How well can your 4 year old read?

[oftenpurple]

I'm a bit upset as have been told that my 4 year old is 'behind' with her reading and phonics blending and will therefore require learning support. All in note home .

Just as a general idea, how well and what can your 4 year old read? I thought she was doing really well as she can recognise all the tricky words that have been sent home as well as attempting to sound out all of the letters in her reading books. Phonics blending was brand new to her in September but she seems to have the general idea.

I will be asking her teacher tomorrow where the gaps are exactly and what I should be doing to fill those. Don't get me wrong I'm very firmly on the 'she's 4 and is fine' bench and as certain mums in our class have displayed PFB tendencies, I don't want to talk about it with the class mums yet.

Thanks for your insight

ds2 (5 at end of Jan, started reception in Sep).
Knew about 1/3 of alphabet when started school, probably knows most of it now.
Can blend simple CVC words - doesn't know them, but if asked to sound them out will do, C-A-T ... cat.
Can spell simple CVC words if you emphasise the sounds to him, and just knows a few (cat etc).
Can read and spell his name, and his brothers name (both 4-letter words).
Probably sight-recognises a few words (mummy and tesco come to mind!) but I wouldn't think many.
He could sound out the letters in his reading books, but I don't bother - unless he can transform those sounds into words (ie at the moment CVC words) I just don't see the point in sounding out the letters, and he won't be able to blend longer words until he has all the phonemes - which they haven't started doing yet.

ds1 at the same age was just about to start school, and was probably level 3 ORT. But he is and always has been a sight-reader.

I would say ds1 was advanced and ds2 is slightly above average - not necessarily in terms of reading, but in IQ levels,

From your post your dd appears to be doing fine - so see what the teacher says.

You are right not to discuss with other mums, opens a whole can of worms/competitiveness, talk to us instead

DS started learning his jolly phonic letters in reception, which he enjoyed. Every couple of weeks we had a reading book, which he refused to read, I let him for a while and continued reading to him. In the summer term the teacher said he was reading very well at school (blending and simple sentences). Now, in Y1 he still is a reluctant reader, but reads Rigby Star Blue (and the levels around it) quite fluently. At home he likes to read ORT Read at Home (L3) fluently, but is reluctant to move to L4 - he says its too hard?

Isn't age 4 quite early to learn to read if they are not initiating it? Your DS seems fine from what you say. It seems though that schools are different in their approach. Some change reading books several times per week in YR and others don't start their phonics programme until Jan or later.

It would be interesting to hear what the teacher says.

Neither of my children could read at age four. My eldest is nearly seven and has only just learnt how to read and write in the last three months in school, as is normal in the Belgium system.

Four years old is too early for many children, and forcing them at this age is only likely to put them off education.

DS1 was reading fluently at 4. Most of his peers caught up by the end of year 2.

DD could not read at all entering school, but did know all the basic letters and phonics. She was reading pretty well by the time she left reception aged 5 and 7mths. She now reads as well as her big brother.

DS2 is 5yrs and 2mths and is reading sentences of 5 or six phonic words nicely. He started school in September knowing all his alphabet names and the basic alphabet sounds, but could not read.

I think he is probably average in his class.

It usually all averages out.

DD is 4, she will be 5 in February. She has been in FT school since April, but we are in Wales and they don't really push reading in Reception.

She isn't a PFB, she is my NTB (Neglected Third Born).

We realised that she could read during the summer holidays, I think he older brothers have been "teaching" her. She can now read simple books, roughly around ORT Level 2 I would say.

She knew all of her letters before she started school. She can spell fairly simple words quite accurately (things like cat, dog etc) and has a go at longer words. Her teacher says that she is doing "very well" and she is put in a little group of older ones to do reading etc as they are ahead of some of the class.

DS2 (who is now 6) could read in Reception too, probably at roughly the same level at the same age, but didn't write as well as she does so I don't know if he could spell as well as her.

DS1 (who is now 8) couldn'r read at all in Reception, he didn't start reading or writing properly until he was in Year 1 aged almost 6.

DS1 and DS2 are both at the top end of their classes now, especially for reading. So it all evens out in the end, late starters catch up and often pass those who started early.

I certainly wouldn't worry about your DD, she sounds just fine to me! There is often a lot of pressure to read early, but there is no point pushing it if the child isn't ready IMO.

DS flatly refused to read or write till he was half way through year 2
he's caught up since
and how
worry not.
teachers are obsessed with narrowing the bell curve of learning levels but our children stubbornly distribute themselves evenly along it.

I am a bit [shocked] about the note from your school as your DD sounds very similar to to my DS1 (who is 4.6) and neither me or the school are worried about him.

He can easily recognise the 9 tricky words he has had to learn so far, can recognise other common words that he comes across such as his name, his brothers name, Thomas - he even recognised Mr Bump the other day when there was no picture of Mr Bump in sight!!

He can do all the single phonic sounds but is not sounding out words yet (afaik) and recognises all the alphabet letters.

