When did your kids begin to read?

[Remudamom]

My two oldest were reading at four..........the last three were late, late. They were'nt good readers until eight.

 

And you know what? It makes no difference, so if any of you young mama homeschoolers are worrying about your children's reading, relax. Nine times out of ten there is no problem.

[milovany]

My two oldest were reading at four..........the last three were late, late. They were'nt good readers until eight.

 

And you know what? It makes no difference, so if any of you young mama homeschoolers are worrying about your children's reading, relax. Nine times out of ten there is no problem.

 

:iagree:

 

Some of mine read at 5, some at 6-7, one at 8. NO difference -- they are all avid readers today. And, um, I didn't teach any of them to read after the first one (and instruction was pretty casual with him). Seriously, I rarely, ever sat down and did Official Reading Lessons with any of the next four. The two youngest are not at reading age yet.

 

ETA - Apologies if that seemed like a brag. It wasn't. Just a belief that *usually* kids can naturally figure reading out on their own. Just like they learned to speak without speaking lessons. :tongue_smilie:

Edited August 3, 2010 by milovaný

[mktkcb]

Oldest to youngest, 5,4, and 3. they are now 19,17, and 13, and the one who learned to read the earliest dislikes reading the most overall. So there you go. But he's a boy with a few minor spd issues, so ....... figures.

[Scarlett]

My two oldest were reading at four..........the last three were late, late. They were'nt good readers until eight.

 

And you know what? It makes no difference, so if any of you young mama homeschoolers are worrying about your children's reading, relax. Nine times out of ten there is no problem.

 

I only have one.....he was reading at 4...and he continues to excel as a reader.

 

I too believe it doesn't make much difference in the long run...just a bit of momma brag to say your kid was reading at 4. (but then I have to admit he wasn't pt until age 3 1/2......)

[Food4Thought]

My 6 (almost 7) year old has *just* started really getting it! Last week, he read Nate the Great to me. I was so incredibly proud. :D

 

I think reading interesting books out loud to him kept his interest far more than the various reading programs we had tried. I'd actually given up trying to "teach" him to read. If he tried to read a word, I'd tell him the various sounds of the letter combinations and move on with my day. All of a sudden, he's reading everything around him - signs, cereal boxes, books, etc.

[milovany]

My 6 (almost 7) year old has *just* started really getting it! Last week, he read Nate the Great to me. I was so incredibly proud. :D

 

I think reading interesting books out loud to him kept his interest far more than the various reading programs we had tried...

 

The most effective lesson I remember with the almost 8 year old that I did do reading lessons with was re-writing chapters from his favorite chapter book of the time (into shorter, easier text). This is what finally kicked it up a notch for him -- he wanted to read because it was the stories he already loved.

[Liz CA]

My son was in PS for the first 5 years of school. He was a slow reader and did not read really fluently until early 3rd grade. I worked with him at home every evening because I was in a panic that he couldn't read as well as I remembered reading at this age.

Don't know if homeschooling would have made any difference or if he just took longer.

[myfunnybunch]

Dsd, 17: Age 7. She's now an avid reader and has written several novels.

DD, 14: Age 5.

 

The boys began to read at early 4, mid-4 and just-5 respectively.

 

Cat

[jld]

First two, 7 1/2 and 7. Ds8 still doesn't read, though he seems to recognize a few words. It'll happen at some point.

[Pretty in Pink]

Four and six. I've only got two readers thus far.

[Laura Corin]

Calvin started to let on that he could read on his fourth birthday. He took off so fast though that I suspect that he could read before then but was keeping quiet about it. Hobbes asked to learn to read when he was 4 1/2, and was a fluent reader within a few months. Both are avid readers.

 

Laura

[Laura Corin]

 

I too believe it doesn't make much difference in the long run...just a bit of momma brag to say your kid was reading at 4. (but then I have to admit he wasn't pt until age 3 1/2......)

 

And the Harry Potter didn't happen until he was five.

