What is the earliest age children can be taught to read?
Actually children can start learning to read as soon as they start speaking. Some people have concerns about placing children under undo stress by teaching them to read at an early age (4 or younger). However, they are really objecting to the possible stress of the teaching process – which is a real concern. The Pars Omni® approach to reading accords with the natural way the brain processes information: taking in the whole and the elements simultaneously. This fosters more flexbility in the child’s thinking (i.e. he tends to have more strategies available when approaching new situations). This has a considerable impact on how he approaches learning in general. In other words, the earlier a child can see the elements in the whole and the whole in the elements, the greater his ability to learn. Dr. Lozanov taught 3-year old children how to read and later followed their progress in school and found them to have above average social adaptation and academic success.
