Let Your Fingers Do the Walking

When my children were younger, all three of them were dependent on pacifiers, especially Kathryn. She was completely addicted. No pacifier meant no sleep. It was as simple as that. So for the next three years we stepped on, hunted for, and sterilized pacifiers. Until one day, shortly before Christmas, my husband and I explained to Kathryn that it was time to pass her beloved "binky" on to another needy child. She finally agreed. So, on Christmas Eve, we left her entire collection of pacifiers out with a plate of cookies for Santa Claus. The next morning they were gone.

My sister, on the other hand, allowed her son to suck his thumb. "It's so much easier," she claimed. But when the time came to stop, she had no way out. Obviously Santa Claus was not likely to redistribute a used thumb. In short, her son had developed a habit that she could not easily break.

Teaching a child to read can create a similar problem. School systems repeatedly tell children to point to the words and follow along. They insist on this practice not only when the child is reading, but when others are reading as well. These children are, in essence, learning to suck their thumbs. They are developing a habit that is difficult to eliminate. Do not encourage your child to do this. Instead, point to the words for your child as he or she reads.

As with the pacifier, there are several advantages to this practice. The first I've already alluded to. You can remove your finger when the child has outgrown the practice. You can not remove the child's. The second advantage is that the parent is now able to control the speed at which the child is reading. By moving your finger a little faster, you can encourage the child to "pick up the pace." Third, the child receives instant feedback as to whether or not the pronounced word is correct. If the finger doesn't move, it is a signal to try that word again. Fourth, the child is encouraged to pay attention because the "finger" will keep moving regardless. When pointing themselves, children have complete control of their progress. In essence, they are free to stop and look around at will. The fifth and final reason to point for your child is that it allows you to later substitute an index card placed under the entire sentence or to simply point to the first word in the sentence as your child progresses.

Pointing may seem awkward at first, especially if the child has already been taught to follow along in this manner. If this is the case, replace the behavior subtly. Don't interrupt the child's reading or demand that they stop. In fact, avoid calling any attention to the behavior at all. Simply begin to point along with your child. Within a few pages they are likely to stop and allow you to take over. There is, after all, no need for two guiding fingers under every word.

Many parents are tempted to take the easy road. Like my sister with her aversion to pacifiers, they are happy to allow the child to fend for himself. Initially this strategy may appear advantageous, but remember Santa Claus doesn't take used thumbs.