Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a teacher and these days, people start getting worried when a native English speaker who has been in school since the beginning of kindergarten is not reading at all by the end of kindergarten. It doesn't worry me but as a teacher, my opinion counts, well, not at all. It really depends on what school you are in. At my Title One school, a lot of native English speakers are not reading by the end of K. At my son's school, very few students can't read at all by the end of K. Parental support, readiness for school, prior preschool experience, oral language, etc vary greatly between and among schools.

OP here. DS attended toddler preschool prep, part time preschool at 2.5, full time preschool at 3 and 4.

My son was 7 when he had his reading spurt in the second half of 1st grade. At 5.5, I wouldn't be concerned, that is the average age of a beginning kindergartner and if your school has a high % of red shirted children, the average age is older. If he doesn't seem to be getting his alphabet or be able to sound out letters or letter combinations, I would talk to the teacher to see if he is showing early signs of reading problems.

Reading to your child daily is the best thing you can do. Audio books in the car are great too.

If he's not reading basic predictable texts by the end of 1st grade. He's a late reader.

Does he know all letters and letter sounds? Start there. But don't fret. He's not behind.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a teacher and these days, people start getting worried when a native English speaker who has been in school since the beginning of kindergarten is not reading at all by the end of kindergarten. It doesn't worry me but as a teacher, my opinion counts, well, not at all. It really depends on what school you are in. At my Title One school, a lot of native English speakers are not reading by the end of K. At my son's school, very few students can't read at all by the end of K. Parental support, readiness for school, prior preschool experience, oral language, etc vary greatly between and among schools.

OP here. DS just started K so I'm not familiar with the students but most of our friends with children the same age are reading.

Don't compare with friends-- they may be bragging. Talk to his teacher if you are concerned. My DD is 4.5 and not reading, and I have to actively remind myself that that is normal and not to worry.

Wow have things changed. I distinctly recall the feeling of being in over my head trying to learn phonics in 1st grade. I turned out ok with a college ddegree but English and related subjects were never my strong suit.

Anonymous wrote:Omg, since when is 5.5 a late reader!!!???

+1 This is freaking me out now. Ds is 4 years and 3 months and only recognizes and writes letters and numbers; not really the sounds, sight words, rhyming, etc. I never thought it would be an issue truth be told. I figured when he gets to K, he'll learn how to read.

Omg, since when is 5.5 a late reader!!!???

Anonymous wrote:I would be much more concerned about your son crying at age 5.5 about not reading in comparison to his classmates.

He picked up on being focused on this reading issue from somewhere, I highly suspect you. Stop pressuring him.

Teach him to celebrate his own accomplishments and not worry so much about other people. Teach him sometimes you have to struggle through things that are easier for others and sometimes some things come easier to you, the former does not make you worse, and the later does not make you better. These are a life lessons that are way more important than reading three months into kindergarten.

The school has a read a thon fundraiser and there is a school wide initiative to read as much as you can. DS was disappointed that he can't read by himself.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does your child know letter sounds? Can he rhyme? Does he know any sight words?

Yes, he knows letter sounds. Yes, he knows about 20 sight words. I don't think he can rhyme. He knows the word cat but doesn't yet get hat if I switch the c to an h. DH and I don't pressure him. He gets frustrated that he doesn't get it.

OP, it's the frustration issue that you need to deal with at this point. What isn't he getting? Are you asking him to read to you? Is he taking the initiative of trying to read to you? I don't quite believe that you're not pressuring him even if you're not meaning to. Many kids are not reading at this age who will quite soon.

At this point, just read to him. Play the rhyming games/question about what you read down the road. I would speak to the teacher about his anxiety if it doesn't lessen.

I would be much more concerned about your son crying at age 5.5 about not reading in comparison to his classmates.

He picked up on being focused on this reading issue from somewhere, I highly suspect you. Stop pressuring him.

Teach him to celebrate his own accomplishments and not worry so much about other people. Teach him sometimes you have to struggle through things that are easier for others and sometimes some things come easier to you, the former does not make you worse, and the later does not make you better. These are a life lessons that are way more important than reading three months into kindergarten.

I couldn't read until the beginning of second grade. My parents were freaking out, but my teachers just told them to relax because everyone learns to read eventually and the main thing was not to stress me out. Thankfully, my parents listened, and eventually something clicked. Within weeks I went from not reading to reading at grade level, and have since gone on to become a voracious reader with two ivy league degrees. I feel very fortunate to have gone to my small, nurturing elementary school -- it didn't have the same academic reputation as some of the other schools where I grew up, but it gave me the space and the time to learn and never made me feel bad about the fact that I was behind for a while. I remember a friend who went to much more prestigious school when he was young, and he had vivid memories of how badly he felt about himself in first grade because he was struggling academically - and, for the record, that academic stress did not motivate him or turn him into a star student. If anything, it created insecurity that lasted through high school and beyond. So the best advice I can give you is take a step back and think about whether this situation is stressful for your child and whether the additional teaching and tutoring is increasing that stress or decreasing it. If it's increasing the stress, I'd back off a bit and give him some time to figure it out. Good luck.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does your child know letter sounds? Can he rhyme? Does he know any sight words?

Yes, he knows letter sounds. Yes, he knows about 20 sight words. I don't think he can rhyme. He knows the word cat but doesn't yet get hat if I switch the c to an h. DH and I don't pressure him. He gets frustrated that he doesn't get it.

Then play rhyming games with him. In the car or taking a walk. Keep reading to him. Let him pick what he wants. Ask casual questions about what is happening so you can gauge his comprehension too.

Anonymous wrote:Not until 2nd grade and than not great. Didn't click until almost 5th grade. Just graduated from a HYP last year.

This gives me hope. DH and I are ivy league educated. I was an early reader. DH immigrated to the US when he was 6 years old and didn't start reading until age 7.

Anonymous wrote:Does your child know letter sounds? Can he rhyme? Does he know any sight words?

Yes, he knows letter sounds. Yes, he knows about 20 sight words. I don't think he can rhyme. He knows the word cat but doesn't yet get hat if I switch the c to an h. DH and I don't pressure him. He gets frustrated that he doesn't get it.

Not until 2nd grade and than not great. Didn't click until almost 5th grade. Just graduated from a HYP last year.

Does your child know letter sounds? Can he rhyme? Does he know any sight words?