Is My 4 Year Old Ready to Learn How to Read?

Why are you pushing him to read? Who cares what everyone elses kid is doing, if he isn't ready let it go. He will learn soon enough.

T., my advice would be to keep trying and dont give up but if he gets to frustrated, give it a rest...dont push him. it sounds like you are a great mom and remember, all children are different. i have a 17 year old who was reading by 3 1/2 but this is rare...i later found that he was very gifted. i also have a 6 year old that is finally getting it within the last year. try hard not to compare the children to others (especially in front of others) or it will give them low self esteem and think they dont match up to others and they are disappointing to them. dr. suess books are the best (although i really hate them...lol) but they teach consistency and kids love them because they are silly. just keep trying everyday but dont push him to hard...he will get there at his own pace. hope this helps. K.

I agree with the other moms. Most kids don't read at 4 or 5 for that matter. They may learn a few sight words but that does not constitute reading. If you want your son to enjoy reading make it enjoyable. Read for fun, read what interests him. He'll learn to read just like he learned to walk and talk, all on his own schedule.

T...the most important think to do right now is READ<READ<READ to him. Teach him to love books and reading. Read him a variety of books, both fiction and non fiction. If he knows his letters and sounds, play games with him. See how many words he can think of that start with each letter, then write them down for him. Later you can see if he can remember and "read" the words he thought of. When you read to him, show him how you sound out words and have him do the same. MOST IMPORTANTLY, READING SHOULD BE FUN! IF HE STARTS GETTING UPSET ABOUT NOT BEING ABLE TO READ IT WILL TURN HIM OFF TO BOOKS AND MAKE READING THAT MUCH MORE DIFFICULT IN THE FUTURE!! Good luck!!
S.

Why do you feel he needs to read now? Are you feeling pressured by his friends learning? I am a teacher and have taught Pre-K through 1st grade. Please don't stress him out over learning to read. His teachers in those first 3 grades will spend lots of time working on language and literacy skills. In fact it makes up the majority of the curriculum at that point. What they need you to help with is encouraging and showing your child that books are fun and language is exciting. Read with him. Take him to the library for storytime, read all throughout the day. No need to wait until bedtime. Find all different kinds of books - fiction and nonfiction. When you go to the library try to find books about his favorite topics and let him see that books can help us learn. Explore the world with him...go to the park, the duck pond, the museum and the zoo. Talk with him about things you see. When you see signs that give information, point them out to him. Let him know that you are using the words around you to understand. Dig in the dirt with him, crawl in the grass, and go for nature walks....all the while talking about things you see. Encourage him to ask questions and to develop a curiosity for knowing knowing more about the world around him. Help him to WANT to learn more! If you can do this, he will be ready for school and his teachers will be able to easily help him to learn to read in a way that is not frustrating to you or him. The last thing you want to do right now is have him associate reading with frustration. When it's time he'll learn to do it. And if you are concerned about him being passed up by those other kids that are already reading, don't be. By the end of first grade there will be little difference in the reading abilities of kids that could read before school and those that learned to read in school.

I guess there's really nothing more to say!! I just want to say I completely agree with the 2 teachers!! It should be all about fun at this point, especially if he wants nothing to do with learning it!! Have fun showing him that things in books can relate to things in his life... Read all day, everyday... Not just at bed time! And DO NOT PUSH HIM!! It will just turn him off of reading for years to come!

Hi T., Since your son is only 4, you shouldn't be so hard on yourself or him about reading. Don't worry about where your friend's kids are...teaching your child to read is not a race -it takes time and alot of patience. I am a mother of 3 daughters, ages 7,4, and 15 months. Why are you so intent on him learning to read now? - I know he'll likely be starting Kindergarten next year, but learning the fundamentals of reading is something he's gonna learn then anyways. Right now, he needs to learn social skills - and it's helpful for him to know how to recognize his name, write it (using capital and lowercase letters)and phonics. There's alot of steps in learning how to read, like I said before, it takes time. My oldest daughter started Kindergarten knowing her name, knowing how to write it, and had a good bit of phonics down. She recognized some words but only a handful, now, she's in 2nd grade and on a 3rd grade reading level. My 4 year old can spell, recognize and write her own name, and again, we go through books and she can pick out some words here and there, but she's nowhere reading books yet and I'm not worried about it. The number one thing Kindergarten teachers want in their students is to have proper social skills - manners, respect, sharing, self-control...those skills are needed so they can start them on the right path. The best thing you can do for your son so he can flourish once he's in school, is READ, READ, READ to him. Make reading fun for him by enjoying it together. DON'T make it a chore when he's already showing disinterest and frustration. Go through the sounds that each letter in the alphabet makes and make a game of it. There's no reason to rush it for bragging rights during playdates. If you hav any more questions feel free to ask!

I couldn't agree more!! If he is already turned off to reading what will happen when he gets to school? REad him his favorite stories, ask him about what happens in the stories. This develops his reading comprehension without putting pressure on him to do something he dislikes. I teach high school-trust me when I say a positive attitude is everything. Listen to the el.ed. teachers they are in the business of little kid literacy. If you still want to take a stab at it try using road signs. You see it, read it, do it. Those only happen every now and then. When he gets good at it, maybe he can be "in charge" of making sure mommy obeys them! That's how my mom taught me, and I was an early reader. good luck!!!

Dear T.,

Darling, don't sweat it. Try not to compare your son to the other children (easier said than done!) It will happen one day. Let me share with you the most exciting thing that happened to me over the weekend. My son, who is also four, Said to me on friday "look mom N-O spells no!" I almost crashed the car I was so excited and since then he is spelling things everywhere we go. Try to wait for it and when it does praise praise praise and he will want to impress you with his vast knowledge of all the words he can spell. Maybe not read per se, but letter recognition is the first step.

Good Luck,
Cia

hey may not be ready the best thing i can say to to is go back a step and work on silgle letter sounds with him a little more just until he is more comfortable with them it will also help him work out how they sound together a little more

If he is getting frustrated to me that would be a sign that he isnt ready to learn. My sons attention span would go out the window after so long whenever we would sit down and read a book together. go slow, be patient and he might surprise one day and take off reading.......your'll be amazed.

D.

Leap Pad Leapster or L-Max. It's the best there is out there to get a little one interested in learing. My son loved the Letter factory and it taught him so much. A fun toy that teaches at the same time.
D.

Hi T., just read Heather's response.. I'm also a teacher (elementary grades) and I could have written that message.
Just make it fun.
M.

Each child is different. I make reading a game and stop when he gets fussy.
Don't stress out. Just have fun!!!!

Hi! I am by no means an education expert, but I think probably he's not ready for this yet. There is a school of thought that even says lots of kids really aren't ready to read till they're closer to 7 years of age. I have a 5-year-old son who also isn't reading, but he knows his alphabet and consonant sounds and can spell a few words. My advice to you is to read to your son for your mutual enjoyment every day, at least 15 minutes, and don't worry about how much he's "learning." If you want your child to learn that reading is fun and that learning is fun, don't make it something that frustrates both of you before you're even out of the gate. He is likelier to enjoy books and become curious about the letters and words if you go at his pace right now. He'll let you know when he's ready.

With all the advice that you did get it is all good with saying that he may not be ready. But if you want help with him learning the sounds and beginning to read there is a great site onlie that you can sit with him and he can learn while he is playing. Go to www.starfall.com. I work with learning support children in an elementary school and we use that site as a reward for the kids to go on. It is a really great site and the kids all love it. Give it a try.