How do I / should I teach my son to read before he starts school?

[barbamama]

My son is 2 and a half and is showing some interest (on his own, after receiving a set of wooden letters) in letters. He is starting to be able to recognise the letter D (for his name) and M (for Mummy) when we read books together. He has been able to count to 10 for ages, again pretty much picked it up on his own from reading books (or Nursery maybe?). He knows all his colours etc. I am unsure how much to encourage with this type of education at home before school. On the one hand, the perceived wisdom (in the state sector at least) seems to be learning through play, no rush, they don't start school until 7 in Scandanavia, children who learn to read later get better GCSE results etc etc. A friend who is a Nursery teacher says leave it to the school to do in Reception or it will confuse them. On the other hand, I have been reading some of the threads on entrance tests for 4 year olds for pre-preps in the private sector and it would seem he would be at a massive disadvantage in a year and a half if he couldn't read and write even!! I think he will go to a state school but what if he goes private? (haven't entirely decide yet). I don't in any way want to push him but simillarly I don't want to restrict his natural desire to learn or jeopardise him going to a particularly academic school in future if that's how it pans out. I know all mother's think their children are bright and 2 or 3 seems so young to label/decide - but would it really be so wrong to make a start at home before school? what are other people's experiences? Is the difference between State and Private on how much they should know at a young age really that wide?

My 4.5 yr old can't read. Doesn't even recognise his letters. He can count to 10 and recognises most of the numbers. He also struggles to write his name although he recognises it. He has better general knowledge than most kids much older though and is bright and keen. I think each child is different - my DD could write her name perfectly pre-school, DS#1 only just, DD could more or less read pre-school, DS#1 couldn't (at all!). If your child wants to learn I would encourage him. Otherwise leave it. Reading a few months before everyone else might seem a great idea now but not at the expense of putting him off learning throughout his school years.

I have a horrible feeling you're over-thinking this and getting pulled into competitive parent syndrome

the hardest thing I've found to do as a parent is avoid this wretched feeling of 'maybe he should be doing this' and letting my children just be children

so I personally think if your child is showing interest in letters and books then you read lots of books together

but you don't actively teach them .. if they pick it up its fine . maybe jolly phonics stuff can help

let kids be kids (they don't get long at it) and if their interest pushes them in a way that could be interpreted as academic then follow it .. but if they want to crawl around the floor saying goo-goo then play babies with them

What Twiglett said.

Early reading is like early potty training -- you might achieve a semblance of success, but realistically even a really able child isn't going to be reading proper books (Mr Majeika, Roald Dahl) until they're rising 5-ish, because even if they've been taught to decode the words, they won't be cognitively sophisticated enough to process stories of that complexity. By starting too early you run the very real risk of the child getting bored with the process of learning to read (which is inherently dull) before they achieve fluency. The really pushy academic london day schools (which is as pushy as it gets, tbh) all state repeatedly that they do not expect children to be able to read. They're looking for teachability, vocabulary, concentration and sociability, none of which require a child to be a freakishly early reader.

Best keep the proper reading practice until they're well into reception, and if the child really is that able, he can then complete the whole learning to read process in 6 months start to finish, and you can sit back and enjoy the silence while he sits with his nose buried in a copy of Horrid Henry, and breathe a sigh of relief that you've bypassed the Biff, Chip and Kipper school of torture.

I do remember my mum being very upset when I started school able to read fluently - only to be told that they didn't like children to be reading when they started school as it made it harder for the teacher.

So I'm happy to oblige

I wouldn't focus too much of your energy on it; my ds is bright, and showed some interest at this age, and I fully expected to send him to school as an early reader (as I was, apparently) but this has not translated into him being able to read at all, and he's been in school nearly one year!!!

Do what he and you enjoy, and have fun with it.

My mum tried not to teach me to read before school because as a teacher she thought it was annoying to have children at very different stages, but I ended up reading before school anyway.

Agree that early readers won't process complex stories fully but if you hold off reading until you can understand everything, you'd never get started! I love going back to books I read as a child and getting more out of them now.

I guess I'm trying to say that reading for pleasure is a good thing, whenever it starts, encourage it but don't make a big deal out of it.

One of local schools got crossed off my list, because I kept hearing that they didn't like children to be too advanced before they started school, or told early readers they were going to have to wait until they caught up.

DS really wasn't interested in reading before school and didn't really get it until he was 7 then caught up many of the fluent readers from reception.

DD would never really sit and look at a book as a baby or todler(more interested in doing other things), however picked up reading before she started school. Thankfully our school was quite happy to let the children go at their own pace, and she was never held back.

I think you need to find out the schools polcies on early reading

I'd say pretty much the same as everyone else - if he is interested in words, encourage it - answer his questions, read lots of books together.

But don't get hung up on reading schemes - DD1 was reading before she started school, but we didn't buy any special books (actually, we did try a couple of Ladybird phonics books but the stories were so false and stilted that she didn't like them). DD2 loves stories, but she can't read - she recognises her name, and the letter that starts her name - that's about it! (she's 4). She has no interest in letters at all but has a great vocabulary and is very sociable - for instance she saw 2 kids on the beach at the weekend and asked "do you mind if I join you?" then they spent an hour building sandcastles together.