 

I don't think that reading early necessarily makes you a better reader later on, but it does give you more time to read. Calvin (though I say it myself) has an extraordinary cultural background through the fiction and non-fiction that he has read. I think that starting early has helped with that, as has a fact-seeking personality.

 

Laura

[akmommy]

Oldest DD was about 6 1/2

Younger DD took of with reading just after her 5th B-day

DS was about 6 3/4

[elegantlion]

My ds was about 8 1/2. Still not an avid reader, but loves to be read to.

[Pamela H in Texas]

I guess part of it depends on your definition of "reading."

 

Based on *my* definition, I had an early bird and a late bloomer. My daughter was reading chapter books just after 3 years old. My ds was into double digits before he did. Such is life. We just kept plugging along.

 

I do encourage mamas to relax in this world where everything gets labeled problematic, but you know your kids also. Additionally, your peace of mind (and the child's!) is worth something. It is perfectly okay to do evals or programs despite what the homeschool community often seems to tout.

 

ETA: and if this is in relation to the Doman thread? My ds may be doing well academically now (almost straight A's on level), there is a lot of baggage that went with reading late (and other similar issues). 90 seconds to 10 minutes a day to have a possibility of *not* having that issue? No doubt! Additionally, I see a lot of other positives to Doman and no real negatives as long as it doesn't become hothousing.

Edited August 3, 2010 by 2J5M9K

[lynn]

Do you mean reading because they leanred to sound out words or actually reading a book and comprehending what they are reading? Sounding out words for my 3 boys was about age 4/4.5. Really reading and comprehending, they were closer to 5.

 

My oldest had no formal sit down lessons just rockin phonics and reader rabbit. DS2 wanted to read to the baby so we went through handbook for reading and he got it. DS 3 I did animal antics but he did not seem interested in the lessons so I let it be and it seems one day he was reading.

 

I agree with others the age does not matter. Most get it when they are ready.

Edited August 3, 2010 by lynn

[Prairie~Phlox]

All three of my kids read late by standards, they were over 8, but my daughter who is almost 13 reads a ton now and the boys read quite a bit as well. (youngest is 9, just starting more chapter books) My daughter currently has about 75 library books.

[OleanderRain]

DD will be 7 this month and she has been struggling with sounding out words for a year now. She is improving, but at a very slow pace. Just this week she has been reading words while out and about and getting excited about reading and doing her lessons. Before this week it was a struggle, lots of moaning and groaning. I'm hoping that is all behind us now that it's clicking.

[asta]

Do you mean reading because they leanred to sound out words or actually reading a book and comprehending what they are reading? Sounding out words for my 3 boys was about age 4/4.5. Really reading and comprehending, they were closer to 5.

 

Um, yeah. Reading as in picking up a toy package and reading the label / reading picture books with a sentence a page or READING - like grabbing a copy of The Fire Cat and reading it to mom?

 

 

asta

[asta]

And what is the definition of a "chapter book", anyway?

 

In my mind, that is "Little House on the Prairie" et al.

 

 

a

[....]

My 5 yro (turned 5 this spring) is now reading. She just started blending about a month ago...?

 

For reading, we're using MFW K, CLE LTR (I think this is what did it) and reading through HOP K (you know, those little reader books).

[Pamela H in Texas]

Asta, I like your definition of reading. The idea that one can read most of what they pick up to read.

 

I always say chapter book because I honestly can't remember a time I would say my daughter was reading (by your definition) before that. And because my ds could stumble through some things but took sooooooooo long to read his first chapter book (well, we did try Captain Underpants and that has Chapters, but....)

 

And yes, by chapter book, I mean Charlotte's Web, Little House, The Outsiders, Animal Farm, BoxCar Children, etc (kinda depends on when kiddo learned to read what he'd be reading, obviously).

[Erica in PA]

My two oldest were reading at four..........the last three were late, late. They were'nt good readers until eight.

 

And you know what? It makes no difference, so if any of you young mama homeschoolers are worrying about your children's reading, relax. Nine times out of ten there is no problem.

