How old were your kids when they learned to read?

[Chris in VA 17,797]

I mean fluently, not just readers with three letter words. How old were they when they were able to read without sounding out every word? (the sounding out every word stage is the most agonizing stage of the whole process for me. I taught myself how to draw while listening to my dd read)

 

My oldest dd was 4, while dd #2 was seven.

 

I'm just curious, not throwing stones at people who wait till later or anything like that.

 

dd-4

ds18-5

ds20-7

[Desert Rat 1,232]

My youngest is 7 and just about there. My oldest was 2.5. It was truly amazing and very scary. It's why we're homeschoolers now!

[athena1277 871]

My dd started reading well between 5.5 -6 years old. She started K and OPGTTR at 5.5yo and picked up reading pretty quickly. I knew she was reading well when she started reading signs everywhere we went.

[kmacnchs 10]

Okay, I'm not doubting anyone's word...I know there are lots of kids who read very early, but fluently per the definition of smooth reading, no choppiness or sounding out? At 3? Really? REALLY?

 

yup

 

I realize it's hard to believe. No one does that hasn't heard her read and once they do, many think it is a parlor trick and they get her a different book...:lol:

[AuntieM 43]

#1 - 3.5 yrs

#2 - 6 yrs

#3 - 7 yrs

#4 - 2.5 yrs

 

These are the ages they could read complete, somewhat-short sentences. Within the next year they were on to full, shorter books and hanging on for more complex read-alouds.

[AuntieM 43]

yup

 

I realize it's hard to believe. No one does that hasn't heard her read and once they do, many think it is a parlor trick and they get her a different book...:lol:

 

Our exact experience for our #4. Fortune cookies were always fun, because you could know for sure she'd not read the message before opening the cookie. Especially funny when she read aloud the little Chinese lesson on the flip side of the fortune...

[akmommy 17]

DD1- 6.5 (was in PS 1st grade)

DD2- 5- 5.5

DS- 6.75

[WiseOwlKnits 92]

My DD was almost 5. Just after her 5th birthday, she read her first 80-page chapter book by herself. Now she reads whatever she wants on her own...which currently are the 2nd grade Pathways readers.

[Mabelen 1,040]

I don't turn them over (only because it would pique my 7 year-old's curiosity); instead, I go through great pains to distract her from the magazine covers by having her help bag groceries or tend to her siblings while we're in line.

 

That was me too with my oldest around 4 1/2! I did put the newspapers out of her eye level at home though because she had started asking questions about news headlines she'd read on the first page and I didn't want her to worry about the crazy world we live in so young!!!

[tex-mex 178]

Four years old -- he loved picture books from the library. At the age of two and a half, he was reading sight words and numbers. Hubby was shocked one day (son was age 6) while on his knee as hubby was surfing the net for historical research... son blurted out, "What are the Phoenicians?" He had son read one major paragraph out loud and was surprised to have a discussion on the Ancient mariners with his son. LOL

 

HOWEVER... despite my son's prodigious burst of reading aptitude as a kiddo... now he is a teenager and not that thrilled about reading. He will read certain books (series) that strike his fancy (CS Lewis, mystery, humorous or funny) and of course, loves comic books. His standardized reading comp scores go beyond off the chart -- always did since he was a kid. (I never worried about this and tried to make books fun for him.) But didn't dive into the world of books as I expected -- like classic lit titles. Go figure. I love books. My hubby hates to read also but is very intelligent and prefers to discuss topics out loud in a round table discussion -- which I hate. LOL

Edited March 30, 2010 by tex-mex

[Mabelen 1,040]

Okay, I'm not doubting anyone's word...I know there are lots of kids who read very early, but fluently per the definition of smooth reading, no choppiness or sounding out? At 3? Really? REALLY?

 

That was the case with my first. I never ever heard her sound anything out, not even when she was just reading isolated words at age 2. I never taught her to read either, she just did it herself. All I did was read, read, read to her. I was planning on teaching her to read in Spanish around age 4 but again she beat me to it.

 

My youngest just got there now, she turned 6 last month. I have been doing phonics with her for about 9 months and she is beginning to transfer those skills to Spanish now too.

