Jun 25, 2024 08:00:00

An interview with a parent who used Anki to help their 5-year-old child acquire reading skills at a 10- to 13-year-old level

Chris Lakin, a researcher in mental development, interviewed 'CoffeePie,' a Reddit user who claims that by starting at age two, children can read at the same level as 10- to 13-year-olds by the time they are five years old, thanks to a 'spaced repetition' program that effectively solidifies learning by

repeating lessons whenever they are about to forget.

Spaced repetition for teaching two-year olds how to read (Interview)
https://chrislakin.blog/p/spaced-repetition-for-teaching-two

According to the post, CoffeePie's daughter had the reading comprehension level of a 10-year-old at the age of 5, and judging by her reading ability alone, she could be at the level of a 13-year-old. This is not CoffeePie's own opinion, but her teachers at school have also confirmed that 'she definitely has the reading comprehension level of a fifth grader.'

CoffeePie has been using the spaced repetition app Anki to improve his daughter's reading ability since she was 2 years old. The theory behind how spaced repetition is effective is explained in detail in the article below.

'Interval memory' is effective for accurately and steadily memorizing information - GIGAZINE

Following the success of his daughter's education, CoffeePie is also teaching his other child, his son, in the same way. His daughter started using Anki at the age of 2, while his son started using Anki at 1 year and 9 months, and at 2 years and 6 months, he is able to read words quite well, as shown in the movie below.

Using Anki to learn to read at 2 years 6 months - YouTube


CoffeePie also said he has already reduced his daughter's time using Anki because, while her reading and writing skills are at a high school level, her comprehension skills, which Anki cannot efficiently teach, are age-appropriate. He added that it's unfair to her to spend even more time on Anki when she's starting elementary school and has homework.

CoffeePie also commented that he 'underestimated' the impact of early education on children. He said that by improving his reading comprehension, he was able to absorb knowledge about council members, mayors, current events, politics, history, and more, even from texts that appear casually in everyday life, such as mail. Reading ability significantly broadens the scope of learning.

The article below explains how to do spaced repetition efficiently, so if you're interested, please check it out.

Summary of 'effective spaced repetition' methods that are useful for efficient learning and study - GIGAZINE