don’t be afraid to try, they can have a good time together.

All the information we give you in this article is indicative as each child and each family is different and unique.