Learning to read

When I was only 2 or 3 years old, my parents started teaching me to read words. Dad got some posterboard and cut it into 4-in-wide strips. On each strip was written a single word with a red marker. Most of the words were fairly simple; cat, ball, dog, and the like. Mom and Dad taught me to sound out the words, and before long I could figure them out.

One strip, though, had a much longer word: refrigerator. I probably learned to read that one just by its length, but it was a good way to boost my confidence in reading big words. Before I turned 4 I was already reading pretty well.  Thanks, Mom and Dad!