 

That is encouraging to hear! My youngest is turning 8 this month and not yet reading fluently, and it does worry me at times. She is very bright and verbal, and it's strange to me that she isn't reading well. I do wonder how much of it has to do with birth order and the amount of focus on reading we are able to give each child. My first son was reading well at 5, my second at 6, and I'm hoping for 8 for dd! It's definitely a priority for me this year.

[kokotg]

I've had two early (3-4, largely self taught) and one pretty much "average" and with lots of direct instruction. For mine, I think the difference has been in learning style. My oldest and youngest are very visual, see a word once and remember it forever types. My middle DS had to sound out every word he came to for a long time. It's just a lot easier to read when you see the word and know it immediately, so I think my kids with great visual memories had a much easier time of it. Middle DS is 7 now and has really taken off over the last few months. He reads easily and fluently now, LOVES to read (much more than his older brother. He's been known to murmur, out of nowhere, "reading is awesome") and has, I think, a stronger foundation in phonics than his brother (who never finished a formal phonics program). So....(longwinded, as I've been fascinated/thinking a lot about this lately), at least for my kids, I don't think when they learned to read has anything do with intelligence certainly but also not even with main areas of strength (language vs. mathy, for example). It was all about ability to process visual information (also, probably, concentration....middle DS is also my spacy one).

[Parrothead]

Dd was 4.

[Carrie12345]

I've had an "early" reader, an "on time" reader, and a "late" reader (all relatively speaking, of course), and it hasn't really mattered one bit. #4 and #5 are sure to benefit from my experience. :D

[Stacy in NJ]

early easy chapter books. He become really competent around 12. My youngest read at the more typical 7.

 

It's funny now, my oldest now reads quiet a lot independently and is a real bookworm. My youngest reads for enjoyment as well but less enthusiastically then this brother.

Edited August 3, 2010 by Stacy in NJ
b

[asta]

Kid read absurdly young, and taught himself (thank God). I have great respect for all of you who teach your children to read - I wouldn't have a clue how to do it. I just read to him (and read, and read...).

 

He's very visual. He says he sounds things out. His early spelling was very phonetic, but it was also a mish-mash of the sounds of 3 languages, so I couldn't really get on him. He does alright now, and only occasionally throws in a foreign spelling or pronunciation. I suspect this is a problem for most polyglots.

 

 

a

 

 

(that 2nd paragraph sounds snobby - it isn't meant to be - we just keep getting transferred to weird places)

[Jean in Wisc]

My 1st child didn't catch on until she was 8--you know, the one who is in her senior year at college with a 4.0.

 

2nd kid, age 7. He's doing just fine in his engineering program.

 

3rd kid, age 9--caused me a lot of angst. My prolific reader--loves the classics. I was afraid he'd never get it, but once he did...2 years later he had read the LOTR trilogy. He's going to be a junior in high school this year--and I can't believe it, but he just might be my only 4.0 homeschooler. Never would have predicted it.

 

?????

 

Didn't know we had it in us. :)

Jean

[MamaJo]

Thanks for this post. It is my biggest beef with the ps system. I really think they are pushing kids too hard.

[NanceXToo]

My daughter learned at 5 because she went to public school for Kindergarten through most of third grade, and they taught her.

 

My son is only four and I have not started teaching him to read yet. I'll be starting Oak Meadow K with him next month and that just focuses on learning the upper case letters of the alphabet through stories and drawings and hands on activities.

 

In 1st grade we'll start focusing more on word families and phonics and whatnot and see how it goes.

 

With that said, I'm really not worried, there's a whole school of thought that you shouldn't even start formally teaching your child to read til they're like 8 anyway, and that kids who do learn at 8 or 9 or 10, they tend to learn faster/more easily than the little ones did, and a couple of years later, you'd never ever be able to tell who learned early and who learned late, they catch up. At least, that's what I read when I read the book "Better Late Than Early" by the Moores, which made for an interesting read even if you don't follow their school of thought. :)

[PiCO]

My two oldest were reading at four..........the last three were late, late. They were'nt good readers until eight.

