How to Know if Your Kid is Ready to Read
One of the biggest milestones in your kid’s life is when they begin their reading journey. It’s so exciting for them as they open the door to building their knowledge and developing their imagination by exploring their world through books. It is also an essential skill for school success and for navigating life.
Reading is a difficult task not easily learned and develops through progressive skill-building and constant encouragement. It is a receptive skill that requires being able to identify letters and phonics, decode words and make sense of the text which are all high-order skills. It takes time and consistent effort to reach the stage of independent reading.
When do kids learn to read?
Reading readiness is a term that refers to that stage of development where your kid is ready to begin to learn to read. But when do kids learn to read? Some children may show interest around the age of four, others may not do so until they are seven or even later. In school, the age at which formal reading instruction will begin will vary according to country but many children will begin to receive instruction around 5 or 6.
There is a lot of variation in how long it takes a child to learn to read. Some children will quickly learn the connections between letters and sounds, and they may form memories of words after only a few attempts at reading them. Other children may need more time and practice to make those connections. Kids learn at their own pace.
As always, if you have any concerns that your child is struggling to learn to read reach out to their teacher or an educational specialist.
Though each child is unique there are signs to look out for that indicate your kid is demonstrating reading readiness.
How do you know if your kid is ready to read?
1. Motivation and willingness
Although ages will vary for each child, the first sign of reading readiness is the motivation to read. You’ll start to notice that your kid is showing an interest and a willingness to engage with print. Motivation is essential, it means they are ready to put in the effort to learn and to persist.
Signs of motivation include:
Pretending to read. This is a sign that your kid understands that deciphering those funny lines in books or any form of print, even the back of the cereal box, has a purpose and the activity seems to be worthwhile or enjoyable. Moreover, they are demonstrating they understand the concept of a word, and they may even start to recognise a few words.
Pretending to write. Scribbles are the first step toward writing but they show that your child is starting to realise that words have a function. If you want to understand more about the importance of scribbling in your kid’s reading and writing development look at our article on the 5 Stages of How Writing Develops in Early Childhood.
2. Enthusiasm at reading time
Young children don’t have the longest attention spans but a good sign they are about to begin their reading journey is they become eager for story time, they get involved in what’s happening on the page and they remain interested even if it’s only for a short time.
3. They are listening and comprehending
If a child can retell the story in their own words, or answer simple questions about what they have heard they are demonstrating listening and comprehension skills. These are important skills for language development and for increasing the likelihood of reading success. Listening builds vocabulary, grammar, verbal working memory, and inference skills which are strong predictors of future reading comprehension and decoding.
4. They hold the book the right way up and read left to right
It may seem like a simple thing but if your kid has developed letter recognition skills they will realise they can only recognise the letters of the alphabet if the book is the right way up. Many younger children may pretend to read but they hold the book upside down. They are developing an interest but are not quite ready to take the first step in reading instruction. Your kid will also need to understand pages are turned left to right and that sentences progress in the same direction of left to right.
5. Print readiness
One of the biggest concepts your little one will need to grasp when learning to read is understanding that each letter has an accompanying sound. Print awareness is a good indicator that they are on their way to making the connection between the letters and thinking about the sounds they make. They may even attempt to sound out letters. At this stage, you shouldn’t expect them to sound words on their own but rather notice that they do understand the concept.
How can you help your early reader?
1. Build a strong spoken vocabulary
Building a strong spoken vocabulary is one of the most reliable predictors of learning to read well. How do you do that? Explain what words mean. Talk about a range of topics with your kid from dinosaurs to street signs to weather patterns. A broad range of topics introduces a variety of words beyond those used in regular conversation. Talk in the car, on the walk to school, in the supermarket or at the dinner table but talk.
2. Get them involved in storytime
A simple way to build vocabulary is by discussing the words you read. If they are keen and eager and engaging with the story think about ways you can foster that interest. Bring them into the story, ask simple questions as you go and when the book is finished talk to them about what happened in the story.
3. Read with them
Kids need to learn the connection between letters and sounds. Parental or carer involvement teaches them to pay attention to the letters and sounds in words and this helps them break the code. Reading becomes less and less of a mystery and more of a system of code-breaking as letters and sounds become familiar and make sense.
4. Model finger-point reading
Follow the words with your finger from left to right as you read aloud to your kid. This encourages them to pay attention to each block of letters and the accompanying sounds. It also encourages your kid to use this strategy when they are first learning to read. Eyes don’t automatically follow the order of the words. Your kid is likely to skip words or lines, and their eyes may jump around the page. They may look up before they have finished reading a sentence, and miss important information. You can’t keep your finger below the word unless you are paying close attention and looking at it. By modeling this strategy you give your kid a handy tool that will make their progress smoother.
5. Provide access to books
Having books in the house indicates that reading is a worthwhile or enjoyable activity. Prompting their curiosity is part of the exercise, let them pick up a book and explore. Even better if they bring it to you to read or ask you to help them read it.
If you want some inspiration for quality books read our post Early Readers: Books to Encourage Beginners.
6. When they are ready practice patience and give them time
No matter how enthusiastic your child is about learning to read, it is very hard to turn all those squiggles and lines into something meaningful. Kids do not automatically know how to decode all the letters in a word into their composite sounds. There are a lot of components they need to coordinate and it can be a struggle for many of them. When your kid does demonstrate reading readiness be encouraging but allow them to move at their own pace, give them time to work the word out by sounding it out. Practice patience, they won’t be enthusiastic every day, and some days they may have no interest at all. Some days they will race ahead and it will seem as though it comes easily to them and other days will be challenging and exhausting. Progress may be slow but it is still progress. It is best to walk away rather than show your frustration. Finally, celebrate that progress. Every small step brings them closer to independent reading.
7. Choose the right time to read
Decoding words is very tiring. It is best to read in short bursts. Consider the best time of the day for your kid to practice reading. Perhaps first thing in the morning or after they have returned home from school. Bedtime may not be the best time if they are exhausted after a long and busy day.
The final word if knowing if your child is ready to read
Reading is a learned skill and it is essential. Look for indications that your young learner is demonstrating reading readiness and foster their burgeoning interest. Build their vocabulary, read with them, help them grasp the concept that words can be decoded into sounds and set them up for success future reading success.