But, his teacher did say that they only send reading books home when they feel each pupil is ready and the aim is that they need to be reading books (however basic) by the end of the school year so still got 2 terms to go. When we had parents evening in November, the teacher said that out of 40+ reception pupils, only 5 had reading books already so your DD does not seem out of the ordinary to me!!

A four year old with a total of 12 weeks (at the most!) school career is unlikely to be 'behind'. They are just being a four year old, developing at their own rate, and getting used to the new environment of school.
The Foundation stage is supposed to support each child in their individual learning, not label them before they are half way through the year! Unless there is a specific problem which is causing your child to struggle or be worried about school, then I wouldn't worry.
Sounds like she is about the same as my 4yr old DS. I would definitely talk to the teacher as you may have been sent a standard school letter. You should get more personal information that way.
HTH

Thanks everyone - have calmed down a bit after talking with two very wise women (Mum and Gran) about it. Mum has had a child of every variety due to her amazing ability to reproduce :) and assures me DD is completely fine.

DS has had a completely different school experience to DD so far. I really appreciate everyone's replies, very insightful and it sounds like DD is doing just fine. I will pursue with the teacher tomorrow and see what she says. It was a standard letter home rather than anything to us personally about DD.

I felt very smug as my children could read before they started school. By the end of the second year most of the other children had caught up. I'd stick with your she's 4 and she's fine attitude and not worry. Unless there is a real problem, children do learn to read.

My child is closer to five than four and he can't read at all. He can recognise almost all of the letters though and he can write his name. That is it.

I'm grateful that I'm not in the UK where I would have had to send him to school anyway. At least where I am he can have an extra year to catch up before I send him to school.

I think it's the absolute necessity that all children be ready for school at just four that makes parents expect so much (and be disappointed) when their child develops at a slightly slower rate.

DS2 who is 5 in March can't read and I know it bugs the teacher who would love to have them all reading, but heck, he's 4 and I'm so not worried about him. DD could read before reception and DS1 picked it up quickly, but DS2 is more interested in playing right now, and I'm with him on that. He'll learn soon enough. He knows all his phonics sounds and can recognise letters but doesn't blend at all and only recognises his name. He's still bloody awesome in my books

DS is five in May and started reception in September. He knew all his letters and sounds when he started, and has since progressed very rapidly with reading entirely because he is currently obsessed with reading and reads everything and everywhere he can. Some of his friends are like him, some are still learning their letter sounds, but the teacher seems entirely unconcerned (in the best possible way!).

I am a teacher and I would be perfectly happy with your child after 1 term at school. If she recognises tricky words and is sounding out words in her reading books then she is doing better than half my class!
Very odd for them to send a letter like that home rather than talking to you -be interesting to see what the teacher has to say for herself tomoro -good luck!

oftenpurple, it sounds very ott to send a letter like that home about a 4 year old. What sort of school is it?!

fwiw, DS didn't start reading until he was nearly 6 and the school have been very laid back about it and saw it as normal. He's doing really well now and flying through the book levels.

My 4 yr old?

She's at nursery! She recognizes some of her letters, knows a few phonic basics, can write two letters of her own name and a couple of others.

I'm assuming yours is in Reception, but still....they're just starting all that, surely?! dd1 couldn't read at all till she started Reception, and could maybe read a few words by this stage - she was just beginning to 'get' the decoding. She's now in Y2 and one of the best readers in her year - I honestly wouldn't worry for a second about levels at 4 yrs old

ps in fact, dd1's friend, who was here this afternoon, couldn't really read at all until towards the end of Y1. She's now above average in Y2 - catching up, and more.

Schools that don't recognize the variety of utterly normal 'start times' in reading really me, tbh.

DS (4.8) knows the sounds of all of the letters of the alphabet but does get letters mixed up b and d for example. he recognises probably about 15-20 words and can sound out simple words that he doesn't know.

Don't worry, they are very young. Don't compare.It isn't a race!

Our school hasn't even started sending out books for Reception children or even giving homework, bar some colouring and copying writing cursive letters which they never check.

My DD can read basic books at home but is still doing phonics sounds at school. For now, I just trust that the school have a plan but if the pace doesn't pick up this term, I'll raise it at the parent-teacher meeting.

The letter sounds completely OTT in my opinion but then again maybe we're the ones who are off base.

we have been in the states so ds has missed the first year of school and out here they don't start til 6 so when we get back i am hoping he will pick it up quickly.

I've slept on it and had a good think this morning about how to discuss with DD's teacher. We are abroad but in a British curriculum school. I've found some parents to be very competitive in Reception, which hasn't been my experience with my son although he joined the school in Y2 so maybe I just got lucky and missed it all the first time around .

I wanted to check that I wasn't off base with my assumptions about where DD should be before I did anything more.

I went through some old threads about phonics and reading in Reception and got some useful advice there. Drop off is the very worst time to approach the teacher so will hang around at pick up to see her.

And do remember when reading threads on here that all mumsnet children are above average!