Don't kill the joy of learning by pushing things too early. More harm than good comes from that.

+1000

Don't stress. My son was a non-reader at start of K. We used a play-based preschool and read to hom-but did not teach reading or use computer programs, reading apps, etc. by the end of k, my son shot past the readers and was at a 2nd/early 3rd grade level. He was in GT pullout this year in first.

My upcoming K also doesn't read yet, but loves learning and is very excited about academic learning.

Don't kill the joy of learning by pushing things too early. More harm than good comes from that.

Anonymous wrote:My daughter was not reading until first grade. She quickly passed many other students and within months was reading anything and everything. She scored 99%ile on reading for the rest of her school career.

I wasn't taught to read until 2nd grade (school philosophy) but we were quickly reading grade 2 material, we just totally skipped the stuff before because we were really ready. Don't sweat it.

About reading to your kids, it's absolutely correct that it helps a lot but I remember reading an article that said you should point to the words you are reading so they will really understand. Can't remember the source, sorry. My kid is still a toddler, so no direct experience yet.

Anonymous wrote:So, I've had this debate with some colleagues with children. Some say children need to know how to read before Kindergarten. Others say it's not necessary. In NoVA what is more common? If my child isn't reading yet by Sepember will she be behind?

Depends on where you live. In our part of Fairfax Co., about a third of my DS's kindergarten class spoke almost no English when they started in September. Reading? Ba ha ha!

Back to the OPs question--no, kids are not expected to read before kindergarten. Many in this area do, but it's not the majority.

DS knew his letters and how to write his name at the start of K but could not read. We read every night to him so I was surprised he did not pick it up sooner. I was wondering early in kindergarten if it was ever going to click. It took until about Feb-March before he could really sound things out. now he is at the end of first grade and reads at the top of grade level. Reads books silently to himself and loves it.

Do not sweat it. Let kindergarten progress next year, keep reading TO them, and see how things go.

She probably understood the books because she LEARNED to read instead of being TRAINED and drilled into reading.

Anonymous wrote:but was she understanding the Harry Potter books? not doubting, just curious.

Surprisingly yes. We were curious ourselves so we quizzed her. I'm sure she didn't follow absolutely everything in the book but she was able to describe the major characters and plots, and she hadn't seen the movies

but was she understanding the Harry Potter books? not doubting, just curious.

Anonymous wrote:Preschool teacher here. In my opinion, true reading is one of those things that clicks when it clicks. Consistent exposure to reading, books, and letters is very important, but as far as a child beginning to read, there is no benefit to rushing the process. In my mind, it is similar to walking...some kids walk at 8 months, others don't walk until 15 months...but by 2 years, they're all running and it doesn't matter who walked first.

In your child's K class there will be kids who read at 4 or earlier and kids who won't read well until 7, and a lot in between. They will all become solid readers.

That's the way it was with my daughter. Not reading going into K, small improvement during the first half of the year and then BOOM! She was reading Harry Potter books by that summer.

cont. My point is that if the child is not happy with his progress, he may know more than you do.

I taught a very bright boy many years ago who turned out to be dyslexic. The push for me to have him tested was that HE was frustrated that he couldn't read. He so wanted to.

Thanks, PP. That's good advice!

FWIW, as a mom of a dyslexic child, I agree, many kids without learning disabilities will not be able to read fluently even at the end of kindergarten. But if you get into first grade and things still seem to not be moving or clicking and your child is trying and getting frustrated, you may want to think about an evaluation. There are some people who say "it's not a problem until your child can't read in third grade" - but really, that's not true. If there's a problem that you see then early remediation is key. There are many kids who can't read at the begining of kindergarten, that number drops as the year goes on. If you're finding yourself towards the end of first grade and still struggling with the really easy books, you may want to investigate further.

All of this is so good to hear. My DD is almost 6 and isn't reading. But she is making progress in that direction (knowing letters/sounds).