If you are thinking of private schools with entrance tests, visit the school and ask what they look for - reading may only be one of many areas they are looking at. I don't think you can say that early reading is necessarily a sign of intelligence.

I used this book with my DS. We started slowly when he was 3 and he became a fluent reader by 4-4.5. (I had my own reasons for starting so early, not exam related.)

If he is interested I would get the Jolly phonics DVD, CD and finger phonics books and see what he does with them.

My ds taught himaself to read when he was only just 3 becasue dd was in Reception so she was watching the JP DVD and he just seemed to pick it all up too by copying her.

If he is interested, the best early books for practice are the Jolly Phonics read and see books and Jelly and Bean Reception series.

Dd is now just 6 and reading all sorts of chapter books and ds at 4.5 (will go into Reception in Sept) is reading very well.

I do agree though that there is acertain age where they get the more complex bits - both my two seemed not to get the 'long vowel' sounds until they were four and a half, but once they do, they fly because they then have all the knowledge they need to read virtually any word.

Hilariously as I am not a pushy mum, ds (not quite 2) got really into Countdown (either has a crush on Carole Vorderman or likes the ticking sounds and colours) and can recognise a,b,d for sure.

I didn't encourage him to watch it - I just happen to watch it most days.

So that'd be my top tip - watch Countdown!!

(I am saying this in a tongue in cheek way before anyone has a go at me - but he really can recognise thee letters already e.g if I say point to the d)

I agree with the don't push school of thought, but if you do find yourself going towards reading skills because your ds is interested, then do use a synthetic phonics approach, and not the traditional ABC route. My ds was great with knowing all the letters when he was very little (he's a great accumulator of knowledge) but I wish I had gone with sounds instead because it would have really helped him out with decoding. On the whole I think that the best thing to do is just to engage and encourage your children in all their and your interests, and to develop social skills (that's the one that reception teacher will thank you for!)

Read loads of picture books with him - follow the words with your finger if you like - DON'T try to teach him to read - if he picks it up himself all well and good. He will learn to recognise the shape of words - that's why many young children can confidently read words like 'elephant' and 'dinosaur' but stumble over 'on' and 'no', 'was' and 'saw' etc. Don't be tempted to 'sound out' the letters.

Why not, Fortyplus? Loads and loads of research suggests that recognising the shape of the words is not a good method of learning to read for many children.

agree singergirl

They tried to teach DH Look and Say method in the 60's , he didn't learn to read until he was 12 because of it.Boys especially don't get whole word recognition.

I thought private schools you were paying for an education? do they really not take 4 yearolds if they can't read and write? Times have changed!

On the reading, some children that are ready to read will teach themselves (no idea how but have seen it happen)

I had a child that my GP told me when she was 2, I should teach her to read. We didn't as I also had year old one and couldn't be bothered. Child one loved books and we'd read to her or she'd 'read' to us (from memory or reading the pictures) She went to school knowing her alphabet, numbers and her name. Within the year, she had read all the stages and was free readers. She got 11 A* gcses. Child 2 had no interest in books and didn't read until she was well into year 1. She went on to get 11 A-B gcses. Both did really well, even with the different reading ages

I do wonder what happens to the reading child in reception. Do they have to do different work to the non readers and wait for them to catch up in year 1. If that is the case, I don't see the point of rushing the process tbh.

Still gobsmacked by the private school thing!

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My boys will go to Steiner (Waldorf), where they believe in nurturing and developing the whole child and not forcing them into academics like reading or writing when they should still be learning how to jump and climb and paint and bake and build things. I love it .

There is plenty of time for the reading and writing thing later. That is not to say that I discourage his interest in letters and numbers, and what a sign says etc and we read every night and he is starting to pretend that he can read, which is all quite harmless, but I spent a weekend with a group of women recently and a couple of them were discussing their children's experience of their private school and it sounded quite distressing the amount of pressure and competition around reading from 4 and 5 year olds ...

They say that children these days are already stressed enough by everything that is going around them in the world, without us pushing them to be able to read "the cat sat on the mat" over and over and over at 4 instead of 6 or 7 when it is going to come more easily to them.

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Two and a half is probably too young to start teaching reading, other than letter and sound recognition. Most children get the point about putting sounds together to make a word at some time between the ages of three and four. Before that it's a pretty hopeless task - they might memorise the odd word by shape but that's it.

When you do start, I would either go for a phonics scheme (Jolly Phonics is a synthetic phonics "brand", essentially) or do the sounds yourself as you go along (but make sure you do all of them, not just the individual letter sounds). I used the Ladybird "Tom and Kate" scheme with my children, but went through the sounds at the same time. I think there is a case for learning early as it helps children to understand the world for themselves and it's nice for them to be able to read books too. (And you won't have to know or care about Biff, Chip, Kipper, or where every other child in the class is on the scheme )

My ds learned before school (taught him really easily with jolly phonics at 3/4) but I think two is too young. Play alphabet games, read books together, sing songs.