A few days ago, I saw an advertisement promoting a program guaranteeing to teach toddlers as young as two years old to read. Then, just this morning, I overheard a parent discussing letter sounds with their young toddler, and had another parent inquire about the right time to begin reading lessons for their two-year-old.
All of these encounters surprised me. It did not occurr to me that parents are fretting over teaching their young toddlers to read.
Full disclosure: I am a reading teacher with two toddlers of my own, and I am nowhere near teaching them how to read on their own. That is on purpose.
When to start teaching a child to read
“When is the right time to teach your child to read?” I have two seemingly conflicting answers to this question. Hear me out.
1. From birth
2. Not until they’re at least 5
Teach your child to read from birth
In a broad sense, I’ve been teaching my children to read since the moment they entered this world (perhaps even before birth), yet this teaching didn’t involve letters and sounds. All my teaching thus far has been through language building. Every time I talk, sing, or read to my children, I’m laying the groundwork for their future reading.
Research confirms that how much language a child is exposed to is a highly effective predictor of reading development. We don’t need to teach our two year olds what sounds the letter c makes. That is not a skill they need to know yet. We can best help our young children’s reading development by giving our children space to be little. Embracing being little isn’t wasted time. Our children’s early years are packed full of important development. I’m afraid that if we start focusing on academics at even earlier ages, our children will miss out on other developmental milestones, like gross and fine motor skills. Not to mention they might burnout on school before they ever even begin.
I want for my kids (and yours) to enter their school years eager and ready. I don’t need to push them now because I am confident that everything we’re doing now (talking, reading, and playing) is building their vocabularies and motivation. And a child with a vast vocabulary and a desire to learn about the world will quickly learn to read when they’re ready.
As a teacher with a Masters in Reading Education, let me give you permission: you do not need to push your children to read at a young age. Research has even indicated that there is not an advantage to those who learn to read at an earlier age. In one study, children who learned to read at a later age actually had greater reading comprehension, over those who learned to read at a younger age.
You are not hurting your young children by holding off on academics until they are older. You are helping them. Let them be little. Talk to them. Read to them. And let them play.
Teach your child to read, but not before age 5
Five isn’t a magical threshold for teaching reading, but it is the typical age for kindergarten enrollment. And I am a firm believer that despite the push for workbooks and pre-K, your child does not need to start kindergarten as a proficient reader. Kindergarten is a great place to start learning how to read (some places, like Finland with excellent reading outcomes, say age 7 is best).
I am a former kindergarten teacher. And I would rather a child enter kindergarten not knowing their letters, but instead with a great knowledge of how to play with others, how to use her hands to color and cut paper, and mostly very excited to learn. A child who has had years of talking, listening, enjoying good books, and playing will most likely quickly learn to read because their language foundations are so strong and their motivation is high.
Now, this isn’t to say that you cannot introduce reading to your child before they turn five. As I said, five is not a magical number. Some children show interest in reading and express a desire to learn at a younger age. And as long as that interest is child-led, that’s wonderful.
I have an almost-three-year-old who adores reading. She has very suddenly shown an interest in letters, particularly wondering whose names in our family start with which letter. When she asks questions, I happily answer her. But, I intentionally don’t go beyond that. If in the next year or two she shows more interest, I may start specifically teaching her how to read, but I am not in a hurry. Her childhood isn’t a race and me teaching her to read right now is not likely to give her any major advantage in the future. And would likely just cause frustration now.
Our society has a love for pushing children faster and faster through their development. As Kim John Payne says in his book, Simplicity Parenting, we hurry our children and it’s to their detriment. Research even suggests that our constant pushing for higher standards in kindergarten and first grade is actually counterproductive, resulting in less academic achievement and more frustration.
This constant hurry is a bandwagon I refuse to hop on for reading development (and all of childhood, really). Let your young children be little. Teach them to read from birth through conversations, good books, and loads of playtime. And then, when they’re ready, with a vast vocabulary and motivation, teach them to read on their own.
For further insights into slowing down childhood, I highly recommend tuning into the “1000 Hours Outside Podcast” by Ginny Yurich and delving into “Simplicity Parenting” by Kim John Payne. These resources offer invaluable perspectives on cherishing the simplicity of childhood.
And if your child is now ready to begin learning how to read on their own, I’m here to help! Read Where You Are Assessments are a great place to start and the Individualized Reading Plan Bundle is great for if you get stuck. Consultations are also available.
Download a FREE Beginning Reading Skills Checklist here.