How old does a child have to be before starting SWR?
Wanda Sanseri suggests that the seeds for SWR’s phonogram-based philosophy be planted early. She strongly recommends, however, delaying the program’s pencil and paper portion until a student is developmentally ready. This readiness, usually around 5 or 6 years old, depends on the student’s development and when he/she has all of the skills necessary to succeed with this approach. Wanda shares her experiences: “I am deeply grateful that I started learning the program when my firstborn was an infant. Mrs. Spalding recommended for infants to listen to the sounds of the phonograms from her record. I believe in exposing young ones in little doses with low pressure. Problem arise when a parent tries to teach a younger child in a way that is not age appropriate or when the parent expects a level of understanding beyond the child’s years. Also, I have seen parents who erroneously started their instruction with the wrong kind of beginning foundation because they were drawing from other preschool