[Murphy101 32,375]

youngest reader was at 3, fluently reading.

oldest to be a fluent reader was right before he turned 9

[tex-mex 178]

From big to little mine were reading as described in the OP at 4yo, 7yo, 5yo, and 3yo. That precocious 3yo barely sounded out even at the beginning. She just read. Now at 4 she can read stuff like Magic Treehouse and her brothers' Captain Underpants.

 

My son LOVED Captain Underpants when he was in K/1!! ;)

[staceyobu 1,205]

My oldest was 4.5. My other two aren't reading yet although my two (almost three year old) knows most letters and some sounds.

[lovelearnandlive 1,887]

My oldest was fluent at 3.5. She started reading soon after she turned 3. Now at almost six she is reading at a 4th/5th grade level.

 

My youngest is 3.5 and learning her letters/letter sounds.

[kmacnchs 10]

Our exact experience for our #4. Fortune cookies were always fun, because you could know for sure she'd not read the message before opening the cookie. Especially funny when she read aloud the little Chinese lesson on the flip side of the fortune...

 

:lol::lol:that's funny!

 

I know it's supposed to be "good" for kids to memorize books but I get tired of hearing a book more than a couple of times so I go to the library A LOT so she will always have something new to read...so when people say, "yeah, right, she's just memorizing the same book", I am confused :001_huh: I forget some kids do that! (btw, I don't tell ANYONE she can read - my mom does, even though I tell her not to - crazy grandparents :))

[EKS 15,014]

9 for the older one and 3 for the younger one.

[newbie 304]

4 for both.

[KidsHappen 1,367]

Between 5-8. One child refused to even try until she was even 7 years old because she had overheard me talking to her father about the fact that some kids didn't learn until they were 8. So I guess she figured one year would be plenty of time to learn and therefore she didn't need to start until she was 7. Of course, the the next child had to follow suit but I think it really was challenging for her.

[Tap 12,893]

I guess my kids are some of the older ones. They learned to read in pre-k, cemented their skills in kindergarten. The really started reading fluently without sounding words out, and for pleasure in 1st/2nd grade. So, I would say 7yo-ish.

[qfbrenda 14]

ds#1 ~ 7.5yrs

 

ds#2 ~ 8 yrs

 

ds#3 ~ he's 8.5yrs and I'm still waiting for him to be fluent, though he sounds things out very well

[mcconnellboys 322]

Both boys, both were 7 before they were reading fluently. Both were in organized schools through K or first grades, and had not really learned to read there. Bringing them home and giving them daily practice was all it took (but they might not have read until this age, any way). Some kids just read later than others.....

[Guest]

This may seem weird, but I don't really know! My daughter could sight read a number of words quite early, but she was fiercely protective of her need/desire to have stories read to her only, because she DID NOT want her plot anticipations interrupted by sounding words out. She refused to do take-turn readings, have me put my finger under words, anything at all. I backed off when she could read beginning readers, around age 4.

 

Then when she was just turned six, her tape player broke midway through an Edith Nesbit book she was listening to; I think it was The Phoenix and the Carpet. She asked me to pick up reading in the actual book. I hadn't been listening to the recording and said I had no idea where to start. She picked up the 300 or so page book, flipped through a few pages, and said, "Here," pointing to a particular sentence. When we replaced the tape player the next day and she put the tape back in, that was indeed exactly, to the word, the place the tape had left off.

 

I figure that's reading fluently. How long she had been capable of that and just didn't let anyone know, is anyone's guess.

[rafgaf4 11]

My sons were 5.5, 6 and 5 when they could read and comprehend.

[NancyNellen 647]

#1ds - 5.5

#2dd - 4

#3dd - 6

#4ds - 6.5

[abbeyej 673]

3 and 5.

[Mommyof4ks 459]

My dd was 5, my youngest ds is nearly there at 4, and my middle ds is 6 and still struggling. The 6 yr old has some learning difficulties. He is mechanical, not academic at all. He will get there though.

[sassenach 13,426]

My 7.5yo just really took off in the last month. My oldest was 5. I'd guess that my youngest is going to be around 6.

[mktkcb 21]

Oldest (now 18), started learning at 5, fluent by 6

Middle (now 16, started learning at age 4, fluent by 5

Youngest (now 13), started learning at age 3, fluent by 4

 

mine were weird in that they got progressively younger.....and I really had nothing to do with it, it's just how they were wired :o).

