How old were you children when they learnt to read?

[pairsinparis]

My DS is 4, he starts reception in September this year. He has n Pinterest in trying to read yet. He enjoys stories, the library, and being read to. We do picture books and smaller chapter books. Should I be doing more to encourage him to read independently?

Letters and phonics at age 3 and he learned how to spell his name with magnetic letters on the fridge. He didn't start properly reading until reception though. I read to him every single day.

Mine could read Harry Potters by the age of 5. I did fuck all to encourage him, other than having stacks and stacks of books around the house. I, also, was hyperlexic, and am now diagnosed autistic. But I am living proof that early reading age- and even a high IQ- doesn't
necessarily correlate to success in later life. You need a whole raft of life skills along with the being clever thing ☹

I was reading at 3 and my brother didn't start reading until age 7- we both achieved grade B in English at GCSE. It makes no difference! Children learn when they are ready. It's lovely that you reading stories and encouraging your child. Don't fret, it will happen.

Mine are all dyslexic so it’s been a long and painfully slow process.

All still behind their peers and none of them enjoy reading as it’s so effortfull still.

Youngest is 6 (year 2) and still sounding out words in chip and biff books.

I have been reading those bastard books for over 6 years now (across 3 kids)

That's fine, you don't have to teach him to read before starting school.

DD could recognised numbers up to 9 and a few letters before school, but didn't start reading until later in Reception shortly before turning 5. DS could just about read by the end of Reception.

In my family, my brother was a totally prodigy and more or less taught himself to read at 3, my sister not until she was 6 and I could read a bit when I started school. So goes to show you can get totally different outcomes in the same family!

Recognising odd words from seven or nine months (long time ago, I'd need to look it up). Reading fluently at 30 months. She's autistic and hyperlexic. She was demanding I buy her 'Book! Book!' from six months. No, she wasn't like your baby. Yes, it is true.

Keep reading to him. Introduce different kinds of books eg poetry and non-fiction. Point out simple words now and then eg see a stop sign when out and say "Ooo, what does that say? S-T-O-P: stop!" (make sure you're using pure sounds ie 'nnn' not 'nuh' for N). Ask what he thinks is happening before you read a page using the pictures, or what will happen next before you turn the page.

I agree with a PP about working on hand strength. DD2 started reception as a reader, but ended up stuck on a level on their phonics scheme for a while during reception, as her writing needed to catch up enough to meet the standard to move on. It is normal for reading to be better than writing, but the disparity for her at that point was very large to the point she was getting frustrated with the "boring" too-easy reading school gave her (school reading books must now match phonics level). Once she improved her letter formation and writing, she rattled through the levels. For DD2, her fine motor skills were lacking due to age IMO (she's a Summer born) as she did plenty of playdoh/Lego/Hama beads/scissor skills etc at home, but if you aren't already doing a lot of these sorts of activities it is worth introducing them.

I definitely wouldn’t worry before they’ve even started school. Never “taught” DS to read or even made him read to me very much! I just bought him lots of books, lots of reading and stories at home. I’d always read him a bedtime story and tell him to follow the words (once he could read). His teachers always say they can tell he reads by his vocab and writing (even though he doesn’t read alone much!).

My DD starts school after the summer and is reading and writing but I’m constantly worried that she has learned it all the ‘wrong way’ and that she’ll actually be disadvantaged as they’ll have to spend ages training her out of bad habits and teaching her properly all over again. I didn’t really set out to teach her before school she has just kind of picked it up, and I don’t want to be constantly correcting her when she’s writing as I don’t want to put her off as she seems to really enjoy it at the moment. You can’t win I don’t think, it’s a worry either way!

Yup hyperlexic (daughter ) here as well and she started to read words at 20 months. She can now read books at 2 years old.

DD was reading by the time she was 3. She was reading chapter books by 4. Suspect she's hyperlexic as part of ASD. DS surprised everyone at nursery yesterday (and then me that evening) by announcing he could read and then reading them a simple CVC starter book. I didn't even know he knew all his phonics sounds . I wouldn't worry too much though. Concentrate on getting him to recognise his name and work on his fine and gross motor skills before school. Keep encouraging a love of books, that's the most important thing with reading. I think once blending clicks they zoom through the levels and the end result is the same whenever they get there.

One was seven and the other was almost three.

Both very intelligent and now high grades in GCSE/Alevel and uni.

Approx age 5, we have twins.

I remember reading all sorts with the girls, newspapers, cereal boxes, books, sign posts.

Husband and I always encouraged the girls but we’re never pushy parents.

Both girls obtained good GCSES, A Levels and Degrees.

Best advice I would give is Children are all individual, learn at different paces and never expect too much, they will get there but don’t push too hard.

@Palmfrond

Yes, unless there is something getting in the way (eg dyslexia) it just seems to click at some point. My son (now in yr3) was like “b…i…f…f s…t…o…p t…h..e b…a…l…l”, a year later it’s like living with Trevor McDonald.

This made me laugh out loud!!!! Trevor McDonald LOOOOL

Mine was always interested in books and loved being read to but it didn't click for her until midway through year 2. A year later and she has always got her nose in a book. There's no rush.

At that age with DD we started putting post its around the place with the names of the things (eg. 'Chair') and also started playing silly letter guessing games. Also Alphablocks - the CBeebies series is excellent - the videos are on YouTube. I definitely wouldn't expect a 4yo to be reading independently however. DD only really started reading for pleasure aged 7 or 8. We always just tried to have fun with it but not put the pressure on.

You do realise that school will teach him to read and write? That's the whole point of going to school.

My kids were both in reception when it clicked. Before school, they could recognise letters and some sounds. But not read properly.

They're Year 2 and year 4 now and both enjoy reading for their ages. Eldest is at the reading level of an older child, but terrible at maths, can't tie his own shoe laces and lacks a lot of basic social skills. So it all evens out.

The school will have their own way of teaching reading, through phonics so don’t worry. As long as they’re used to books that’s what’s important. For some it clicks in reception, for others it’s well into year 1, 2 or 3. Before school I think it’s important children can recognise their name and that is it for reading.

@Nomaj

**I have been reading those bastard books for over 6 years now (across 3 kids)

A curse on those books.

The average age for independent reading is 7 so don't worry.

Games for learning has some nice ideas in it for supporting learning.

DD1 it started to click in Yr1. Dd2 was in preschool. So despite being 2 school years apart, they were the same technical level for a few years. However being older, DD1 had a better comprehension level and stamina so could reader longer books.

Ds1 was 6 before he could really read. Dd was 5 and ds2 was 4. They could all recognise letters and their names before they started school. We just enjoyed stories, songs and rhymes together and at nursery and that was their foundation which I think is enough.

I would leave it to sxhool as they don’t teach c is a c it’s Ka and B isn’t a B it’s Bu

D mS was never interested in reading and learnt it when he started school at 6 years old. We are in a country where kids start quite late.
Tbh i prefer it this way. He is 7 now and in year 2 and he reads perfectly in 3 languages, so he learnt it very quickly.
He is a total bookworm now and always reading. Interests always keep changing at that age, so i wouldnt worry.