quick show of hands...

[Anonymous]

Daughter (4) is starting K in the fall ... has been reading since she turned 4 last fall. She just picked it up, no phonics or training (I think she's very visual). She can read very advanced books (Little house books, Wizard of OZ books) but does get tired quickly.

[Anonymous]

My rising K DD cannot read, nor does she know all of her letters (confuses sounds). Little worried about the letters but not at all about the reading.

[Anonymous]

DC can read but he has a December birthday, so he is a bit older starting Kindergarten (5 yrs 8 months).

[Anonymous]

This is interesting. My DD picked up reading in pre-K (actually in nursery, she'll be in pre-K this fall). She seems to be able to both get words by sight and sound them out. I think like 20:10, she's very visual and has a really good memory. But if she couldn't read, that would be fine, most parents I've talked to had kids who learned to read in K. (also, I give credit entirely to her teachers, we read to her but certainly never tried teaching her to read, and didn't realize she could until she sat down to play "teacher" and picked up a book and read it to us)

[Anonymous]

As a current MCPS elem. teacher I can tell you that if your child can recognize his/her letters going into K you are good to go. They will teach letters, sounds, and sight words ( I think there are 20) in K. I was in a K room 3 days a week- trust me they tech the letters and sounds in K Not to worry about your little one

[Anonymous]

It's not unusual for there to be a great deal of diversity in early reading skills of K students. The early years (pre-K, K, and Grades 1 and 2) are times when you can see little tykes make immense leaps in their literacy skills over one year. If your child seems alert, able to tell stories and engage in conversation, likes you to use big and/or funny words, likes to use his imagination, and can talk about pictures, I think he's in good shape to be interested in reading and books... when he's ready.

It will come.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here: thanks for the responses.

FWIW, my kid knows all the uppercase and lowercase letters and can print most of them; he knows the sounds; he can print his name and recognizes a few words and can sound out short words if I walk him through it. He has zero interest in practicing letters but will gladly sit down with a math workbook and do basic addition and subtraction. I'm not pushing him -- I figured he would learn this stuff in kindergarten -- but I heard a woman tell me how someone she knows who works for MCPS thinks kids who come to kindergarten without already knowing how to read obviously have lazy parents. I was shocked by the comment. [/quote
]

When DD started K she was exactly where your son is reading-wise. She is now sitting down reading and comprehending books on her own. It's amazing to watch. BTW, we did no reading exercises with her, just read bedtime stories every night.

[Anonymous]

Twins who just finished K. Both received the same pre-K education and same level of at-home attention to pre-reading and reading skills. One read fluently before starting K and now reads chapter books (Spiderwick, Nancy Drew, etc.). The other could only consistently recognize certain sight words before going to K, NO fluent reading at all. By the end of K, that twin could read fluently as well. Fyi, my twins were "older" K-ers (fall birthday). I think they just read when they are ready, much like everything else -- potty training, self-bathing, giving up thumbsucking, etc.

[Anonymous]

Agree with others; some kids can, some can't. In my eyes, my older child couldn't read going into K though to the K teachers said he was reading at the end of K level when he started (simple 1 line books). I've always felt the school pushes him farther than he would naturally do in reading, but so far, he handles it well and is happy.

Second one entering K in the fall is reading Nate the Great, Pirate Pete, Frog and Toad, etc.) Am actually more worried about him in K than a child who's not yet reading. Seems to me, the developmental norm is more where OP's child is, which I think is totally appropriate.

Anyone who's been there done that have advice for parents of early readers. Based on what I saw in earlier child's K class, I'm worried about younger son being too far "ahead" the rest of the kids in reading.

[Anonymous]

I agree w/ the PP. My son started reading when he was 3 and I worry about what they will do w/ him in K. I hope they put them in groups based on their ability or I can predict my son becoming bored fast and being a behavior issue.

[Anonymous]

Mine could read in Kindergarten, but he was only 1 of 4 that could.

[Anonymous]

My dd just finished K. She was NOT reading when she entered kindergarten, but by late oct, she was reading simple books. It never occurred to me to teach her/work with her on reading prior to entering k. I just figured that's what the teacher would do. About 6 of the 23 in her class were reading upon entry to k, but the rest could not. Do not worry. As her teacher told me, SHE would be the one teaching my child. I trusted that and my daughter reads and enjoys it. Do not stress.

[Anonymous]

Rising K can read around 2nd grade level. Just developed the love for books early, like mom.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Anyone who's been there done that have advice for parents of early readers. Based on what I saw in earlier child's K class, I'm worried about younger son being too far "ahead" the rest of the kids in reading.

DD (rising 3rd grader) was reading at mid-1st grade level by teacher conference time in Kindergarten. Her teacher did flexible grouping with other Kindergarten classes so the more advanced readers were all together for their reading work. You might want to check with your school as to whether or not they do flexible grouping.