[Liza Q 977]

#1 - 5

#2 - 7

#3 - 9

#4 - 8

 

#3 was a very late reader but she did catch up quickly - now she reads at about the level #2 did at the same age!

[Ester Maria 43]

Italian, 3-4, I remember they could both actually read before we moved to the US.

English, about a little before kindergarten, around 5 years old. First they had to pick up the language for the understanding to come, and then get used to it in the written form. By kindergarten they were quite comfortable for it to "flow".

Hebrew varied. Even if they could technically read in kindergarten, it took a few more years for it to become fluent, so I'd say 7-8 here, for both of them.

[juelle 10]

Anywhere from 5 to 8. I like bit of expression to show comprehension:)

[Alphabetika 21]

Oldest was 4 when she taught herself and she seemed to read fluently immediately.

 

Middle was about 6 and we used Phonics Pathways but she was reading well before we finished.

 

Youngest is chewing up her board books as I type this. We'll see what happens with her.;)

[abbeyej 673]

Okay, I'm not doubting anyone's word...I know there are lots of kids who read very early, but fluently per the definition of smooth reading, no choppiness or sounding out? At 3? Really? REALLY?

Yes. I know, lol, it's hard to picture. ;) But my oldest was like that. By his fourth birthday, he was reading chapter books. I remember trying to talk to the pediatrician about my food allergy concerns (he'd just gotten unexplained hives and I was worried -- rightly, as it turned out, since we were at the ER with anaphylaxis a month later), and the ped turned to ds, sitting in a corner reading a chapter book aloud, though quietly to himself, with inflection, and said, "He's reading on a 2nd grade level. What more do you want?!?"

 

I was a little taken aback. lol. I, um, wanted him to be healthy too? ;)

 

There was another time when ds was reading a picture book aloud to himself at a bookstore. A dad stopped and watched him for a second. Then pointed and said to me, "How old is he?" "Three." The man seemed disconcerted. Then relaxed, "Oh! He just memorized it." I should have held my tongue, but I couldn't help it. I blurted, "No, he's never seen that book before." roflol...

 

My daughter was five before she started reading fluently. But she was reading Ramona books (obsessively) and things like that very shortly after. I think by six she was reading as well as ds had at the same age, despite his earlier start. Both continue to be very strong readers and well above grade-level even now. Despite their different ages at beginning to read, I don't think one is more intelligent than the other. It mostly came down to interest. Ds intended to read at 3. Dd was perfectly happy not to. As older kids, I'd say dd's gifts are more language-oriented than ds's. Just saying, while I do think they're smart little cookies!, the age at beginning reading didn't indicate much about their strengths and talents later on.

Edited March 31, 2010 by abbeyej

[Tam101 10]

My oldest, she went to ps, struggled with her reading. She was enrolled in special reading classes until she was 8, but didn't start to enjoy reading until her teens.

 

My son loved books from birth. He was only a few days old the first time I showed him a book and he stopped his wiggling and he eyes popped open. He was hooked! There was no stopping him from learning. By the time he was 4 I realized I was doing him a disservices by not teaching him to read. At 5 he was ready for short chapter books.

[Lolly 4,667]

4, 10, 4, 7

[TracyR 71]

My oldest was not reading fluently until the age of 9 ,

My 2nd daughter who actually has eye issues read fluently by the age of 4.5

My third daughter is 6 and is just now reading fluently, and she has speech issues

and my 4th daughter is showing interest and is just sounding out words at the age of 3.5

 

Its amazing to see how all children are so different when they learn and when that light bulb comes on for each and every one of them.

[babysparkler 12]

Especially funny when she read aloud the little Chinese lesson on the flip side of the fortune...

:lol:

[JenC3 63]

Dd taught herself to read the alphabet before 2, but we held her reading back until 4. I got all Waldorfy and didn't want her to learn, but she was obviously beginning to teach herself. She did 100 EZ lessons in like 2 months and by 4.5 she was reading level 2-3 books without trouble. Ds is turning 4 and wants to learn so we are starting OPGTR next week. He knows all his letters sounds and 2/3 of the alphabet so I expect he will be reading by 4.5-5.

[Sputterduck 17]

Reading well at 4, fluently at 5

[MaMa2005 21]

Fluently reading and comprehending at age 4.

[ereks mom 461]

:)

[newlifemom 187]

Can I just say how very envious I am of those of you who have little self-taught readers? Sigh. I really hate teaching phonics...

