When do children learn to read?

Any parent of multiple children will tell you that each child does things at their own pace and in their own way. For example, one child might love baseball and excel at throwing it, while another may have no interest in the sport or never seem to get the hang of it. A child can also speak much earlier than another child – or crawl, sit, walk or ride a bike earlier.

No matter what milestone you measure, it’s important to remember that all children develop and learn different tasks at different rates. This also applies to reading. “We have been teaching children to read in our schools for 40 years and one thing I have learned is that when we have 25 students in a classroom, all 25 learn at a different pace,” says John Lant, educational director of Learning Dynamics preschools in Utah and Arizona.

When do children learn to read?

While some children certainly read earlier or later or better than other children, there are some general standards to keep in mind. For one thing, Lant says that many children learn to recognize and pronounce letters by the age of 4 and 5. “That’s usually where phonetic learning begins,” he says.

But children are typically 6 to 7 years old or in first grade before they can decode or blend these sounds together to really begin reading, says Timothy Shanahan, a distinguished professor emeritus at the University of Illinois, Chicago and former principal for Reading for Chicago Public Schools.

Once mastered, the child can read independently and fluently—which, according to most U.S. Department of Education reading programs, should occur by the time a child turns eight or enters third grade.

But some educators reject this measure because there are often much earlier signs that a child is struggling to read, says Wiley Blevins, an educator and author of several reading programs. “The longer we wait to intervene, the bigger the problem becomes,” he says.

Why do some children learn to read earlier than others?

Regardless of learning disabilities or other factors that may hinder learning, there are some key factors that can explain why some children show a stronger aptitude or love for reading than other children.

One factor has to do with the child’s own abilities, such as their natural intelligence, verbal aptitude, attention span, personal interests and motivation to read, Shanahan says. “The other factor has to do with the child’s environment,” he explains. These factors include, but are not limited to, the availability of reading materials, the quality of instruction at school, and whether a reading program emphasizes the right things or is taught in the right way.

For example, Lant says reading programs that don’t properly teach decoding (pronouncing different letters) and blending those sounds aren’t as effective. He also says many educators fail to take a multifaceted approach to teaching – which is important for reaching children who learn in less conventional ways.

The timing at which a child learns to read is also influenced by what is or isn’t being read at home, as this is where many children first develop a love of books and reading, explains Becky Kennedy, a clinical psychologist and parenting expert and author from “Good Inside”. At home, parents can also teach and model “frustration tolerance,” Kennedy adds, “which is helpful not just in learning to read but in all academic endeavors.”

She explains that this can be taught by not rescuing a child every time they have trouble, but instead helping them solve problems on their own and deal with the inconveniences that come with doing hard things.

When to worry about a child not reading

Despite the efforts of parents or educators, some children still struggle with reading. “When children in kindergarten and first grade are not making comparable progress to their peers, parents should be concerned,” Shanahan said. He agrees with Blevins and says noticeable delays that are caught early are more likely to be corrected before a child gets too far behind.

Attentive parents and teachers may notice problems such as poor spelling, reading avoidance, or reading difficulties, which may be signs that a child needs additional help. In other cases, signs of learning disorders such as ADHD or dyslexia may occur – disorders that can be diagnosed and treated with the help of a mental health professional.

For parents teaching reading at home, “the goal should not be to get children to read earlier, but rather to stimulate interest in reading and support the development of the skills that reading requires,” Shanahan says. For example, he says that parents should read to their children from a young age and instill an interest in learning and reading. “They should also encourage language development by talking to their children and encouraging them to elaborate on what they have to say,” he adds.

“The focus before starting school should be on building knowledge and vocabulary,” emphasizes Blevins. “Show letters and associate them with their sounds, and model how you write words by thinking about the individual sounds in them and the letters you write when you hear those sounds,” he advises. “These and other activities will increase awareness and curiosity about reading.”

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When do children learn to read?

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Why do some children learn to read earlier than others?

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