How My Toddler Learned to Read — Without Me Teaching Him

Because curiosity is the best curriculum. And trust is the best teacher.

I didn’t plan to teach my toddler to read before 3.

I didn’t follow a reading program.

I didn’t sit down with flashcards or phonics apps.

And yet, one day, while we were playing near the chalkboard, I casually wrote the word "cat" in big letters. He looked at it, paused, and read it out loud.

He didn’t sound it out. He didn’t look surprised. It was as if the word just made sense to him.

That moment changed everything.

It Started With Play, Not Pressure

He wasn’t being “taught” to read. We were simply playing. I used to write letters, shapes, and sometimes CVC words on the chalkboard as part of our day. He would mimic the motion, sometimes copy a letter. And sometimes, just observe.

There were no lessons. No printables. No rules. Just curiosity.

He started noticing patterns. He asked questions: “Is ‘bat’ like ‘cat’?” “Why does ‘sun’ start with ‘s’?”

That’s when I realised — he was reading not because I taught him, but because I trusted his curiosity to do the work.

What We Didn’t Do

• No daily 20-minute reading sessions

• No rewards for learning letters

• No alphabet posters drilled into him

• No forcing him to repeat after me

What We Did Instead

• Books were everywhere

• I read aloud because I loved to read

• I answered his questions, even the strange ones

• I played sound games when he seemed interested

• We treated letters like friends, not subjects

He had access to a wide variety of books: board books, lift-the-flap, storybooks. But he returned again and again to the same ones. Sometimes, we read only one book for weeks. And that was enough.

He connected reading to relationships — not rules.

Why This Matters

I’m not raising a child to perform.I’m raising a child to think.

The reading is a by-product of our parenting mindset — not a milestone we rushed toward.Because the real goal isn’t to raise an early reader. The real goal is to raise someone who:

• Asks questions

• Follows curiosity

• Connects patterns

• Feels confident in exploring the unknown

That’s what will matter in the AI era.

Want to Know What We Actually Did?

I’ve written everything down in a short guide:

"Raising an Early Reader — Without Pressure"

It’s 9 pages, and completely free.

Not a curriculum. Not a method. Just a real look at what worked for us — and why.

Get the free guide here

If this resonated with you, hit reply and tell me — has your child surprised you with something recently?

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