 

And you know what? It makes no difference, so if any of you young mama homeschoolers are worrying about your children's reading, relax. Nine times out of ten there is no problem.

 

My oldest had no interest in reading until she was almost 7. She was reading 3rd-4th grade level in 3 months.

 

Youngest made me teach her to read when she was 3. She was reading 3rd-4th grade level by the time whe was 7 also. (OK, maybe a little earlier- but they are both pretty much on the same track by 2nd grade.)

[Outdoorsy Type]

Thanks for posting this!

 

My oldest was reading at late 4. He was reading chapter books at 5. That is his personality. He loves figuring out puzzles, and making riddles. Everytime we get in the car he has some sort of encyclopedia or riddle book tucked under his arm. :)

 

My 6.5 yo is not reading right now. He can read 3 letter words, is beginning to blend consonants, and knows about 50 sight words. To me that is not reading. However, with his personality he is just now sitting in a chair for a half hour without falling out of it. :lol: MIL says that my husband was the same way, and he read very well by 8. I have hope!

[Whereneverever]

My DD1 could sound out words and read sentences at 4.5. That being said she didn't really sit and read and understand and enjoy the process until about 5.5 or almost 6.

[LizzyBee]

My two oldest were reading at four..........the last three were late, late. They were'nt good readers until eight.

 

And you know what? It makes no difference, so if any of you young mama homeschoolers are worrying about your children's reading, relax. Nine times out of ten there is no problem.

 

My oldest began reading about the time she turned 4, my middle one was average but she has mild dyslexia, and my just-turned 9 yo has severe dyslexia and is reading at Dr. Seuss level.

 

I have talked to numerous moms who regret listening to the "your child will read when s/he's ready" voices. It's usually true, but sometimes it's not, and I always tell moms of struggling readers to listen to their gut. We usually know when something is not quite right and we need to trust that feeling. Most recently, I talked to a mom whose teen dd still doesn't read well and hates reading, and the mom feels a lot of guilt for listening to people who told her it would be fine.

 

OTOH, when someone asks what to do when their 5 yo cries during phonics lessons, trust me, I am the first to tell them to put it away for a month or six months or a year. The normal parameters for learning to read are ages 4-8, and it really is okay when a child begins reading on the later end of that spectrum.

Edited August 3, 2010 by LizzyBee

[Karen in CO]

My two oldest read between 4 and 5 - and by reading I mean could read Go, Dog Go. My youngest can sound out the words in G0, Dog Go, but she can't read and probably won't until she's closer to 7. She has some visual problems that are normal and that she'll outgrow.

 

 

I could sit with her all day and try to force her to read instead of just sound out words, and we'd both be frustrated and in tears. She will read when she is developmentally ready to read and not a day before.

[Ellyndria]

He was recognizing some words at 3, but not really reading until 4.

[Aubrey]

CVC by 3 for the 1st 2--3yo dd is starting to sound things out, so I figure the same for her.

 

Independently reading pic books by 4-5 (not sure, because some of them were memorized & "read," lol), Magic Tree House by 6 (when they got tired of waiting for me to sit down & help them). Pretty much anything by 7.

[Closeacademy]

Oldest dd--it all clicked shortly before she turned 8.

youngest dd--it all clicked a couple of months after she turned 8 but she isn't quite fluent yet.

 

:001_smile:

[OnTheBrink]

Both of mine read at 4; I read at 4, EX read at 4. I think it's just a genetic thing with us.

[SilverMoon]

From oldest to youngest mine were reading at 4, 7, 5, and 3. The one that couldn't break into reading until 7 is an excellent reader now at 10. You'd never be able to tell she started later than her siblings. :001_smile:

[Heidi @ Mt Hope]

I started teaching my oldest at 4. We battled a lot over lessons, but I knew he could do it and that once he got to a certain point he would take off. I was right. :) He is a *voracious* and excellent reader.

