Learning to Read is Not a Race

So much emphasis is put on early literacy these days. Many school districts expect children to be reading by the end (or sometimes even the beginning) of kindergarten. While there is certainly nothing wrong with a child learning to read early, not all kids are developmentally ready to read at age 5, and that's okay. In this post I share several reasons why learning to read isn't a race.

Developmental Readiness

Kids all develop at their own pace. We know this when it comes to learning to walk, or climb the jungle gym, or being ready for slumber parties, but it is often overlooked when it comes to learning to read. Not all kids are developmentally there at the same age.  

Pushing kids to read before they're ready can cause a lot of frustration and resentment. It can destroy a child's chance to develop a love for reading by turning it into a frustrating chore. 

Reading Isn't The Only Way To Learn New Information

One of the reasons reading is pushed so early, is to get kids ready for learning in the public school system, where textbooks and worksheets are the most commonly used learning resources.

As homeschoolers we have a great advantage in that we can offer our kids a wide variety of methods for learning. We can do more hands on learning, more field trips, watch more documentaries, read more books aloud, etc... Reading and writing are not the only ways to educate.

Let Kids Be Kids

Young children learn so much simply through play and everyday interaction with the world around them. Early childhood is a time for learning to be kind to others, learning to read social cues, developing good social habits, and developing muscle and coordination. Too much emphasis on academic learning can take time away from play and hands on experiences.

I read something once that said: "Employers don't care when you learned to read, only that you can". In the grand scheme of things, whether you learned to read at age 4 ,or 7, or even 8 is pretty irrelevant. 

What We Can Learn From The Finnish School System?

Finnish schools are among some of Europe's highest ranking schools, but surprisingly, they don't start any sort of formal education until age 7. Before that emphasis is put on play based learning and arts and crafts.

This "late" start on learning to read doesn't hold students back, in fact Finland is one of the world's most literate societies. 

Pushing the expected reading age earlier, as many school districts here in the U.S. have done, hasn't done anything to increase test scores or literacy rates. What it has done, is destroyed the opportunity for many children to develop a natural love of reading.

Maybe it's time to rethink the way we do early childhood education.

If you enjoyed this post, check out:

Why We Don't Do Bedtimes

What Homeschooling Looks Like For Us The Preschool And Kindergarten Years



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