Jj is for Jottings 63.  Raising a Reader Part 3:  Emerging Readers.

Continuing from the two previous articles

https://educatingalpacas.com/raising-a-reader-part-1-the-baby/  and https://educatingalpacas.com/raising-a-reader-part-2-toddlers/,

this next stage is the magical time when your child starts to take an interest in letters and words and begins to make out words for himself, in books or real life such as street signs. This happens at different ages for different children, even within the same family.  You may find sudden bursts of progress in this area and then nothing for a while, then another burst, and so on.

Here are some strategies to support your emerging reader:

Mix It Up.  When your child starts to pick out words, allow him to read them some of the time, but always aim for story time to be a smooth and pleasant affair rather than a chore.  At first, point to words you know your child recognises and have him read them.  As his word knowledge increases you could take turns reading sentences and later take turns alternating pages.  The aim is not to cease story time as your child’s reading skills increase (see here), but to give practice and the immense satisfaction of achievement for your child.  Keep reading favourites as well as more advanced books which your child couldn’t yet read by himself.

Every Child Learns To Read At A Personal Pace.  There is no “correct” age at which children become independent readers.  If your focus has always been to create an independent reader and you have been taking the right sorts of steps, it will happen in your child’s own individual time.

Don’t Make Reading A Chore.  The most important thing you can do is to foster a love of reading, and then the rest will usually follow.  That said, practising a skill is very important, so if you make reader time fun with lively interaction, it won’t feel like work at all.  As with many things in life, it’s not what you do or say but how you do or say it.  You can make the time spent reading a book that is not hugely interesting to your child interesting and stimulating by commenting, using the subject as a starting point for something more interesting, discussing how you both think you could make it more interesting, or horsing around.  Laughter is always good medicine – in any situation.

Talk To Your Child’s Teacher.  Open lines of communication with your child’s teacher is always a good thing, ensuring that everyone is on the same page and working together in your child’s best interests.  But don’t get too concerned if your child is not at the same level as the others, unless the teacher suspects a specific reading challenge such as dyslexia, in which case a formal evaluation will be necessary.  In this case reading may be quite stressful for your child.  Otherwise, in the absence of specific concerns, late readers often grow up to be better, more enthusiastic readers.

Next time we will talk about what happens when your child begins to become an independent reader.