 

My second two decided to learn (rather effortlessly) at 3.5 yo. They both love to read, but I doubt they will ever read the quantity (and level) that my oldest son does.

[wy_kid_wrangler04]

My ds will be 6 in October, and he is not even close to reading yet. We are just barely working on blends. He is having a hard time with that. I will guess he will be 6 (possibly even 7) My now 3rd grader was 6. My now 7th grader was 5. My now 4 year old is at the same spot as his big brother. (he will NOT let me teach his big brother without teaching him!) so he might be 4 1/2 or 5 when he starts!

[emmn]

My oldest started at 4 and was reading Dr. Suess book alone by 6. My second started at 3 and could read the same books at 4 1/2. My youngest started at 3 1/2 and is now 6 and reading small chapter books. My kids all love reading and I love "Teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons" which is what I used for starters.

[Hannah C.]

I learned how to read when I was 4 and was reading Little House on the Prairie at 4 or 5. I don't know my exact age. AFAIK I'm the earliest reader of all my siblings. I was an incredibly, ridiculously voracious reader from the time I learned how to read to the day I started public high school and had a lot of other stuff to take up my time.

 

I am a much quicker and perhaps slightly more fluent reader than a lot of my classmates in public hs/college, but I credit that to spending *tons* of time reading from ages 4-15 (lots and lots of practice), as well as having been taught phonics.

[Jeannie in NJ]

my dd learned to read at age 4. My son was not reading at age 8, I tried several different programs with him wondering why nothing was working. Then one night the family was playing LOTR Trival Pursuit and ds started reading all the cards perfectly. To this day at age 12, he still only likes to read Naurto, oh well.

[Alenee]

My oldest and middle read at about 7yo but their interest levels are different. Oldest finally became interested in reading at age 8 and you can't really keep a book out of her hands. The middle still doesn't really like to read often; she would rather climb trees, dig holes, ride a bike. Youngest who is 6yo is now reading Bob Books and is starting SWR. She has a big interest in reading now that she sees the connection.

[beezus]

My dd was 7 before I felt like it really clicked for her and she was reading fluently on her own. She was recognizing words and sounds long before then, but she didn't seem in a hurry to put it all together until much later on. She's a voracious reader now.

[Desert Rat]

My oldest started reading at about 18 months. He was reading at a 5th grade level by 4. I wasn't at all surprised that my little one didn't read that young. He's 7 and plugging along. I have to tell you though, after not having to teach my oldest the basics, I've learned that teaching a child to read is the hardest and most rewarding part of schooling I've done.

[Perry]

And you know what? It makes no difference, so if any of you young mama homeschoolers are worrying about your children's reading, relax. Nine times out of ten there is no problem.

To a lot of kids, it does make a difference.

 

 

One of the most compelling findings from recent reading research is that children who get off to a poor start in reading rarely catch up. As several studies have now documented, the poor first-grade reader almost invariably continues to be a poor reader (Francis, Shaywitz, Stuebing, Shaywitz, & Fletcher, 1996; Torgesen & Burgess, 1998).

And the consequences of a slow start in reading become monumental as they accumulate exponentially over time. As Stanovich (1986) pointed out in his well-known paper on the "Matthew effects" (the rich get richer and the poor get poorer) associated with failure to acquire early word reading skills, these consequences range from negative attitudes toward reading (Oka & Paris, 1986), to reduced opportunities for vocabulary growth (Nagy, Herman, & Anderson, 1985), to missed opportunities for development of reading comprehension strategies (Brown, Palinscar, & Purcell, 1986), to less actual practice in reading than other children receive (Allington, 1984).

The trick is to know which kids benefit from early intervention and which can wait. Unfortunately, there isn't a good way to identify them.

 

False positive errors are made when children who will eventually become good readers score below the cutoff score on the predictive instrument and are falsely identified as "at risk." In general, the proportion of this type of error has ranged between 20 percent and 60 percent, with an average of around 45 percent. That is, almost half of the children identified during kindergarten as "at risk" turn out not to have serious reading problems by the end of first grade.