Learning to read and Loving reading Poll

[Tohru]

Poll: Just curious if your child learned to read 'early', 'average', or 'later' and if they still like reading or if they don't care for it.  Can select multiple choices.

[Farrar]

Mine are about to turn ten. One about age 5, one after age 6, but they both love reading.

[SKL]

My kids are only 7, but the one who started reading before 5 has always been a book maniac.  I don't foresee that changing any time soon.  My other kid, time will tell.  She started reading around age 5 and she reads mostly because she has to.  She does enjoy what she reads, but I don't know that she "loves" it.

[LMD]

my oldest was reading at 4. She read James and the giant peach by her 5th birthday. She is 9 next month, she loves reading.

[Tohru]

my oldest was reading at 4. She read James and the giant peach by her 5th birthday. She is 9 next month, she loves reading.

 

Just curious, since she started reading well early, what her reading level is now - is it about average for her age group, or more advanced?

[melmichigan]

I have book lovers and they learned to read at various ages, one before 4, one at 5, one about 6, and one who didn't read well until she was 8.  All are advanced readers now.

[abacus2]

My oldest is 10, learned to read at age 7, took about a year to become confident, and now devours books. I am convinced she would hate reading if she had been in public school rather than learning on her schedule at home.

 

My middle child started reading at 4. She is now almost 8 and likes reading, but doesn't do a lot of it.

 

My youngest is 5 and just recognizes a few words so far.

[HS Mom in NC]

I have one of each.  They all love reading.

 

Oldest: Started at age 4. Fluent, like an adult,  by 5th birthday.

Middle: Started just before 8.  Fluent, like an adult by 11.

Youngest: Started at age 6.  Now almost 9.  Not fluent like an adult yet.

 

We read aloud to our kids about 2 hours a day (not all in one sitting) until they go to college. They're all voracious readers like mom and dad.

[IsabelC]

Only one of mine is aged 10 or over. He learned slowly and very reluctantly, but does enjoy reading now.

[SemiSweet]

Both of mine were pretty early readers, before 5. DS11 LOVES reading and reads at a 10-11 grade level. DD does not enjoy reading but reads at about 7-8 grade level. I do t know how to make her love it. :(

[SemiSweet]

DP

[EndOfOrdinary]

Mine is not over ten yet. Ds will be ten in October. He was fluently reading by three, and still eats up books voraciously.

[Ivey]

Ds19: Learned to read at age 4. Loved to read as a kid and still enjoys it, but is too busy to read much for pleasure.

Ds16: Dyslexic, learned to read at age 10. Likes reading, but doesn't love it.  

Ds15: Started reading at 4. Loves to read and always has. 

Ds11: Reading at 5. Likes reading, doesn't love it. 

Ds9: Reading at 7. Loves to read. 

[Elfknitter.#]

Couldn't vote for one of my options. Started reading about 6 and still does not enjoy it. It's been a slow progress and he's coming along, but it'll be a bit more of a slough to get to where he'll find it enjoyable. However, he does enjoy audiobooks.

 

The other started reading about 5-6 and loves it. She'd stay up all night if I'd let her.

[LLMom]

#1 age 6 (taught herself) loves to read

#2 age 9--struggled and hates to read

#3 age 7 hates to read

#4 age 6 loves to read

#5 age 8--struggled and hates to read

#6 age 5 hates to read

#7 dyslexic now age 9 and reading a bit---hates to read

 

All but #6 have always loved to be read to.

[Crimson Wife]

My two older kids were early readers and love to read. #3 loves to be read to and knows all her letters sounds but isn't yet blending them back into words. She really enjoys looking at books so I think once she becomes a fluent reader she'll be a bookworm like the rest of the family.

[Carrie12345]

#1, early reader, voracious through most of his childhood, not nearly as much now

#2, early-to-average reader, loves to read at 12

#3, late-ish reader, hated reading, began loving it around 9

#4, late-ish reader, not yet 10, but hates to read

#5, not likely to be an early reader

[JoJosMom]

DD was an early reader (Biscuit books by age 4; Magic Treehouse by age 5).  She is now pushing 12 and is still a voracious reader. (She's participating in the Exodus books summer reading program.  Last week she read Tale of Two Cities.  In a day. :huh: )

[SkateLeft]

#1 was reading well by 4, and still loves reading.

 

#2 started K as a 5yo non-reader, and took off really reading at 6. She loves reading.

 

#3 was a delayed reader. He didn't really take off until almost 10. He's an avid reader, who'll read all night long unless I tell him to turn his light off.

 

#4 started K as a 5yo non-reader, after two years in a special ed preschool. He's 8, and just about fluent, but hasn't found his "spark" yet.

 

I don't think reading age has any correllation to how much a child enjoys reading.

 

[Butter]

#1 - 4 1/2, now 14, loves to read

#2 - 8 or 9, now 12, doesn't like reading (but loves listening to audiobooks - he's dyslexic)

#3 - 5, now almost 8 (and loves to read)

#4 - 6 today, still learning to read (I guess technically he knows how to read, but not 100% fluently)

[LizzyBee]

My oldest was an early reader at age 4.

My middle one is mildly dyslexic and learned to read at about 6, but didn't read chapter books until she was 8.

My youngest is severely dyslexic and at age 9, I despaired that she would ever read beyond a rudimentary level. She may have still been 9 or maybe 10 when she finally caught on and started reading the Boxcar Children books.  She now reads at or slightly above grade level.

