Do I reduce dd2's expectation or how do I help her reach her goal

[3duracellbunnies]

Dd2 has said since the begining of reception that she wants to be a free reader by the begining of yr1. Her sister middle of yr2 has recently become a free reader (seems to be around ort 13/14), so it's not as if I am used to hothousing my children. She is currently on yellow (ort3), we only read her two reading books once a week. She is reading quite a few words without sounding out, but she still has a long way to go. I know that at least one child in dd1 class started in the jan not able to read and was free reader by the sept, so not unheard of in the school.

The thing is it doesn't really bother me when she becomes a free reader (within reasonable limits), and I don't want to put her off reading, but at the same time I don't want her to have this goal and for me to crush her dreams and tell her she won't make it, though not sure how she will react if she doesn't make it. I have told her that it is very hard to get to free reader by begining of yr1, and that we would need to read once or twice every day, she still wants to do it. She has just turned 5. Any advice?

I should say that I don't care about the status of free reader at all, but obviously I would like her to at some point be able to read fluently.

She currently seems to understand everything about a story when she reads and she is in the top half of reception for phonics - not sure where exactly, this is her opinion based on which group she is in, she says she is stage (?phase) 3, if that means anything. Basically how remote a possiblity is it that she will get to free reader in her self-imposed timescale, and do I try to reduce her expectations?

Read with her more often, read lots of different things and play games with words. My daughter loves making words, playing with words, reading, anything to do with words and she hasn't started school yet.

Blimey! I'm a lecturer at a prestigious university and I am shocked and awed by what my students have managed to cram in by the time they are 18. Now I see how they manage it!

Sorry, being a little bit flippant. Could it be more like wanting to be like big sis or a bit of sibling rivalry rather than a stated ambition?

I reckon I'd encourage her to read across her own environment - labels, notices, headlines, non-school books etc to divert her from the idea that there's one way of doing things and one measure of success. You could show her that she is, in fact, already a 'free reader' because she can read real words in the real world. It's a different measure of success but it could be one that's all her own and might divert her a bit.

It's possible to force her pace if she wants you to and you're up for it but you're still going to have to get past her teacher who might have other ideas for her progress and may indeed want her to prioritise other aspects of learning.

That said, I don't know your daughter and you do: it might not do her any harm to have to reassess her own goals while she's still young enough to forget it if she's disappointed. On the other hand, she might well succeed and who's to say that's a bad thing? Good luck keeping up over the next 13 years!

Undoubtably it is because her sister wanted to become a free reader, dd1 didn't even know about them when she started school. She is a child though who likes a goal and a challenge, from the little things to the big things (since she was 3 she has wanted to be a doctor who helps mummies have babies, though she would settle for Queen(have tried to quash that one)). She usually achieves her goals too as she can be quite determined, just not sure I can fulfill my side of bargain having younger ds too(as soon as she sits and reads he wants to as well), and a fairly hectic after school programme - dd1 likes to do the minimum homework and then go out and do activities. Will bear in mind the precident for next 13yrs though.

Think will try to do more with her but not too much. School seem to progress them quickly if they think appropriate, and dd1 did go up 2 stages in 2 weeks once, but she had found it a motivational stuggle learning to read, so never read much each week.

I would try to read with her for at least a short while each day. Her sister or other family members could read with her too. I would read sign posts, sauce bottles etc every chance you get. We have the ELC magnetic letter desk and ds loves making short (and not so short) words. As long as she learns that reading is fun.

I had never heard of the term " free reader" until I joined Mumsnet.