Part 2: Teaching Reading in Your Homeschool - When Should My Child Be Able To Read?

"Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think."  ~Ephesians 3:20

When should my child be able to read?  At six years of age? Seven?  What is the magic number?

We've worked with my children and parents who get a little freaked out that their child isn't reading yet.  It can be daunting when we start comparing our kids to others -- is my child behind? Do they have learning issues?  Shouldn't they be further along in reading than they are showing?

In this post, we want to give you some information to put your mind at ease.  Like a baby learning to walk, learning to read happens differently for all kids.  It's important we relax a little and accept our child's unique timeline.

Consider this article from U.S. NEWS, Aug. 2021:

"It’s a question discussed again and again in classrooms, on playgrounds and wherever parents congregate: What age should kids learn to read?

Experts say that most children learn to read by age 6 or 7, meaning first or second grade, and that some learn much earlier. However, a head start on reading doesn’t guarantee a child will stay ahead as they progress through school. Abilities tend to even out in later grades.

“Some children are ready to learn to read at age 3, and some take much longer,” AnnMarie Sossong, a reading specialist at Ocala Preparatory Academy in Florida, wrote in an email. “I have seen both, and by age 12 or 13, they are reading at the same level, which seems counter-intuitive, but it is not. When they are ready, they are ready, and everything clicks.”

U.S. Department of Education reading programs often say children should learn to read by age 8, or third grade, because learning to read transitions into reading to learn other subjects soon thereafter."

So. What does that mean for homeschooling parents?  We can RELAX. In schools there are strict benchmarks and timelines for reading throughout each grade. If a child doesn’t meet those, they are targeted as a struggling reader and placed in a specific below-level tier, depending on how far they are from the benchmark.  At home, parents have much more flexibility, and reading can come more naturally without pushing and stressing.  There are no strict benchmarks. When a child learns to read, it just clicks, like a little miracle!  Parents do not need to stress about their child not reading by a certain point at a certain age.  The child will learn to read when it's his or her time.

That said, we also don't want to just kick back and give it all to chance, either.  There is a balance, just like everything!  As parents, we will do the necessary work we committed to do when we decided to educate our child.  We ask for wisdom and rely on God to help us help our children, as he loves them even more than we do.  He is able to accomplish so much more than we even realize. So, as you are doing the job of educating your children and providing all those pre-reading and reading opportunities, we don't want to ignore facts. If we feel in our gut that our child is not learning like we would expect,  we may need to provide some pinpointed reading instruction in some way. 

Take note of these behaviors that might signal that a child needs extra, more intensive reading instruction.  Several of these points, not just one, would indicate your child may need extra help:

-they are having a hard time remembering letters, numbers, words, even when being exposed to them repeatedly
-they are older than 7/8 and still not reading at all
-they have a hard time hearing rhyming
-they confuse many words that sound the same
-they are reversing letters even after age 7/8
-someone in the family also had more difficulty learning to read

If your child is showing several of these signs, you will want to start thinking about getting extra help or teaching reading in a more explicit way.  There are great research-based programs for homeschoolers that are modeled after dyslexia or research-based programs (but much cheaper).  You can also check into testing by a private psychologist or public school psychologist who can recommend services or tutoring.  A few well-known tutoring programs are Barton and Orton Gillingham.  Many tutors may use different programs -- you just want to check that whatever it is, it is based in reading research. We can also help guide you with resources, and what to do next (contact us for more info). Just remember that your child is going to learn to read, he or she may need a different method, it may take a little longer, and/or you may need to have a little guidance to help.

However and whenever your child learns to read, we just want to encourage you to enjoy this amazing developmental time, growing their interests and watching the miracle of reading blossom. 🌻🌱

⛲️ Have more questions about reading? That’s why we created our community and classes. We are here to help homeschool moms find answers to their questions and solutions to their problems. Be your child's BEST teacher! JOIN us today! ⛲️