How I Helped My 2.5-Year-Old Learn to Read

/ Saloo Gupta / Leave a comment

I never set out to teach my toddler to read early. I only wanted him to love stories. But somewhere between cuddly picture books and phonics games, something clicked — he began reading CVC words by 2.5 years old.

And no — I didn’t use screens, apps, or pushy drills. Just a blend of rhythm, play, and respect for his curiosity.

Here’s exactly what worked for us — and how you can try it too, in your own way.

🧠 1. Build a Daily Reading Rhythm

We read every single day, without fail. Not just at bedtime, but in tiny moments:

  • 📖 Morning cuddle + 1 short book
  • 📖 After nap wind-down
  • 📖 During snack (he loved listening while munching)
  • 📖 Night bedtime stories

Reading became our love language. Repetition built comfort. And comfort built comprehension.

🔤 2. Start With Phonics — The SATPIN Way

When I introduced phonics, I followed the SATPIN order (the first six sounds kids can blend into real words).

We played simple sound games:

  • “Ssss is for sun. Can you find something else that starts with sss?”
  • Made words like sat, pin, tap, sip, nap using magnetic letters.
  • Wrote CVC words on chalkboard

And slowly, blending began to happen — naturally.

🔁 3. Repeat, Repeat, Repeat

We re-read the same 10 until they were memorised. And that’s not a bad thing.

Here’s what repeating did:

  • Built word recognition
  • Boosted his confidence
  • Created predictability (which toddlers LOVE)
  • Let him “read” along and finish sentences

Repetition isn’t boring to toddlers — it’s learning in disguise.

🧩 4. Use Smart, Screen-Free Tools

Here are a few things that made a big difference:

  • 🧲 Magnetic letters – casual play turned into CVC word building
  • 📚 Bob Early Readers (Set 1) – decodable books that matched the phonics level
  • 🎧 Yoto Player + custom stories – I created phonics-based stories with characters he loved and recorded them as Yoto cards (AI + real voice = magic)

🙌 5. Follow, Don’t Force

Some weeks he was obsessed with decoding.
Other days, he just wanted to pretend play.

I followed his lead — and that made all the difference. When I stepped back and supported rather than instructed, he bloomed.

💡 6. Make Reading a Part of Play

  • Made words using magnetic tiles
  • Letter blocks tower
  • Letters hunt game
  • Used letter hunts during walks: “Can you find the letter ‘P’ around us?”

Reading wasn’t an academic task. It was play.

❤️ 7. Celebrate Progress, Not Perfection

If he guessed the wrong word?
I smiled and said, “Great try! Let’s look again.”
No corrections. No pressure.

That confidence is what helped him try, and try again.

🌱 Final Thoughts

You don’t need a curriculum to raise a reader. You need:

  • A daily rhythm
  • Phonics introduced gently
  • Playful learning
  • Repetition
  • Respect for your child’s timeline

Reading isn’t a race. It’s a relationship.

And if you build that bond early, the rest follows — word by word, story by story.

📩 Free Guide: Top 20 Books That Made My Toddler Fall in Love With Reading

Want to know the exact books, readers, and tools we used (and re-used)?
👉 [Subscribe here] to get the PDF guide straight to your inbox.

How I Stopped Starting Our Day in Chaos — and Found 10 Minutes of Peace Instead

/ Saloo Gupta / Leave a comment

💭 Intro:

There was a time when every morning started the same way.

Rush.
Resistance.
Reminders.
Me snapping.
My toddler crying.
And both of us feeling emotionally drained — before 9 AM.

I hated how it made me feel.
Like I was parenting from the outside-in — just reacting, correcting, rushing.

Then, I made one small change.
Not a Pinterest-perfect routine.
Just a 10-minute shift. And it changed everything.

⏱️ The First 10 Minutes Rule

I realized my son wasn’t the problem.
It was the pace we were stuck in.

I began a simple rule:

The first 10 minutes of the day belong to connection, not correction.

Here’s what that looked like:

💡 What I Actually Did

1. I started waking up 10 minutes earlier

Not for work.
Not to clean.
Just to center myself — drink water, breathe, stretch. No phone. No agenda.

This gave me space to enter his world gently, not urgently.

2. I dropped the checklist voice

Instead of “We need to go. Hurry up!”
I shifted to playful choices:

“Shall we begin our morning with socks or breakfast?”
“Can you tiptoe like a cat to the bathroom?”
“Let’s race the sun to get ready!”

It made transitions smoother — because he felt included, not commanded.

3. I chose presence over productivity

I stopped trying to multitask (replying to messages, tidying)
during those first few minutes.

Instead, I sat with him.
Made eye contact.
Matched his pace.

It cost me 10 minutes.
But bought us peace for the next 10 hours.

📌 What Changed?

  • Fewer tantrums before school
  • I yelled less — because I didn’t start the day already frazzled
  • He actually started reminding me about shoes or water bottles
  • And I no longer felt like a terrible mom by 8:30 AM

🖍️ Why This Works

Toddlers don’t understand clocks.
But they deeply understand energy.

When we start the day with connection, they feel safe and seen.
That’s when cooperation becomes possible.

✨ A Simple Reminder

You don’t need a morning routine that looks good online.
You need one that feels good in your heart.

💬 Let’s Talk

What’s your biggest morning struggle right now?

Drop it in the comments — I’d love to offer ideas that are realistic and guilt-free.

And if you want the exact phrases and checklist I use in our morning —
📩 Drop your email or check out [my Substack here]!