ready for reading?

metrovelvet

Hi. Just wondering. My near four year old can write his name and a few odd words here and there. He can also recognise when he sees a word what letters of that word are also part of other words. He has done this without any coaching or instruction from me, other than he has seen me write his name out.

Do you think he is ready to learn to read? What would be the best way of teaching him?

DGOBS

Go to a local school book supplier, and start with the 'jolly phonics' books
as this is what most teacher will start with in school

Pixie Chief

You can indeed start with 'jolly phonics' as they will use those in school. Phonics don't work with all kids though, so maybe investigate 'Sight Vocabulary' too? You could also look up stuff like the 'Dolch Word List' as they will definitely use that in school also. The Dolch word list is a collection of everyday words that can't be taught using pictures or other methods so it's a good place to start. Don't know if it would be considered spamming to say that I have a website where I upload lots of stuff like that and it is all free????? If it is, please feel free to delete this post! I had to make 'Sight Vocabulary' sheets for my kids as Phonics just didn't work and have uploaded them here www.thepixieslair.com - if you need them you can download and print them or just search for 'Sight Vocabulary' or 'learning to read' in Google and you will find lots of other sites that have sight or phonics materials too.

metrovelvet

One thing I'd be worried about is if I do teach him to read he will be bored silly in school. He doesnt start primary for another year, sept 2012.

loveclothes

I think you should try teaching him and see how it works out.

Teachers are trained to cater for different abilities and will set work to match your child's ability so you can only be helping him/her by giving them a head start.

byhookorbycrook

If he is showing interest, then don't hold him back. Jolly phonics is an excellent place to start and for the first while look for "phonetically decodable" books.

These are books where all the words can be "sounded out". Sight words are important too, they cannot be sounded out- take the word "could" as an example, if you sound all the letters out it doesn't give you the word, if you follow me.

Be careful about doing too much letter formation work, many infant teachers spend a lot of time unteaching incorrect letter formation that a well-meaning parent has taught the child.

Pixie Chief

I agree totally - I think it's fantastic when you can let them guide you as to what skills they are interested in acquiring as opposed to timetabling when you think they should acquire them??? It's not always so easy to be sure you are doing the right thing when it's your own child you are making the decision for though! My eldest two could read well before school and never had any issues with boredom. That said, we have had amazing teachers who have always been concerned with having lively, multi-ability classes so we have been blessed. If it hadn't worked that way I might have been kicking myself......this parenting lark is never easy......I'm forever second guessing my choices. It's like a huge exam and you don't find out for years whether or not you passed!

#15

metrovelvet wrote: »

One thing I'd be worried about is if I do teach him to read he will be bored silly in school. He doesnt start primary for another year, sept 2012.

I doubt that will be the case. There are bright kids in every class, it won't be the first time the teacher will have come across such a situation imo.

metrovelvet

Thanks. First of all I dont want to push him if he is not ready, but I think he maybe showing signs that he is, so Im checking here with some of the parents and teachers.

I learned to read well before school and I was bored out of my mind in school, it was like torture. But I had a different primary background to the one he will have, most likely small country school.

I dont really teach him how to write. Its that he has seen letters and knows how to mimic them so to speak, but I have read to him everynight since he was an infant.

Pixie chef, you are so right about never being quite sure about the rightness of what you are doing.