To think kids learn to read at home

[homhumherewego]

A friend with kids was saying in her daughters class there are quite a few kids learning to read.

WTH?

Isnt teaching reading a parent's job?

Kids in the country where I live (EU but outside the UK) don't learn to read until their first year of compulsory schooling - age 5.5-6.5. I taught my eldest a little reading in English before then, and all the parents thought I was mad. Kids here learn to read in class, with lots of support from parents at home. It's totally fine, and in fact the academic standards where I live are generally higher than in the UK overall, so clearly it doesn't do kids any harm to have a couple more years' playtime before they start learning.

The big advantage I see, is that by waiting until they're older they learn to read much more quickly. My eldest was 6.5 when he started learning to read in his second mother tongue - a year on, he now reads quite fluently in both that language and English.

So, no, I don't think parents have to teach their kids to read at home before they start school at age 4!

Why are people being so dismissive of a poster saying she was able to read at 4.5?

They are being dismissive because of this - its because of that posters smug, superior attitude and digs at people not being bothered to teach their children, particularly this I'm guessing that posters who are mocking me are ones who can't be bothered to spend time doing basic things like that with their kids

Well, there are children who can read before starting school, without being hot housed.
Mocking a poster who states the fact isn't very nice imo.

Obviously there's no one size fits all approach, so I'm quite surprised to hear teachers say parents should not allow their children to learn to read before school. Some children actually want to learn to read, so if they're keen and the parent is able to teach them then why should they be prevented from learning?

My DS (2.5yrs) is fasincated with letters, numbers and can spell short words (Dog, cat, car, etc). I've talked to him about phonics and always read to him but the interest to pursue it is purely his own.

There is a way that children in school are taught to read & write but I don't think it's the ONLY way, learning as I see it is a whole child process. I don't try to teach him to read, he's just sort of done it himself. DP & I are amazed as some of the stuff he can do we're like 'where did he get that from?' This isn't a stealth boast, I'm just trying to say that there is more than one way of learning, the accepted primary school way is not the only one.

(He will be going to the local infant school, were not 'woo' parents or pushy etc etc. Some kids love football, others Paw Patrol, ours at the moment loves counting & spelling).

What OohMavis said ^^ It is inadvisable to teach them unless you are sure of the methodology used in your child's school as they will have to re-learn new techniques at school. Of course most kids will have been read bedtime stories or been at nursery and learnt the alphabet or absorbed information from cbeebies or whatever, but school is more than likely where they learn to read. Most children are also in Year 2 or even later before they become 'free readers', because it takes them that long to acquire the skills and comprehension levels to 'read' properly and independently.

Also, schools are where children learn things. You know, from professionals with years of training and experience. Being all stealth boasty and smug won't make your child any better than anyone else and being incredulous about that 'could' lead to you becoming 'that' parent we may have missed the boat on that though clearly..

I don't think children actually need to be taught to read at all. If reading is part of their life, they will pick it up on their own terms. My DS had started at 20mo and could confidently read words at 2 that he wouldn't to speak. (He could speak, he just couldn't be bothered but he'd see a word written down and go get the corresponding item). At 3 he could read simple books, now at 4 he reads books aimed at children twice his age. He can write but his writing is very messy as he doesn't especially enjoy it (or colouring/drawing) but he can type quite well.

He was never taught how to do any of that, he just worked it out himself because he lives in a reading rich environment. By the same token he could do simple addition and subtraction at 2 and now does long addiction/subtraction and simple multiplication/division/algebra. Has a good understanding of basic physics and chemistry concepts, can do a lot on computers, is full of dinosaur knowledge (wants to be a palaeontologist when he grows up). All learned through play, observation and doing.

While his learning is happening at the earlier end of the scale, most children can learn similarly in their own time. Children don't need to be taught, they just need to be provided with a learning rich environment and interested caregivers.

