Are lots of pre-reception 4 year olds reading ?

[flowerpowersd]

My DD is 4, she starts reception in September.

I've been speaking to a few parents who said their child is so ready for reception.

One today told me that their child was ready because she was already reading.

My DD likes phonics and can recognise some words, is making the first attempts at blending sounds and ' reading '.

Should I aim for her to be reading by the time she starts reception ?

Is this quite common that children can read this soon and is this what parents mean when they say they're ready for reception?

Another mum told me her son was also reading and he was not even 4 yet at the time.

Should I invest in some very basic reading books and try to teach her so she can ' read ' when she starts reception ? Or can my DD also technically 'read '?

Or when people say they can read, they actually mean they can read books for their age independently?

She's been going to preschool nursery so far. She loves it and I'm not sure I would say she's ready or desperate to go to reception, although I could be wrong.

Mine can recognise words and has good understanding of phonics. But she isn’t reading. She can write well though, she loves a list and she can add and subtract some numbers.

Can barely run though! Her gross motor isn’t great.

DD is definitely school ready- she’s completely bored by nursery now, she wants to do more. She’s a September born so nearly 5.

In 25 years of teaching, I have met one child who could read before school.

It's far more productive to spend your time teaching your child fine motor tasks and social skills.

My oldest could read common words by 3 and simple stories by the time she started school. She literally taught herself. However she is autistic and it seems to be a splinter skill. She still loves reading now.

My second is about to start school and can do a few phonics and her numbers up to ten. She is much more calm and independent however, and that will do her much more good in the long run.

OP- just my own experiences- I was reading fluently before I started school. Taught myself apparently 🤷‍♀️ I don’t remember so I I have no idea, but I can’t remember a time when I couldn’t read. I do remember being asked to read to the rest of the class when I was in reception, so I don’t think my DM is exaggerating.

My DS however, started reception totally unable to read, with no interest in reading (very much adored being read to) or letters etc (tried very very hard to encourage him but it just wasn’t happening) - and has subsequently been diagnosed with dyslexia.

All kids are incredibly different and between kids like I was, and kids like my DS, is a whole spectrum of normal. If your kid starts school able to hold a pencil, mark make, manage their self care, and most importantly- listen to and follow age appropriate instructions- they’ve got everything they need to start school, and will be absolutely fine. With reading and the rest.

I work in eyfs. The blunt answer is no, a child coming in at 4 able to read is unusual.
Quite frankly we’re just grateful if they can read and write their own name!

I had one that started reception aged almost 5 who was pretty good at reading. And one just turned 4 who couldn't. I was very proud that he'd consistently got the whole toileting routine down, including "flush toilet" "wash hands with soap" and "dry hands". He recognised his name written down, which is useful from a labelling possessions perspective. If he tried to write it he would write some letters back to front. In his recent Ks2 mock SATs he got GD in all areas, best in his class in one area, max scaled score in one area. Pretty similar to his sibling last year.
At this age they need a language rich environment, so lots of fairy tales, rhyming books, being read to. Music, poetry. And the ability to take instruction from an adult. Then either they will pick up how to read or school will teach them easily because all the building blocks are in place.

My DC could read at the start of reception but it hasn't been an advantage being ahead of his peers, as he's been bored at school. I wouldn't bother frankly.

This. Leave it for the teachers.

No, they don't!!!
Please share books, stories and talk about what things are called, play lots of rhyming songs ( baa baa black sheep, 10 green bottles etc) experiment with handling thick pens, chalk, paintbrush, cutlery. Put on jacket & shoes but mostly play, play, play.

Not sure why some posters think it’s not possible. I’m sure it’s not the norm but it’s also not uncommon.

I taught DC1 to read starting the Christmas before he started school. May birthday so he was about 3.5. He started school on yellow band and now in year 1 is free reading.

DC2 is a November birthday, so just over 3.5 and I’ve just started teaching her. She’s reading Cvc words at the moment. She won’t start school until Sept 25 (ie 14 months from now) and I’d expect her to be a very good reader by that point.

My kids are bright, interested in doing it, and I enjoy teaching them. It’s not necessary but it certainly gave DS a big confidence boost when he started. He hasn’t been bored at all at school.

I’ve taught reception and here are absolutely the best things you can teach your could before they arrive -

to share with other children
be kind
to put their own jacket/shoes on/off
to wait if you are talking
to put things away when they’ve used them
to try something first before asking for help
to open/peel snack/lunch independently
to refill their water bottle independently

Reading, maths etc the school will do.

My pre-reception four year old son can read "random text".

I just asked him to read a menu "full rack of ribs for the price of a half rack" and he did so fluently. He then of course asked what that means, as he's four.

I think that's very unusual and not something I would expect of any child his age but it's certainly possible.

Also, parents who make a big deal
of telling you what their kids can do are insufferable. If they can do it, we can see it 🙃

Mine did letter sounds only. Nursery did this and I helped at home. They didn't put the sounds together until reception. I remember a boy who could already read and write, but it didn't have any bearing on achievement later. I mean he was a bright boy, but not ahead of other bright kids who learned at school.

DD2 will start reception in September as the oldest in the class. She can read RWI red books. Each page has a very simple setence with no capitals or even a full stop. Think ‘dad has a hat’.

In school nursery she has been taught RWI set 1 phonics and have started some blending. Due to lockdown we have the books and I feel confident I could listen to her read without messing it up. Also she wants to read like her big sister.

