How and Why I Taught My Toddler to Read

Larry Sanger

October 3,2025

I will start out by saying I’m a big fan of ridiculously successful people taking their hobbies/passtimes to extreme ends. Which is why i really like, Linus torvalds building his scuba diving software or Nathan Myhrvold writing a five volume book set about bread. Something about it is just fascinating to me. Here is a person whose attention is extremely in demand and there are a million on other higher priority stuff that they could do. But they chose this, and decided to spend an insane amount of time mastering/fixing this niche little problem with the world.

I’ve always been surprised that one of wikipedia’s cofounder has written a 150 page book about teaching his child to read. I mean, this is wild and a different type of parenting than I’m exposed to. This book has been on my readin list for a while now.

Teaching a Toddler to Read

Sanger presents a compelling and meticulously documented account of teaching his son to read as a toddler. This is not just a proud father’s anecdotal success story. it is quite a thoughtful and reflective exploration into the methodologies, philosophies, and controversies surrounding early childhood education.

I can hear people running towards me with the pitchforks and torches for even suggesting that a child learn early. But I think Sanger has a very sound philosophy for why it makes sense and how to make it work.

Conventional Wisdom

Sanger’s 18-month-old son had learned the alphabet. if a child can master the alphabet at such a young age, is it not plausible that they could also learn to read? This inquiry led him down a rabbit hole of online research, where he discovered a burgeoning community of parents who were successfully teaching their babies and toddlers to read. This starkly contrasted with the prevailing wisdom from many child development experts who often dismiss the idea of “baby reading” as either impossible or detrimental.

Child-Led Approach

What stands out most about Sanger’s methodology is its multifaceted and adaptable nature. He did not subscribe to a single, rigid system but instead cherry-picked elements from various sources, always prioritizing his son’s interest and engagement. This “eclectic method” can be broken down into several key components:

Immersion Long before any formal instruction began, Sanger and his wife read to their son daily. This constant exposure to books, stories, and new vocabulary laid a crucial foundation. They didn’t just read; they actively explained new words and concepts, turning storytime into an interactive learning experience.
A Hybrid of Phonics and Whole Word Recognition: Sanger blends two often competing reading philosophies.
- Playful Phonics: He introduced the concept of sounding out words with refrigerator magnets, a low-pressure, hands-on activity. He then created his own phonics flashcards, systematically progressing from simple to more complex phonetic rules. This systematic approach is a key differentiator from many “whole word” methods.
- “Your Baby Can Read”: Despite his initial skepticism about the commercial hype, Sanger incorporated the “Your Baby Can Read” (YBCR) videos created by Robert Titzer. He observed that his son was highly engaged by the videos, which use a whole-word approach, showing the word, saying it, and then displaying a short video clip illustrating its meaning. Sanger posits that this helped his son grasp the fundamental concept that written symbols correspond to spoken words and real-world objects.
A simple yet profound technique Sanger adopted, stressed by Timothy D. Kailing in his book Native Reading, was to run his finger under the text as he read aloud. This seemingly minor action helped his son visually track the words and make the connection between the spoken and written form.
Child-Led Learning and the “That’s Enough” Rule: Crucially, the entire process was driven by his son’s enthusiasm. Sanger empowered his son to end a lesson at any time by teaching him to say “that’s enough.” This ensured that learning remained a positive and voluntary activity, never a chore. This directly counters the common criticism that early learning is about “pushy parenting.”

The Influence of Doman and the Importance of Encyclopedic Knowledge

A significant influence on Sanger’s thinking was Glenn Doman, whose work, including How to Teach Your Baby to Read, has been both influential and controversial. Sanger was particularly intrigued by Doman’s emphasis on the immense learning capacity of young children and his methods for introducing “encyclopedic knowledge” through flashcards and presentations.

While Sanger found Doman’s claims sometimes “over-the-top,” he was inspired to create his own PowerPoint presentations on a wide array of topics, from animals and geography to art and science. He argues that this direct teaching of concepts and vocabulary is vital for reading comprehension. A child can decode words, but without the underlying knowledge to understand what they mean, reading becomes a mechanical and unrewarding exercise.

Addressing the Critics

A substantial portion of Sanger’s essay is dedicated to addressing the numerous objections to early reading. He tackles these criticisms with intellectual rigor and a deep sense of reflection:

Miseducation Argument: critics like David Elkind, who warn against “miseducation” and the dangers of “hot-housing,” Sanger carefully distinguishes his one-on-one, interest-led approach from the rigid, group-based instruction of academic preschools. He argues that when done lovingly and with sensitivity to the child’s cues, early learning is a joyful exploration, not a high-pressure race.
Creative Free Play Sanger acknowledges the paramount importance of free play, a cornerstone of the philosophies of educators like Kathy Hirsh-Pasek and Roberta Golinkoff. However, he argues that the time commitment for early reading instruction is minimal—often just a few minutes a day and does not need to detract from ample playtime. He makes the crucial point that learning and play need not mutually exclusive.
The Conceptual Maturity Argument: Addressing the concerns of experts like Jane M. Healy, who argues that young children lack the conceptual maturity to truly comprehend what they read, Sanger makes a nuanced case. He agrees that a toddler’s understanding is not as sophisticated as an older child’s. However, he points out that his son, through a rich diet of books and direct concept-building, developed a surprisingly advanced vocabulary and comprehension for his age. Furthermore, he argues that the ability to decode text opens up the entire world of print—from street signs to cereal boxes—as a source of learning.

Takeaways

Larry Sanger’s essay is a powerful testament to what is possible when parents become active and thoughtful participants in their children’s education. The key takeaways are not about creating “genius” babies but about fostering a deep and abiding love of learning from the very beginning. For those of us documenting our own journeys in learning and self-improvement, Sanger’s work provides a sharp, pointwise guide:

Embrace an Eclectic Mindset: There is no one-size-fits-all approach. Be willing to experiment and combine different methods, always tailoring them to your child’s unique interests and learning style.
Prioritize the Child’s Joy: The single most important ingredient is the child’s own enthusiasm. If it’s not fun, it’s not working. Empower your child to have agency in their learning.
Build a Foundation of Knowledge: Decoding is only half the battle. Actively build your child’s vocabulary and conceptual understanding through reading, conversation, and direct exploration of the world.
Engage with the Critics: Don’t shy away from the arguments against early learning. Grappling with these objections will sharpen your own thinking and strengthen your approach.
The Goal is Not a Race, but a Lifelong Journey: The point of early reading is not to win a developmental race but to equip a child with the tools and the passion for a lifetime of learning and discovery.