Reading or writing - which tends to come first?

[WhoRemembersFrenchElastics]

Posted in development but got no replies so trying here...

4 (v. nearly 5) DS is very enthusiastic about writing. He's keen to do it, and even likes to do some occasionally without our encouraging him to do it.
However, he is VERY reluctant to read.
To me this seems very odd. I'd have thought reading would come earlier/more readily than writing.
Is this writing over reading preference normal or unusual?

I volunteer in a reception class. Some children have a go at writing their names or copying labels before they come in to reception. They learn phonics and then start to point out sounds they know in books, also learning words that are not spelt phonetically off by heart eg the,said,she,he,go. They then start to have a go at blending the sounds they know to read. In general they are excited about finding new sounds or sounds they know and as they start to be able to read the words. In my experience some boys can be reluctant to read though mostly not when it is an exciting and new skill. Another thing you could do is look at the EYFS development matters for what they should be doing when if you are in the UK. Would your son read non fiction books linked to his interests or magazines?

Reception teacher here. Generally, you can't write until you can read. In order to write, you need to be able to hear the separate sounds in words, know how to blend them together, know what the letters look like and how to form them. If he's doing that in his writing, he's probably capable of reading, even if he doesn't particularly enjoy it.

Real writing comes later, because productive competencies are more difficult to hardwire.
Reading is a receptive skill and therefore theoretically easier.
What happens though is that children are more likely to experiment with their own version of writing first- the pen scribbling across the page with no real words whatsoever, just what the child perceives to be writing. It "looks" more interesting to the child than the decoding of the written word for reading.
They pretty much even out though once it really does start to be "real" reading and "real" writing

There are some lovely Star Wars easy readers which suit some boys much better than the Kipper Biff and Chip type books they tend to get in school.

Sometimes reading takes a while to click, usually in yR or into y1. It took my DC y2 as he struggles with reading stress, and he needed coloured tints to focus on the words.

Any kind of mark making is good for supporting writing, and fine motor activities such as Lego, threading beads.