But no it isn’t necessary. Personal development like self confidence, toileting, managing a zip are more important.

I wouldn’t tell anyone in real life.

My child started school aged 4 able to read. But he was certainly the exception. He was later assessed and is classified as exceptional and gifted. He was not the average.

My other children are very bright but were not reading before starting school. I remember mentioning my worries to the teacher who reminded me I was comparing them to a genius! There was no comparison and my children were all perfectly capable and normal!!

They are all very bright and often get academic awards in school but other than my first, none of them read or even recognised letters before school. That's what teachers and school curriculums are for 😉

As other PP’s have said, please don’t compare. All the research shows there is no academic or intellectual advantage to being able to ‘read’ by 4. School may see less stressful, but in many European countries they don’t even start teaching reading/writing until they are 7 and they’ve all got a high number of university graduates/PhDs/medical doctors per capita. This is MN. There’s a thread from a few weeks ago where a teacher was pointing out that so many children start school unable to toilet themselves/wearing nappies. Please relax.

Some can read. I wasn't taught, but was read to a lot, and kind of picked it up. At 2 my mum remembers me reading each product label from my toddler seat as she put items in the trolley, even cheap tins with just text. At 3 I could pick up a story book I hadn't seen before and fluently read it to the other children at nursery, who would sit and listen because hey, extra story time (observed by staff, not just the fond imaginings of a proud mummy). When I started at Reception, my mum awkwardly mentioned that I could read "a bit", and they handed me back at the end of the day and confirmed I could indeed read, and not just a bit. At infant school, we had our reading age tested, and I came out at 14+/adult, on whatever test it was. It can happen, and it doesn't mean a kid's been hothoused, or is some kind of baby genius, or is actually just learning by heart. They maybe just happen to have maybe been interested in text, noticed links, and picked it up.

It's also entirely standard and typical for the prerequisites for reading not to come together for a child until 6 or 7, and trying to force it before then will just mean it's incredibly hard work and potentially dispiriting for everyone involved. And it doesn't suggest anything about "intelligence" and doesn't necessarily mean they're dyslexic. It's just that reading is an artificial skill that leeches off a whole load of abilities that didn't originally develop for that purpose — no wonder it's variable and messy.

That's why I agree with you that formal school and learning to read should start later, otherwise you risk unnecessarily putting a whole load of children off reading and maybe even education, children who would've been indistinguishable from any other children if the system just waited a couple of years, and instead having them "fall behind" at 5, for no good reason.

It's also not necessarily a good thing to read before school — I remember being very bored in the few phonics lessons I sat through, but in those days they decided that since I started school reading fluently, I could sit in the corridor with some books from the junior school every time the class did phonics. I don't know if schools now would even allow that. So at best the kid is bored and risks becoming disengaged. At worst, they've learnt some stuff that needs to be somehow unlearnt so they can relearn the school way.

Hour blanket statement about 4 year olds not being able to read is wrong, though. It's entirely possible, just not particularly useful.

Only a handful of children will have any meaningful phonics at all. We start at the beginning with all the children anyway. It’s really not needed (or desirable!).

I hated it when parents or nursery staff with limited training had taught their child just a bit of phonics, because often it meant bad habits that we had to reteach.

Send them in being able to go to the loo, listen to a story, put on their coat and play nicely. Those are the skills that are most helpful!

PS for any parent of a child with additional needs or medical needs who can’t do the above list, don’t panic. We understand!

My DS was 4 in December, so will be one of the older ones when he starts school in September. He is really interested in reading so I've taught him to sound out simple words and he recognises others. He couldn't read a story by himself though. He reads things like road signs and the labels in the supermarket etc.

His writing is way behind his reading - he's just less interested in writing and drawing than he is in reading (or lots of other things). He can write the first letter of his name and can write kisses and that's it. He has only very recently started colouring vaguely within the lines.

I thought he was pretty advanced with reading and maybe a behind with writing and drawing, but nursery seem to think he's within the bounds of normal for everything so 🤷‍♀️

I honestly wouldn't bother, there's about 1000 things you could use that time for instead. She will pick up reading in no time later on if she's bright and switched on. There really is no need to teach her at 3.5.

No, concentrate on getting your daughter ready for school. Things like being able to independently go to toilet, put on her coat and be able to zip it, put on her shoes, eat with cutlery etc. Pre school is all about getting children ready for school , the teachers don't have time to helping out with this type or stuff.

Reception teacher here.

Doing their coat up and putting on their own shoes are far more important life skills on starting school. Focus on those. Don’t worry about trying to teach them to read. Leave it to school.

Having said that, August born DS could read fluently before starting school. He loved jigsaws. I had phonics on display in his bedroom. He made the links between them and put sounds together like a jigsaw. Taught himself to read.

It blew XH away! XH got the complete works of Shakespeare off the shelf and told DS to read it. He did, still aged 3, with fluency and pace. Didn’t understand a word of it mind you!

DS then decided he’d teach DD to read, so she also started school a fluent reader. She amused herself in Reception by teaching a Polish girl to read in English.

They’re now adults, who did well in their exams. Their early reading skills were great, but really not vital to who they are now, as their peers caught up.

I'm a teacher in Reception with my own 4yo starting this year. He can sight read - think words like Olympic - I have never sat down and taught him. He doesn't use his phonics to read. By all means encourage your children to love reading but it is not necessary for them to "read" before Reception.

Make sure they know what their name looks like though for lost things! 🤣 My advice is ignore everyone else and concentrate on your own child 😘