Learn to Read: At What Age do Children Learn to Read?
Many parents are confused as to when their homeschooled children should learn to read. There are many experts that insist that early reading is not advisable, and just as many experts that insist that children should learn to read as early as possible. The reality is that children learn to read when they are ready.
Unfortunately, the debate that currently exists among experts as to when children should learn to read and what is the best method to teach children to read only serves to confuse parents who home school their children. The failure of experts to agree on these important aspects of reading confuses formal in-school educators as well. The result is that there is no general consensus on what age children best learn to read.
Home school educators must look beyond the reading debate to find answers to the learn to read question. And, there’s no substitute for experience. Most home school educators agree that the age at which children best learn to read is the age at which they are mentally and emotionally prepared to do so. Although this may seem like a rather obtuse statement, it actually makes a great deal of sense.
Teaching a child to read is much like teaching them to do most everything else. Homeschooling parents should avoid making reading a chore or a requirement. Children should be provided with reading experiences and reading materials and then basically left to their own devices and sense of development to initiate and develop their own sense of when they are ready to begin.
There are several simple steps that homeschooling parents can take to ensure that their child(ren) are prepared for adventures in reading. First and foremost, parents should read to their children every day. As part of story time or before nap and/or bed time, children love both listening to exciting stories and spending quality time with adults.
Another way to help children learn to read is to set a good example. A parent or home school educator who reads, encourages children to read by example. Just as a child will often mimic the actions and behaviors of the adults around him/her, children are equally as likely to engage in reading if such habits are encouraged.
Essentially, children learn what they live. The adult that obviously enjoys reading as a pastime teaches children that reading is a worthwhile pursuit. Therefore learning to read becomes less about an academic requirement than a pleasurable hobby.
Although some experts insist that the homeschooled child learns to read much later than the child who receives traditional school instruction, this is not always the case. Nor does it have to be. And, the homeschooling parent should never pressure a child to learn to read according to a pre-determined set of rules.
FamilyEducation.com asserts that the home schooled child may not learn to read until eight or nine years of age. In homeschooling circles, this is not cause for alarm. Additionally, since there is such a wide range of appropriate reading ages -- from three to twelve according to some sources -- the concentration for home school educators should focus more on concepts and comprehension rather than the actual age at which a child must be required to learn to read.
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Article by Michael Levy