Can your child starting reception in Sept read/write?

[puddymuddles]

Just that really. DD was 4 in April and isn't interested and I haven't pushed it especially as I have a 2 year old and a newborn and haven't got time! She is happy and healthy and her speech is really good, she loves playing fantasy games and making up stories.

I was not bothered until now but have spoken to a few parents and their DCs can all read or at least recognize all letters and sounds of letters together. Or are they all exaggerating?

I think the most important thing is DD is happy and kind and enjoys school but don't want her to be the only one who is behind. or am I being silly?

My DC started YR last September. DC had been at a nursery attached to a different school so had learnt some phonics and was starting to read short words like 'cat'. When he started YR he was way ahead of the rest of the class and spent YR re-doing all he had done at nursery. I think OP's child will be at the same level as the majority of the class. Dressing, undressing, meeting own loo needs and recognising name written down are most important. Stick your child's name up in large letters on the wall near their bed this week and she will recognise it by time she starts school.

DS (now going into yr6 - Aug born) could recognise his name before starting reception and that was it.

DD (going into yr3) could read & write very well before starting reception.

Both I think are normal

DS - End of August baby - going into Year 6 couldn't write his own name or recognise letters.

DD - July baby could write her own name but no more.

DD july baby couldn't read a thing and could barely write her name- now in y2 and flying

DS January baby not remotely interested in reading or writing at the beginning of reception. Just finished y1 and is now reading Roald Dahl etc. I help to listen to the kids at school readings and whether they could read or not at the beginning of reception seems to have little bearing on where they are at the end. Much the same with writing I'd say.

Dd could read before reception, ds can read a tiny bit now and he is moving into year 1. They are at opposite ends of normal. I wouldn't stress.

My DD, starting reception in sept, great with speech, can write name/surname, write/recognise numbers and letters but mixes up the usual b d p q or writes some backwards and can draw quite well but hasn't even started trying to read.
More importantly, she can use the loo and put her own shoes on.

Mine is a November baby he has done 2 years in a fairly academic pre school. He knows all individual letter phonic sounds and some easier ones such as ch, th, sh, ay, qu, nk, ng, air and can read quite a bit BUT this interest comes and goes and pre school have said he can do it when he chooses and this worries me more, I would be less worried if if he knew less tbh

Maths wise he can recognise on paper up to 200 and put in order higher and lower and do simple math and subtraction but again when he can be bothered to join in.

Writing can just about do his own name but other than that is totally not interested!

Hoping school will make him join in better and make it seem less of a a chore as pre school seem to have done (my next won't be going to same pre school even though nearest)

LOL at some of these 'academic pre-schools'.

My very bright dd and equally bright DS (yes, I've said it, they're bright, how un-british of me) couldn't read or write when they went into reception. They could recognise letters (mainly from a spot the dog alphabet puzzle they both loved) and they could count outloud but that was it.

They could make a mess, watch Peppa pig, argue about anything and everything, mostly live on fish fingers and wear the most eye-wateringly bad outfits when they chose themselves, pretty standard 4 year old fare.

Your parenting style sounds ideal and I'm sure your dc will be happier for it. Once my dc started school the one thing I was consistent was listening to them read every night. It's a bit painful (I'm a teacher so I should be more tolerant than most but gawd it was boring) but the most worthwhile thing you can do I think. Ignore the 'Alphonse could read at 2yrs' lot, children who are very far ahead at the beginning of reception are rarely very far ahead by the end of the year, they all catch up and even out.

My DD (4 end of august) can recognise and write her name and recognises a few other letters too.

I know DDs teacher socially, and she has told me that it's quite annoying when the children come in September already 'knowing' the alphabet ect as it's normally wrong and it's harder to correct it than just tech it a first time if that makes sense?

The only thing I ensured my DC could read and write before they started school was their own name.

They were not hampered at all.

DS started last September, he was one of the youngest. He could write his name but not well and could recognise some letters. He picked up reading really quickly and is exceeding expectations. His writing isn't great but has improved hugely and is at an expected level. We prepared a lot more with DS1 as he was the oldest is his year and more interested so could recognise all the letters and had started to read when he started school. He coasted for ages while the others learnt the letters and he didn't make much progress. He's the best reader in his year now so it might have helped but reception was very frustrating.

Interesting to read all the replies!

Spiderman your post cheers me up a lot. 'Alphonse could read at 2' very funny!

I will continue being uncompetitive. The only thing I may do is try to get her to recognise her own name.

Libraries I have heard from someone in real life that some parents do indeed look through book bags. In fact another Mum I randomly got talking to told me she had seen that a child in her DCs reception class was still in nappies as she saw one in his bag!! I wondered why she was looking!!

