Fun with kids: Reading

Gifted readers - born or made?

Experts say parents can nurture exceptional young readers, but they should not be obsessed with getting their children to read too early

Stacie Khng (left), five, enjoys reading short articles in The Straits Times. Sashayna Vincent (left), six, could read WhatsApp messages when she was only 18 months old. Athena Wei (left), five, with two books for advanced readers of her age. She rea
Sashayna Vincent, six, could read WhatsApp messages when she was only 18 months old. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG ST PHOTO: KHALID BABA, ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG
Stacie Khng (left), five, enjoys reading short articles in The Straits Times. Sashayna Vincent (left), six, could read WhatsApp messages when she was only 18 months old. Athena Wei (left), five, with two books for advanced readers of her age. She rea
Stacie Khng, five, enjoys reading short articles in The Straits Times.
Stacie Khng (left), five, enjoys reading short articles in The Straits Times. Sashayna Vincent (left), six, could read WhatsApp messages when she was only 18 months old. Athena Wei (left), five, with two books for advanced readers of her age. She rea
Athena Wei (above), five, with two books for advanced readers of her age. She reads books that her eight-year-old brother reads, including his Primary 3 Chinese textbook.
Venessa Lee
Senior Correspondent
Updated
Mar 10, 2019, 06:39 AM
Published
Mar 10, 2019, 05:00 AM
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When Sashayna Vincent was 18 months old, she read out a Whats-App message that beeped on her mother's mobile phone.

Her family could not be certain if she understood what she had read: A birthday greeting, wishing many happy returns of the day.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on March 10, 2019, with the headline Gifted readers - born or made?. Subscribe

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