Not in uk but have taught infants for around 15 years. My school is rural with well educated interested parents. We also have a couple of excellent early years providers in the area so the children are receiving the best possible start. I could count on two hands the amount of children that could read fluently a simple child's book coming into school at 4.5-5.5 years. Even less that had comprehension skills. Most children could not read a simple story till the end of the second year in school. ( much slower curriculum than the uk) with my only nearly 3 year old I read stories and do play doh, beads etc for fine motor skills, reading is one small part of school.

My mum taught me to read before I started school, (I was one of those who was fluent, who could read treasure island at 5 etc...).

I wish she had spent the time teaching me how to make friends and get along with people. Would have been much more useful.

I am a primary school teacher but I wouldn't feel too worried about a parent teaching a child to read before they started school, if they can read when they start then the process has worked! My concern would be parents pushing unhelpful concepts (like over emphasising letter names) with children who are not developmentally ready to read as this could be counter productive.

Also, schools are where children learn things. You know, from professionals with years of training and experience.

Sorry, are you seriously suggesting that school is the only place children should be allowed to learn?

My now 10 year old taught herself to read & write before she started school. My 8 year old wouldn't hold a pencil. They both read beautifully now & I can't tell the difference between their handwriting.( the 10 year old was probably relatively a year ahead with reading even now)

craftsy

Our children sound similar, it's just sort of happened naturally. I'm not going to stop him because he's learnt in a different way from how school will teach it.

I did, I read at 3.

I am genuinely laughing at people saying parents shouldn't teach their children to read because they won't use the same techniques schools do... That's pathetic, especially if some of the people saying it are teachers

Why is it pathetic? It's true. Please explain.

My DS is currently learning to read at school. I learnt to read at school. What is so odd about that?

He loves books by the way. I read to him every night so its not lazy parenting. But his school teacher is the expert in phonics. I'm not.

I didn't teach DD to read. She learned at school and I listened to her reading at home to support her learning and to support and reinforce what she had learned at school.

She achieved mostly As and A*s at GCSE and is applying to university to study medicine.

On the other hand, I could read before school and was sent to school early because I was academically advanced for my age. I don't have a degree and just have a minor professional qualification. I guess I peaked too early.

Leo, are you honestly saying that the parents of a child who is showing an interest in learning to read should say they can't teach him or her as they don't know what techniques their future school teachers will use to teach others in the class to read?

The idea of trying to teach my four year old anything makes me want to punch myself repeatedly in the face.

I'll leave it to the teachers, thanks.

Well, there are children who can read before starting school, without being hot housed.
Mocking a poster who states the fact isn't very nice imo.

It’s the fact they thought it was ridiculous that learning to read is a gradual process. As if a child gets taught, then suddenly knows how to read.

interesting couple of threads OP

Each child is different. A parent can read to a child every day, doesn't mean the child want to learn to read before going to school.

My dd started reading when she was 3, I didn't teach her, it was because she wanted to learn, she picked up bits from kids tv and on the computer and then nursery started giving her books. She's 11 now, she has autism and suspected hyperlexia, she's not a child prodigy and there are children her age that didn't learn to read until they were 5 and are at the same level she is now.

kaytee, sometimes it's not a gradual process.
My ds was hyperlexic. By the time I realised, he was reading quite fluently.(Just decoding though. Not real reading with understanding of text.)

Sounds normal to me OP.

My children don't go to school. My eldest is nearly 7 and has been reading Roald Dahl/Enid Blyton since he was 4, he has amazing comprehension and reading glasses clicked easily for him and he wanted to do it. My middle son is nearly 5 and nowhere near reading glasses yet, he just isn't ready as yet, although knows his letters, his name, mummy etc

Both have Ben read too since birth and are read too every day. In fact we have been at the library this morning getting a new haul of books. All children are different.

My cousin (primary school teacher) mentioned hyperlexia for my DS, I think he has traits of it, lovemusic33 but yes, each child is different.