Can reception children read?

[ReadingGeniuses]

I went to DS' nativity this morning (he's in reception). There were 2 girls narrating the play, they were reading it off a script. I was quite confused. Can some children already read this fluently at that age? They hadn't memorised it, they were just reading. Are they geniuses? Or is this way more common than I realise?

Yes, I was reading before I started school. I think I taught myself. My youngest learnt to read very quickly.

A bit 😅 I am quite academic and worried I would be putting too much pressure on my kids, seems like I've gone too far the other way!!

I just had completely the wrong expectation, and thought he was probably ahead as he could read the few basic words on the sheets he brings home and form the letters quite well 😁

I didn't know there was a whole other world of children who can already read books!

I could read pretty much anything by the time I started school.
I completed the entire school reading scheme before the first school year was finished & was onto free reading after that.

My younger sister still didn't read at 6-7 & ended up with tutors for the rest of primary school (she went on to get a good degree) as she just wasn't interested.

We both had the same parents, doing the same things before we started at the same school with the same teachers.

Different children learn at different rates even in the same environment.

This reads (ha!) like you’re children had an interest in reading because they were emulating what they saw at home - which is partly true but not necessarily the whole story. It all just sounds a bit a smug.

Plenty of children come from homes with lots of books and reading, yet don’t read early. And vice versa. I’m an avid reader, read constantly and our home is full of books. Did my children read early? Nope! Though my eldest DC is a brilliant reader and loves stories, he does not enjoy reading. There’s a lot of nuance to it - much more than the “my children was an early reader because that’s what they saw at home” rhetoric.

Mine could! Probably because their grandad read to them all the time since they were weeks old. That is their special time and they are both big readers now.

Oh Lord, OP you are getting a totally skewed perception of reality. I'm a reception class teacher. None of my children this year came to school able to read.

My DS really struggled with reading in reception & ended up with two sevens at GCSE. It isn't indicative of anything.

I think there's a huge variation in reception... my son could read pretty well before he was 4, I taught him as he was really keen and he picked it up quickly. My other child has zero interest so will be later.

Dd (now 18) could read fluently. Would love to say it’s because I am an exceptional parent. But it wasn’t. It was her. She wanted to know all the letters, then the sounds and so on. Dr Seuss books every night seemed to bring her on.

She is still slightly above average in terms of academic achievements.

Ds wasn’t interested at all and couldn’t read at that age. He is now 11 and way above average in some areas. Average in others.

Again, I don’t believe it’s because me or their dad are exceptional parents, it’s just how they are.

My son was older (turned 5 early October) so was learning to read in pre-school for a long time.
I think maybe older children will be a little ahead of the others.

Dd could but she was almost 5 when she started reception and I had spent lots of time with her. DS couldn't , summer born and the novelty of teaching my young child to read early had worn off 😅. Fast forward to teen years - they both read. Dd passed her GCSES , but average to just above average marks. Her early reading skills were not an indication of her impending genius!

At reception, difference of age is very clear. Those who are able to read fluently was mostly Autumn/Winter born children in my ds's class/year.
But by KS2, there won't be much difference, and people stop being obsessed about children's reading levels. So don't worry.

DS learned to read pretty quickly but always preferred reading and writing to drawing and colouring. He's 10 now and still, if you ask him to draw something, he'll flap over it cos he can't do it. Different talents and all that.

DH, 9yo DS and I were all late readers then skipped to advanced once it clicked.

We’ve always read to him and encouraged him to read but children are ready when they’re ready.

Also, it's worth considering that some children will have had considerably longer in pre school to learn phonics too. DS1 was nearly 5 starting school, DS2 will be just 4 when he starts school

So glad someone else picked up on this. I thought it was quite smug and was personally quite upset by the sentiment. We read a lot at home always have since they were babies and both DH and myself enjoy reading for pleasure which then DC see. Books are always around. However, neither of my DC could read early. DD was was probably one of the last in her year to learn but is now a keen and enthusiastic reader at a good level of her mid-primary age. DS is in year 1 and still struggles to blend basic words. Sight words are little better but reading is not being picked up quickly at all despite always being around books. It’s really not that related and quite offensive to suggest the only issue with DC who aren’t reading is because they aren’t exposed to it at home. You wouldn’t say to a “late” walker that it was the DPs fault as DC wasn’t exposed to walking would you?

When my DC was in primary 1(Scotland) they and another P1 were narrators in the school nativity.Both were 5 yrs old and could read the script.

@JingleMingle solidarity to all the bookworm parents whose children don’t like reading 🤓❤️ Where did we go wrong - did we just not read ENOUGH?

😉

My reception child can read a couple of short sentences but she just missed out being in the year above by a couple of months and is already 5!.

My son did a reading at his nursery ‘graduation’ and he is an August born. Always just read very well. Some can some can’t, they all read in the end though.

I would say 6-7 is not a normal age to learn to read. By 7 (year 2 and 3) they’d be expected to be reading chapter books.

Well… I don’t wish to brag… but my youngest could read fluently whilst in nursery !

He is the eldest in his class however, which I think helped

Every child develops at a different rate, my eldest wasn’t fluent until year one…

I was a fluent reader when I started school at just 5. My DC also both started in Reception as good readers, mostly from me just reading to them and pointing out words. They were both fascinated by text so that helped. I suspect it runs in families.

Interestingly we are all bad at the same things too. Being good at reading is no guarantee of ability across the board. One of mine was still struggling to tell the time in Y6.

My mum taught me to read before school that was completely the norm and I taught my dd. Most dc in my class could read already but I noticed quite a number couldn't in my dd class so I'd assume more people are just waiting until school to learn which makes sense given how busy the schedule for most families is nowadays.

Some of them will be five and are more ahead. They even out when they grow older.

My husband apparently amazed the play school staff by reading a story fluently to the other children age 3! He wasn’t taught, just picked it up by himself. Some kids do.