 

All three of them love reading and take books everywhere we go. They read in the bathroom, in restaurants while waiting for food, in the car, etc.

 

I need to update my signature. My kids are 20, 18, and almost 13.

[Chrysalis Academy]

Depends on what you mean by "reading".  My oldest started out in ps and although I read to her daily, I didn't make any effort to officially teach her to read.  She read fine by ps standards, but didn't really take off as an independent, reading-lover who read real books on her own for fun till mid 2nd-grade, so just turning 7.  She's 11 now and reads constantly, voraciously, and every waking moment!

[Closeacademy]

Mine had everything click and started reading at 7 and 9.  They both love to read but not if they are "forced/made to" read a book.  Then they hate it.

[CrunchyGirl]

LegoMan taught himself at 3.5 and was fully fluent by 4. He loves to read but isn't a huge fan if being read too.

[Acorn]

My self-taught early reader  is now voraciously reading everything at nearly 9 .  My youngest is nearly fluent at 6 and loves to read but I don't think she'll be as addicted. 

 

 

I'm wondering at the reason of your poll.  I have read where people say that reading age levels out by later elem. grades.  I think the mechanics of reading would.  Sure, some kids that don't read until 6-7 will read as well as my son eventually.  What would be missing though is the content and exposure, he will have extra years of knowledge he gained through reading.  I also don't understand the stupid "5 finger rule" that is on signs at the library.  A child should only read a book if there are 5 or less words they don't know per page.  I think that is the special snowflake- a trophy for everyone mentality.  How about perseverance and enriching one's abilities?

[Aurelia]

My kid has always has too many other things calling her name (horseback riding! inventing! singing! playing! dinner! swimming! etc.) to choose reading over them, but she usually enjoys it when she does it. I just have to make her.

[angela in ohio]

I have an 18 year old who adores reading, will choose it over anything else when she has rare free time. She learned at about 5.

 

I have a 16 year old who likes reading well enough, but she would choose something outside or hands-on first. She learned at barely 4.

 

My little guy is 12 next week. He learned to read at about 5, took more effort than the girls but then skipped over chapter books and started on long novels by age 6. He reads for about half his free time, doing hands-on stuff the rest.

 

Their age of learning to read had more to do with learning style than anything else. My middle is a great parts-to-whole learner, and she can learn anything with little direct instruction. The other two required a systematic approach, so they took a bit longer. Their enjoyment has more to do with personality than anything else.

[Tohru]

NM!

[Tohru]

:)

[RootAnn]

My two olders didn't take off reading fluently until after 7 & 9ish. Oldest loves to read. The one that didn't read fluently until almost 10 still prefers audiobooks to doing the work herself. Next kid read fluently at about 6 and doesn't have a passion for reading yet. Ds#1 is still learning. I voted for all the categories that fit for us.

[Mergath]

My dd was reading fluently at four.  She's only six now, but at this point still loves to read.

[Korrale]

I was an early reader I still love reading.

The 4 early readers I taught, are 8 and up and still like to read. But the ones that like it best are the ones that were exposed to books during infancy.

The only kids I know that don't like reading are ones that weren't often read to and didn't have many books in their home. I know many later readers that grew up in literacy rich environments who love reading also.

 

This is all purely anecdotal.

[Mom22ns]

Both of mine read early, one still loves to read, one not so much. Both are good readers, but one doesn't read for pleasure. She does like audiobooks and being read to though.

[Critterfixer]

Gearhead-reading around six-seven. Struggled a great deal, hFA and had to spell almost everything aloud before he could sound it out. Reads well now, but only loves what he loves. Anything science. This child might balk and fuss over something like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory however well he read it aloud, but will pour over the diagrams and text in a book on gear systems.

 

Balloonatik-also reading around six-seven. Progressed pretty normally. Reads very fast on his own (I gave him Holes to occupy him for a few days, he read it in a morning with good comprehension!) Not as good a reader aloud as his brother! Likes to read.

[littlebug42]

Both of my daughters learned to read before 5.  One is now 10 and the other 12 and they both still love to read, for pleasure and for school.  

[myfunnybunch]

All three boys before 5, still love to read. (Though youngest ds is not quite 10.)

[LMD]

Just curious, since she started reading well early, what her reading level is now - is it about average for her age group, or more advanced?

a bit above average, but not wildly. She is a perfect example of the evening out around 3rd grade statistic. :) my nearly 7 year old is on a similar trajectory. Bright, capable, but not gifted.

ETA, they both like to read.

[Gentlemommy]

My dd learned to read later, I'd say we started at around 3/4 but never moved past CVC words...until we went to vision therapy when she turned 7. Once we finished the six months of therapy, it was worlds better, and now at 9, she LOVES to read and spends several hours reading every day. She will read anything and everything-last time we went camping, she finished her book on the first night, so began reading mine...Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. Lol. She did beg that I not get any ideas from the author!

Edited to add-this child also loved being read TO. Much more than my dd2 (6) does now. Dd2 will listen to me read, but not for as long, and not as complicated material. She likes Roald Dahl books, so we are working through those, but her limit is about 15-20 minutes at a time, whereas dd1 could listen to things like Narnia for hours. I actually think that is why dd1 is reading books at a harder level than 'grade level' now, because she has heard complicated language and story lines from listening to me reading aloud for so long.