Ready to Learn: How to Help Your Preschooler Succeed

by Stanley Goldberg

Do you tell your preschooler one thing and they do the opposite? Are they easily distracted or unable to focus? If you suspect that your child may have a learning problem--or if you simply want to help them be ready--here is the book to read before he or she enters the school system: a realistic, humorous, and kind-hearted guide to helping your little one learn.

In Ready to Learn , Stan Goldberg draws on thirty years of clinical experience (and personal experience as the father of two kids with learning differences) to provide an easy-to-use guide to helping children overcome any problems and improve their learning skills. Illustrating his discussion with many anecdotes about teaching both his own children and children in his private practice, Goldberg walks readers through the process of learning and shows how to identify a learning problem. He focuses on four major areas--problems of attention, understanding, storage, and retrieval--presenting each problem through the eyes of the child, in everyday terms that a parent can understand. He looks at seven down-to-earth strategies that will allow you to create the best plan to help your child overcome their problem and he provides many handy charts and figures that will help you organize your efforts. The book also includes a list of useful web sites and a chart of development milestones,
outlining motor skills, cognitive-sensory skills, and language and social skills.
Written in a style that blends humor, insightful stories, and practical experience, Ready to Learn provides a flexible, time-tested approach, using step-by-step strategies that will help your preschoolers become confident and love learning--before they enter the classroom.

Genres: Parenting

336 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Brandielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is probably the best parenting book I've read. My one irritation was that all his examples of success had him triumphing (kind of annoying). However I really appreciated his basic philosophy and the way he broke that philosophy down into simple, implementable steps. Now this book is actually written for parents of preschool children with learning disabilities, however, I found plenty of information for my 'average' preschool child. One technique he uses is to help with organization (and memory) you make an ordered picture list for your child. I made one for my two year old for the steps he needs to take before getting into bed. I wrote his name, the word before and then a picture of a bed. Below I put, numbered 1 through 4, pictures of: his toys put away, a toothbrush, the toilet, and pajamas. Now not only is he aware of what is coming next but he is responsible for looking at the pictures, understanding the numbers and their meaning about order and time, and then working on each task. Best of all, he loves decoding his list; he feels more in control of his bedtime routine. Slowly the list will be phased out and I love that too. I would recommend this book to any preschool parent, and most certainly to those with children who have learning differences.

[Ash · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is full of common sense, and I really didn't care much for it.

[Melissa Corrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not read all of this book because it got a little detailed and boring. I think it will be good to come back to if we deal with these issues.