4.2 year old DC2 interested in reading

[MintChocAddict]

DC2 is 4 and very keen on letters. Has known alphabet for last year or so and can give many examples of different words starting with each letter of the alphabet. Is now starting to ask what words in his books say.

This is all new to me as DC1 had no interest at all at that stage so went off to school with no real input from me re: letters/reading etc.

I did a bit of sounding out of simple words at bedtime story tonight as he pointed at them- Mum, bat, cat etc and he seemed to get it. My concern is whether I should even be doing this with him or should I wait for him to go to school next year? In Scotland so will start next August.

Other concern is that he is more keen on pronouncing the alphabet in the traditional form e.g. Ay, bee, cee, dee instead of ah, bi, ki, di and am worried that this will confuse him when he starts phonics in P1.

Any early years/primary teachers still up to advise?

Thanks.

I am not a teacher but I did get the Jolly phonics DVD and songs which he adored and then someone gave me some very basic level books which he could read before school.

No idea as he is one child who reading has come easily too but it seemed to work for him

Do whatever DC2 is happy with. Ds started reading before school. He was always interested in letters, and could identify them really early. I taught him how to say the letters in a word phonetically, then say them without the gaps (I told him to squeeze them together and read out a word to show him) and he got it. 'th...' words are the same but I explained how these 2 letters worked together. He started reading Mr Men books and then he moved onto joke books and was reading Roald Dahl by the time he started school. I let him go at his own pace though, I think that's vital.

DD was an early reader. She got a bit confused between phonic and proper alphabet but I explained to her the difference and she seemed to get it.

Thanks all. Think I'll just follow his lead then and maybe look at some jolly phonics stuff.
I remember that from when DC1 started school although he wasn't quite so keen!

My DD was reading before she started school. The school will be able to cope with early readers

Every child is different

Please teach him the phonic sounds not the alphabet letter names

My DD is 3.9 and has been learning the alphabet, and phonics at nursery. Every day she wants to read, tell me the name of the letter and the sound, write things, and tell the time.
I'm just going with the flow and making sure she understands that the phonics bit is how to work out (mostly) what a word says.