Reading before kindergarten

[Anonymous]

No. They'll all be reading at a 35-year old level at the age of 35. it's like walking and talking. It matters deeply to the parents who are mired in it at the moment (Brayden walked at 11 months! But caden is still crawling!). And then suddenly it matters not at all. It's not an indicator of intelligence or ability.

[Anonymous]

So what do these readers do all year? My DC isn't starting kindergarten until next year and is getting pretty good at the Bob books and other early readers. Is she going to be bored to tears all year?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So what do these readers do all year? My DC isn't starting kindergarten until next year and is getting pretty good at the Bob books and other early readers. Is she going to be bored to tears all year?

I'm not in DC, but a neighbor of mine has a kid who read before kindergarten, and she said kindergarten was kind of a waste of time for her child. Like a lot of sitting around while the teacher taught reading etc. to the other kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So what do these readers do all year? My DC isn't starting kindergarten until next year and is getting pretty good at the Bob books and other early readers. Is she going to be bored to tears all year?

Yes. Well, actually it depends on the kid.

My son taught himself to read and was reading pictures books shortly before turning 4. He’s now in k and reading chapter books but I’m homeschooling him so I can curate the curriculum to suit him. I’m a bit worried about how bored he’ll be when regular school resumes. I was the same way as a kid and school was often incredibly boring for me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So what do these readers do all year? My DC isn't starting kindergarten until next year and is getting pretty good at the Bob books and other early readers. Is she going to be bored to tears all year?

I'm not in DC, but a neighbor of mine has a kid who read before kindergarten, and she said kindergarten was kind of a waste of time for her child. Like a lot of sitting around while the teacher taught reading etc. to the other kids.

That’s what my kid is going through now. During school she sits through the teacher explaining what sound the F makes and the O and the G. And does Fog rhyme with Log? Then after sitting through this for a couple hours, she reads a few chapters of Magic Tree House or How to train Your Dragon during lunch. It’s ridiculous and her being home and doing DL in the background is really opening my eyes to how low the standards are. I’m thinking about taking her out of school.

[Anonymous]

I think that even through distance learning, my kid is learning so much about what it's like to be part of a classroom community. Encouraging others, paying attention, being kind, listening to directions. It's setting her up for years of being in a classroom. IMHO, the academics/reading part is far secondary to the soft skills being learned, so I don't really care if she's way ahead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Of course K teachers secretly expect your kids to be able to read.

No they don’t! Believe me, I wish they did.

— signed mom to a 5 year old who can read

Ha! If only my 5 year old had something else to do while the teacher goes over what sounds each letter makes. If only the teachers expected the kids to know how to read, I think DL would be more interesting for my kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So what do these readers do all year? My DC isn't starting kindergarten until next year and is getting pretty good at the Bob books and other early readers. Is she going to be bored to tears all year?

This hasn't been an issue for me with our kids in a Montessori school. Everyone moves at their own pace. The kids who are reading chapter books in kindergarten get work at their level. I realize Montessori isn't everyone's thing, but differentiation is one of the major reasons we like it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So what do these readers do all year? My DC isn't starting kindergarten until next year and is getting pretty good at the Bob books and other early readers. Is she going to be bored to tears all year?

Yes. Well, actually it depends on the kid.

My son taught himself to read and was reading pictures books shortly before turning 4. He’s now in k and reading chapter books but I’m homeschooling him so I can curate the curriculum to suit him. I’m a bit worried about how bored he’ll be when regular school resumes. I was the same way as a kid and school was often incredibly boring for me.

I’m a PP whose child was reading chapter books at the start of K. Their teacher did pull-outs for acceleration twice a week. It was still too easy but K teaches other really great skills. My child was a terrible writer, for example, so they focused a lot on that. The social aspect of K was indispensable too. K was not academically challenging at all for my kid, but you will be surprised how not-boring it is when they learn the 99% of “other“ skills like group dynamics, public speaking, formulating ideas, etc. I really thought K was going to be a waste, but I can totally see now why it shouldn’t be underestimated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think that even through distance learning, my kid is learning so much about what it's like to be part of a classroom community. Encouraging others, paying attention, being kind, listening to directions. It's setting her up for years of being in a classroom. IMHO, the academics/reading part is far secondary to the soft skills being learned, so I don't really care if she's way ahead.

+1 I feel exactly the same about my son. He’s already an excellent reader but he’s really enjoying the kindergarten experience. The others will catch up to him and then he’ll be appropriately challenged. Until then, we’ll continue to foster his love of reading.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So what do these readers do all year? My DC isn't starting kindergarten until next year and is getting pretty good at the Bob books and other early readers. Is she going to be bored to tears all year?

I'm not in DC, but a neighbor of mine has a kid who read before kindergarten, and she said kindergarten was kind of a waste of time for her child. Like a lot of sitting around while the teacher taught reading etc. to the other kids.

That’s what my kid is going through now. During school she sits through the teacher explaining what sound the F makes and the O and the G. And does Fog rhyme with Log? Then after sitting through this for a couple hours, she reads a few chapters of Magic Tree House or How to train Your Dragon during lunch. It’s ridiculous and her being home and doing DL in the background is really opening my eyes to how low the standards are. I’m thinking about taking her out of school.

How's her writing and spelling? My kid was an excellent reader, but still benefited from spending more time dissecting words to work on her spelling.

[Anonymous]

My 3rd grade aap kid started 1st grade at dra 4 and now reading dra 50 books. My k kid self taught to read at 2.5 year old. They both love to read. We think kids will always catch up to the required reading level if parents continue to create the reading environment for kids, reading with kids, have a reading corner with a lot of books (buy or borrow from library) for kids to read within reach.

[Anonymous]

My daughter was reading before K but she was also almost 6- she missed the cutoff by 3 weeks the previous year. That said, I started reading at age 3 so earlier reading might run in the family.

Our K teacher did not expect the kids to read. They were all reading by June, I believe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think that even through distance learning, my kid is learning so much about what it's like to be part of a classroom community. Encouraging others, paying attention, being kind, listening to directions. It's setting her up for years of being in a classroom. IMHO, the academics/reading part is far secondary to the soft skills being learned, so I don't really care if she's way ahead.

THIS!!!! The "soft skills" are so important. My DS is a beginning reader (Bob books) but could serve as a support or model for another student. He is really shy and would benefit from some peers to engage in conversation. K isn't all about academics.

[Anonymous]

I don't think teachers expect kids to be reading at K entry-- but some kids do. Mine was reading short chapter books before K-- he wasn't bored in kindergarten. Also, although he ended up in accelerated language arts classes, he didn't blow the roof off. His friends caught up for the most part by second and third grade.