Ready to move up reading band?

[Bitlost]

DD is 4, youngest in her reception class. She has not been bringing reading scheme books yet apart from the odd ones with tricky words she could not decode. All a bit random. She showed strictly no interest.

After reading the various reception reading threads on mumsnet over Christmas, I bought her Julia Donaldson's Songbirds level 1+ books. She likes them, reads all the words after sounding each letter and understands what she is reading. By no means does she sounds fluent though. She really sounds out each word even if they appear several times in the story.

Is she ready to move bands? I am in no hurry - just want to get it right.

Thank you in advance.

I'd say no, if she has to sound out every words and even repeated ones.
There should be a few tricky words in a book to make it challenging enough, but sounding out every word to me would suggest she needs to move down a level?
Mind you, I'm no expert and my 4yo has also just started YR last September; but it's quite easy to tell when a book is too hard, too easy or just right for him just by the way he reads.

Have you tried telling her that she doesn't need to sound out words if she can read them? My ds (also 4) started reading much more fluently when his teacher explained this to him.

It sounds like she still needs more practice on that level. Remember, it doesn't just have to be books- use magnetic letters to make words like 'dog', or write 'secret messages' on a whiteboard for her to read. Silly things like drawing a cat and writing 'Is it a dog?' She can then try writing 'yes' and 'no' answers.

if they are just books you are reading at home then it doesn't matter if you get it wrong and try a harder book and she isn't ready for it, just if you try a harder one then say she can do a page and you do a page or something.

however if she needs to sound out all the words then I agree she isn't ready to move up.

DD2 reads some words fluently because she has obviously come across them a lot so recognises them, she sounds out some out loud and others she sounds out in her head. sometimes she will read a word on 3 pages but on the 4th she will have to sound it out, it is all very hit and miss at this age.

My DS is nearly six and only really seems to be getting a grasp of reading!! He would stumble over the word 'the' no matter how many times it appeared. He got support from the school and is much better now, it partly seems to be about confidence!

I'd just keep doing reading at home and not stress too much about bands and levels says she who was googling book bands yesterday!!.