4yr old wants to learn to read - what shall I do?

[Sonnet]

A bit of background first. My DD who is 4 goes to the nursery class of a school.
She loves it - they do mainly play with a bit of jolly phonics and number work thrown in which is fine by me.
Her end of term report was great but had the comment that she is unwilling to do "structured" work but when she does she focuses 100% and is easily within the top acheivement level.
DH and I initially thought this was a bit odd as at home she is constantly asking to do sounds, numbers, writing etc. But having thought about it have come to the conclusion that there is the distration of so much fun stuff to do at school.
BUY - what do I do with her at home (if anything!) because she is continually asking to read and do more stuff particularly when her elder sister is doing homework.
If I do move on with her at home will she become board at school and therefore be even more unwilling to do structured activities OR should I respond to her interests?
Thanks in anticipation......

Thanks foxinsocks - they look like a good idea and a natural progression.
I have ordered the handbook and also seen the books singersgirl mentioned with the word and corresponding picture under the flap.
DD2 knows 18 letter sounds ( and actions!) but dosn't appear to have done any "blending" yet.
Hopefully the book wil arrive on Thursday -= I'll read it over the weekend and plan what to do next!
PTMD - yes hopefully the school will do group work - although if DD1 is anything to go by it was up to me ( and mumsnet threads) to find enjoyable books for her to read so how much her reading age is down to school and how much to me ((and mumsnet)is debatable!!
I am so glad you're getting on OK with Jollyphonics singersgirl - maybe when I've read the handbook we can swap tips!! ( or rather I'll pick your brain!)
Thnaks again all..

Learning to read early does not provide any benefit or negative to the child. It really makes no difference to ultimate academic success. There have been many studies on it.

It is strange but true.

So don't worry, teach if you like but don't feel you have to.

My brother and I are perfect examples. He taught himself to read from the back of cereal packets before he started school so about aged 4. I did not learn to read until I was 7 (almost 8). We both did very well academically. I got a better degree than him but he is more of a linguist than I.

Singersgirl, my ds will also struggle with the physical side of writing, I think. And I agree it could be good for him to have reading skills so that he won't be struggling on all fronts. Also, and much more importantly, he really, really wants to be able to read. He constantly asks me what things say - newspaper headlines (woman murdered in Mcdonalds knifing...that sort of thing - eek!) back of cereal packets, leaflets, signs in the street etc as well as his books. I have the ELC magnetic letters and board and he loves making word on that. Yesterday he made 'Mumy' (without the extra m, yes) and was SO proud and pleased it really melted my heart. I have also got him the Jolly Phonics books and we do them when he fancies them - not a regular thing.

I have to say, I LOVED being able to read. I don't do reading with ds to make him get into Oxford at the age of 13 or any nonsense like that, I can just see how much he will enjoy it. he also adores adding up and counting and I encourage that too. I try to encourage anything he has a passion for.

Can relate to your posts aloha - I too want to give my children the love of books I enjoyed all through my childhood and now! - I get so excited thinking of all the wonderful books they have got to read stretched in front of them!
DD2 sounds like your DS!...
"mumy" - how proud you must have been!!

Sonnet - I took a photograph of it!! You should have seen ds's face too. Completely beside himself with pride. Do you compulsively buy books for them? I have all the Narnia stories waiting for ds, and Milly Molly Mandy stories waiting for dd (10 weeks). Like you, I get excited at the thought of all the books they have in store for them. For ds learning IS play and play is learning. He makes no distinction at all atm - long may it last. Sigh.

Interesting. I think if she is interested then encourage it.

However I'm really reluctant to use JP with dd (4 in august)because I know she is going to start it all over again in Reception and feel I may well do her a disservice as the media won't be fresh. I want to keep that and ORT books for then as she already has had some exposure to it via ds and I don't want her to lose enthusiasm. As it is she knows all the sounds and recognises simple words (from playgroup) but isn't yet getting the concept of blending sounds. If she really wants to do it I have some simple Ginn reading scheme books which we can look at together and the Teacher's handbook with suggestions for related activities.

In the meantime we are working on more practical and social skills which I feel, as the youngest in the year, would give her more confidence in the classroom and we have some simple "workbooks" (Hodder) for those moments when she does want to work alongside ds.

Aloha - do I compulsivly but books?? - all the time.....I am even in danger whilst at work because of Amazon!
DD2 has all DD1's books to inherit - Milly Molly Mandy, Naughty Little Sister, Dick King Smith , Rohal Dahletc
For DD1 I am addicted to childrens classics such as E Nesbitt and Noel Streatfield (luckily so is DD1) - and as well as Enid Blyton favourites there are all the more modern writers like Michael Morpurgo...ooh it's great!!
A trip to town always incorporates a visit to Waterstones and I cannot pass a charity shop without popping in to check out the books!!
With some women it's shoes but I'd rather shuffle around it a pair of flip flops and buy Books!

ooh Ambrosia - The Faraway Tree - I read all three of these books to DD1 when she was 5 to 6 ish, We loved them, I cannot wait for DD2 to get there
I actually realised last night that it would be the last time I read some of these childhhod favourites and felt quite sad. DD2 wanted the gruffalo which she can recite by heart - she won't want it for much longer...

I'm another compulsive book buyer, but have reluctantly had to accept that DS1 is never going to like the things I loved - can't ever see him being an "Anne of Green Gables" sort of boy!
LIZS, I agree absolutely about the social and practical skills - socks are a big thing here right now! TBH, I had no plan to teach DS2 to read, just bought the first Finger Phonics books to look at letter sounds as he was interested. But then he suddenly 'got' the blending and wanted me to 'spell' (sound out) everything for him. So I decided to teach him a bit more actively than I had done. But it's still only 10 minutes and not every day. His school does ORT so that will all be new. He also likes to do 'spelling' when DS1 does his spelling - scribbles on a page, coz he hasn't got the motor skills to form letters yet, while saying 'r-e-d' etc.
I feel like some of you others, particularly with my elder son now, that I just want my children to be able to get the tremendous pleasure from reading that I have got/do get.

I would like to get started with the JP stuff...although the list on Amazon and the website is exhausting....can anyone point me to a few key materials?
Also reading the recent research that JP learners were years ahead on reading terms years later...is it worth going thru the system for my 6 year old (yr 2) who can already read?

I'm doing JP with my 7 year old and my 4 year old. There is a little set of yellow books on Amazon - I think 7 in the set - doing the 40 sounds and it has a free book with it showing the words and the sound groups they belong to. I'm working through that slowly but surely......

I think the best thing to buy is the Teacher's Handbook for £20. You need to photocopy the sheets out of it, but I think it's really good value for money. Don't be put off by the fact that its a teachers handbook - its v straightforward and easy for a parent to use at home.

I am a big fan of JP, I've used it in the classroom and at home. The big difference I've seen is that when we intoduced it, on the whole, children became much more confident and enthusiastic about reading and writing when they follow the system.

My dd adored books from an early age and practically taught herself to read. I don't think I could have stopped her tbh! By the time she was 3.1/2 she was very fluent. I was a bit worried about her being bored at school but there were plenty of things apart from reading to keep her attention. There is just so much to cope with at first and I think that being able to do one thing well gave her a bit of confidence. One less thing to worry about!

We were lucky though, and the classroom assistant would take her to the yr 2 classroom at the end of the day to get a reading book to bring home. It sounds as though some schools aren't as helpful.

A quick update for anyone interested - started DD2 on jollyphonics -she loved it. She is now blending very well, we are also using the jollyphonics "Blending books" and she is picking out words in the books I read to her!
A very big thank-you to you all!!