Let your kids follow their interests and be happy.

But - please don't be snobbish about parents whose kids do want to learn stuff at preschool age. It's not pushy and competitive if it's what the child wants to do, and it's certainly not if they just happen to have landed in a more academic nursery.

Ignore the 'Alphonse could read at 2yrs' lot, children who are very far ahead at the beginning of reception are rarely very far ahead by the end of the year, they all catch up and even out.
Hmm, maybe because they're left to coast while the others catch up, like toptomatoes' son? I wonder if this will happen so much with a baseline assessment.

My friends Dd was reading on entry to reception. My dd wasn't. But when my dd started reception she was ready to start learning. At the end of Y1 she is a fantastic reader, and has spent the summer so far reading all of the Malory Towers books. I do not believe that all children who read on entry to reception are destined to stay ahead, even if they are challenged. There are many things to be busy learning and exploring through play, and if one child gets to reading later than another then that is fine - they will be developing other skills. My son can't read yet. He makes fantastic 3d models. He is a November baby and I think he may be up for reading at school. And who knows at what speed he will 'get' reading. I Just hope he ends up loving it at least half as much as my dd does.

My 4 year old can't read or write yet. She can recognise some letters and make a passable attempt at writing her name but that's it. What's the rush? They're supposed to learn these skills at school, fair enough if a child shows some interest in learning before starting school but I suspect a lot of it is down to competitive parenting.

My dd (sept baby) can read a fair few words, she's covered the first sounds at nursery so can sound out words made from those. She can write a lot and asks me to spell out words she doesn't know.
But, she's almost 5. And she's hugely interested in it, she's been 'writing' (as in pretending) for 3 years+.

My ds (also sept born) had not the slightest interest and could hardly hold a pen properly before he started school, let alone write anything. He could sort of write his name, but probably only I would have recognised it!!
They're all different and will progress differently. It'll be fine!

Some can some can't. My eldest could write her name and read and write some words before starting school, my youngest recognises her name and a lot of letters but is nowhere near where her sister was, but I'm pretty sure by the time they do their GCSEs noone will care nor remember.

DD can recognise her name and can make an attempt at writing it. She can count but can't recognise numbers - it's hit and miss.

She can dress and undress, put things on that are inside out, wipe her bum - I think these are more important. Just need to get her to sit still for 10 minutes now!

catkind I agree that a child who is really interested in reading before school should be encouraged!

Rhinos I am working on the dressing and undressing as we still have issues with buttons, zips and tights (foot gets stuck). DD is good at sitting still (not like her hyper 2 year old sister) and toileting is OK now she has seen that the school toilets are low doen unlike public toilets which she refuses to use as they are high and have no step (so have to take potty out still for her and younger sister!)

*low down

My summer born boy has generally been on the late side of normal with his milestones - walking, potty training, etc. He starts reception next month and isn't interested in writing at all, but he can recognise his own name written down. He's also not great at using a fork, dressing himself, wiping his own bum, etc, which I'm more worried about than the reading side. He's quite social, though, and quite resilient when it comes to stuff like a kid being mean in the park. I think he'll most likely be alright. Bite hard not to worry when you have FB friends posting about their kids (a year younger) having to get the second set of readingbooks, but I try not to succumb to the madness - he's just 4!

Totally agree with other posters that they all start at different points - just like they do with all the other mile stones. DD was a really late crawler and walker but she manages just fine now! Interesting topic though.

DD starts reception in September and can read stories and write her own name and simple, one syllable words. I really enjoyed teaching her to read and so did she. As a previous poster mentioned, for us it all started with her speech therapy as she was having trouble with 'f' and 's.' She then wanted to know about the other sounds so we had fun with jolly phonics on you tube. I am a secondary English teacher so this was all new to me but like everything else I just followed her interesrs and found out.

But worried now though to be honest after reading some of the comments on here about parents teaching them the 'wrong' way. We have used synthetic phonics, a set of Chip and Kipper books from a friend and more recently, just lots of stories she chose herself from the Usborne first readers in the library. Is that the 'wrong' way?!????

Good luck to all our amazing little people in September!

Neither of my dc could but dd is now way ahead of her class and has beautiful cursive handwriting and great reading skills. Read, read, read to your dd, look at books together. It all falls into place much more easily if they have had lots of exposure to books.

Ds 4, can recognise name, spell name, and count
Just getting interested in letters, no chance he'll be reading an writing by sept
He'll learn when he's taught
Nursery and school have been keen to point out to all parents it's a nice to have but that self care is far more important as rest will level when they get further info formal education