Reading, Repetition and Finally Recitation!

I’ve been reading to my son, Yanthy, since he was a baby. I love reading and I would love to pass on this passion to him. I think I have been successful. Reading has become part of our daily routine. We read the Bible and a devotional (Didache) every morning. We read books throughout the day. We read a book before bed. Sometimes, when we have already turned off the light, I or my husband simply recites the lines from his book entitled The Going to Bed Book.

Last Friday night, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Yanthy has almost memorized the lines from his copy of The Going to Bed Book. It happened by accident. I forgot what to say next while reciting the lines from the book. Yanthy finished the next lines for me. I was amazed! I felt so proud and fulfilled to know that he has followed and understood the story we’ve been reading to him since he was small. And he already knows most of the lines. I’ve seen and heard him do this before (like a month earlier) with his Level 1 Cars book entitled Old, New, Red, Blue. Since the book is for Level 1 readers, the lines or sentences are very short. Yanthy was able to memorize them easily. Sometimes, he would recite the lines even without looking at the pages of his book. We were already impressed when we witnessed him do that. We were impressed even more when he recited longer lines from his bedtime book. I guess it wasn’t really accident that I discovered Yanthy’s new skill. I think it was God’s way of rewarding me after a long and tiring week running the household and caring for my child.

And yet the surprise did not end there; for while in the car last Saturday, Yanthy amazed and amused me by singing nursery songs such as the Alphabet song and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. It was the first time I heard him sing these songs with him leading me in the singing. I purposely delayed singing the next lines to test if he knows what will come next. He knew! He has almost memorized the Alphabet song and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Then it dawned on me that repetition has helped us a lot. We’ve been playing nursery songs to him since he was a baby every morning. We did it to help him become familiarized with the songs. I must have underestimated my son’s ability because it surprised me last week when I discovered that not only does he memorized some of the lines of the nursery songs, he also knows the stories in each of them. Amazing!

Moreover, I realized at the children’s party we attended last Saturday that Yanthy is truly more gifted in music than me. He can easily identify the songs by simply listening to the first few notes or the introduction. During the game where I was one of the contestants last Saturday, I had to wait until the chorus or refrain to identify the songs. No wonder, my team lost!

It was another action-packed weekend but fun-filled nonetheless. I thank God for the many pleasant surprises He gave me. Yanthy’s accomplishments and milestones were my biggest blessings. They gave me great joy. Motherhood, parenting and teaching a child basic skills can be challenging. But last weekend, God showed me how rewarding it can also be when you start reaping the fruits of your labor.