 

:iagree: I only read the first five pages but had to comment on this post. Ugh! It feels good to say that I have taught 3 children to read, but what torture! The kids used to joke how I would sit on the couch and fall asleep! One more to go and she is a real quick one for math but hasn't really wanted to read and only occasionally asks for lessons. I make it a point not to push if they don't want to be pushed. She just turned 4.

 

So 1st dd, read chapter books like American Girl fluently by 6. She was reading well w/little choppiness (sp?) at 5 1/2 but I'd say with comprehension 6. Ds, really took off at 6 1/2, almost 7. 2 Dd was off and running at 5 1/2.

[mycalling 26]

Both oldest boys at 6 1/2. The oldest couldn't blend till he turned 6 and the second was reading before 4, but saw his older brother hurt when he did so he "forgot" for a couple of years. I didn't even bother trying again until he was almost 6 after it became clear he was stubbornly "forgetting."

 

My twins were reading 3-letter words this year at 4, but I'm not really worried about it...we might work on it more now that they've just turned 5...might not. We start "school" at 6 here, no rush.

[1GirlTwinBoys 815]

My twin boy's were 4 and DD 5. I taught all of them to read at the same time.:001_smile:

[Pamela H in Texas 2,237]

My daughter was reading small chapter books (Charlotte's Web, for example) soon after turning 3.

 

My son was 9 before he could do much reading and was 11 before he was comfortable enough to do it any real amount.

Edited March 31, 2010 by 2J5M9K
spelling! lol

[asta 309]

I didn't have to teach kid to read (thank goodness) - I think I would have been the world's worst reading teacher. I just read to him constantly. He was reading words around 2 1/2 and I just found a video of him reading packages out of his Easter basket at 3. I can't remember "books" per se, because right after that, we moved to Germany and he started in a German school (where formal reading is not until 6).

 

We moved again, and I know he started reading in French at around 5-6.

 

I have papers from that time (3-6) that are written in English, so I guess he read something somewhere. Dang, now I feel like a schmuck.

 

 

a

[Laura Corin 40,829]

Both of mine were four. I suspect that Calvin actually could read before then but didn't let on. They were both reading Harry Potter at five.

 

Laura

[lllll 3,992]

Our ds's weren't reading fluently until they were 11-12yo. Our dd's were about 6-8yo before they were reading fluently.

[Pamela H in Texas 2,237]

How do you define reading fluently? I define it as giving them a book to read completely independently and expecting full comprehension and retention.

 

I concur :) I think a small chapter book counts. Where my daughter was doing the traditional first classics, my son did Captain Underpants (thanks to suggestions on this board). Whatever you can use to get them reading!

 

Originally Posted by BikeBookBread View Post

Okay, I'm not doubting anyone's word...I know there are lots of kids who read very early, but fluently per the definition of smooth reading, no choppiness or sounding out? At 3? Really? REALLY?

 

All kids are different. Some pick up the skill earlier than others. Some pick it up later. It's really like anything else.

 

*My daughter's first words were at 5months old. My son finally said momma at 22months.

*My daughter rolled over minutes after birth (talk about a surprised nurse). My son did it at exactly 12months old.

*My daughter took the training wheels off her bike on her 3rd birthday. My son had the training wheels folded up, but not off(!), from ages 3 to 5. My friend's children were still not riding bikes at 12.

*My daughter learned to read (from sounding out cvc words to chapter books) in a few months right at 3 years old. My son could read a few words at two but wasn't reading decently til 9 or 11 depending on how you look at it.

*My daughter started Algebra at 7. My son started at 13 then backed up and will start back at 15 (he had the skills prior to Algebra but hasn't been ready for Algebra). By 15, my daughter was at the college for math, finishing through Calc II and Stats by 16.

 

All kids are just so different. I guess because I've had one that was early for everything and had one that was late for a lot and known kids late on other stuff, I just more easily accept (?) how different kids are?

 

Yesterday, I worked in a 6th grade class. I taught them something new. Some kids picked it up in a snap and were able to finish the whole lesson. Other kids did fine WITH me, but weren't confident to go out on their own. I eventually assigned only 8 problems for the majority of the class (do more if you have time) so as not to frustrate them.

Edited March 31, 2010 by 2J5M9K