If your child is in Pre-K, can they read?

Chrisy-Wyobride

Pre-K, Preschool, Jr. K--whatever you call the year before Kindergarten.....If they can read--how much...just basic sounding out 3 letter words or really read.  I am not talking about memorizing enough words to get by on some stories...I am talking about phonics & sounding out words they aren't familiar with.  Thanks.

DaiLyght

DS1 turned 4 on 9/4 and he's been in Pre-K since the fall. He can't read, but like you said he recognizes words. He knows his letter sounds, but no phonics right now. I would say we'll start getting there by about summer-ish...?

Andrewsgal

DD will be in Pre-K next year, she is 3.5 and has just started sounding out words using phonics, I know this is something they focus on in addition to basic math skills, and hand writing. They also have a large focus on the 100 basic sight words.

DandR

My Audrey is in Pre-K this year.  She brings home books to read.  I think she has some of the common sight words (the, and, it, I, a) memorized...doesn't have to think about them, just reads them.  And then the books are usually those words combined with the 3 letter, sound it out phonetically type words.

She currently has one called Not Dots.  It goes something like this...I don't have it totally memorized, she's only read it once to me....but its basic.

Not Dots.

Dots. Lots of Dots. Dots on dots.  Dots?  Not dots. I like dots and not dots.

And her last book was Big Rig

The rig is big. The car is not big. Is the rig big? No, the rig is not big. It is little. The van is big! (or something like that.)

But I know that most kids in her class are not reading.  The teacher reads with her and 2 or 3 other kids...so it isn't a requirement.

shouldbworkin

No, but he's only 4.5 so I don't really expect him to yet.  He knows letter sounds and is probably sounding some stuff out at school, but not putting them together on his own much at home. 

jlw2505

My kids are not there yet but my sisters kids could both read when they were in PreK.  Granted, her kids test above average for everything and my nephew who is in Kindergarten now is already reading at a 2nd grade level so I really don't think you can base anything on this.  I think my other nieces could read a little but really at the very basic, just starting out, recognizing basic letters and small word type things.  My DD is 3 1/2 and in preschool and just the other day she told us one word in a story.

Chrisy-Wyobride

My DD is old for Pre-K (5 in October--just missed the deadline) but she can't really read yet--she knows the sounds but hasn't really learned the blends or anything yet....but the 2 other girls in her class who are much younger (won't be 5 until summer) can.  DD feels very badly that the younger girls can & she can't.  It makes me so sad, but she has a hard time focusing so I can only teach her in small spurts & the teacher can only do so much 1 on 1 w/ her.  I just wanted to see if she's more in the norm for that level or the exception.  I couldn't really read until 1st grade.

GinandTonic

No, but he has some sight words and is really interested - I bet he will be before K.

cnybride2be

DaiLyght:

DS1 turned 4 on 9/4 and he's been in Pre-K since the fall. He can't read, but like you said he recognizes words. He knows his letter sounds, but no phonics right now. I would say we'll start getting there by about summer-ish...?

this.

although he knows some letter sounds not all. and i'm excited because matt has come a long way in pre k.  he had close to zero interest a few months ago and now is recognizing a few sight words.

shouldbworkin

Chrisy-Wyobride:

My DD is old for Pre-K (5 in October--just missed the deadline) but she can't really read yet--she knows the sounds but hasn't really learned the blends or anything yet....but the 2 other girls in her class who are much younger (won't be 5 until summer) can.  DD feels very badly that the younger girls can & she can't.  It makes me so sad, but she has a hard time focusing so I can only teach her in small spurts & the teacher can only do so much 1 on 1 w/ her.  I just wanted to see if she's more in the norm for that level or the exception.  I couldn't really read until 1st grade.

IMHO, I think we all have our "sensitive periods" for these sorts of things and you can't rush them.  I've found that Max is drawn to different things at different times and he just has to enter a sensitive period in an area before he really blossoms.  But, I have considered labeling things around the house to get him to start recognizing some simple words.  Not reallyl b/c I think he should know them, just for fun (and it would be helpful for learning where certain toys go).  Right now, he really can only recognize his name. 

shopgirl78

DaiLyght:

DS1 turned 4 on 9/4 and he's been in Pre-K since the fall. He can't read, but like you said he recognizes words. He knows his letter sounds, but no phonics right now. I would say we'll start getting there by about summer-ish...?

This (except her bday is 8/22).   

jnicks19

See, I hate stuff like this.  My DD can read, very well and I feel like if I say that or say how well she can read (on here and IRL) people take it as bragging.  But really, I'm just SO freaking proud of her!!!  I feel like if I say it people think that I think that my kid is a genius etc, etc.  I don't.  I think my kid has an abnormal fascination with letters/phonics and books.  FWIW, she's totally uncoordinated and was way less physical than her peers.

All that said, my DD was 4 in October and has been reading since 3y3mos.  She's now reading chapter books like Magic Tree House, etc.  She can pretty much read anything I put in front of her (within reason of course, she's not reading the encyclopedia or anything!!)  I'm amazed with her everyday!

jnicks19

I forgot, she's in her 2nd year of school (montessori) and she'll be a kindergartener next year.  She'll be young with her October birthday, so we're gonna give her an 2nd kindergarten year so when she gets older, she'll be closer in age with her peers.

PinkPiano

My dd is 5 1/2 and in pre-K and she isn't reading.  She loves to be read to though and and I take that as a good sign!  I know that she'll get it when she's ready.  I didn't read until 1st grade and I was always in advanced classes so I'm not really sweating it.

 

AnneUCSB

Yes, Eric started reading just before his 4th birthday.  He will be 5 in March and now reads basic level one reading books.  He started with the BOB books (they are great!!!) and that really helped him gain confidence in phonics and taking a stab at trying things out.  We don't push it... he reads when he wants and other nights we read his stories to him at night.  I don't think it's typical for kids to be reading at age four but I by no means think he is a genius either.

heyitsme

When DD was in Pre-K she could read 3-letter words by sounding them out (cat, dog, mom, etc.) and she could recognize 2 sight words--"the" and "and."

DandelionMom

One of my girls could read at that age and one could not.  A lot of kids don't read until 1st grade. 

ilovemygirls

Nope, mine was 5 in the fall & cannot read yet.  She gives me signs sometimes that I think it's coming, then she'll back off again.  But just the other day she was really working hard to sound out some letters together, so maybe?  I'm not pushing it, she'll get there!

MichelleWP

My 4 y/o (Oct b-day) is in a 3-4 y/o class, knows some sight words and knows his letter sounds, but isn't reading. 

My 13 y/o did not go to preschool and was reading at a 6th grade level by the time he started Kindergarten.

CleoKitty

Ds is also in his second year of Montessori and no, he cannot read. He knows most of the letter sounds but is unable to put them together in order to actually sound out a word. I'm not too worried about it- they don't really encourage the kids to start reading until their 3rd Montessori year/kindergarten. If the child starts reading on his/her own before then they'll work with the child to further develop those skills, but otherwise they think it's more age appropriate to wait until kindergarten (or so his teacher says.)

So in short, even though he can't read yet, I'm really happy with the pre-reading skills that he has. I think that when the time comes it's just going to click for him all at once. 

Zenya

My son is 3.5 and he can sound out simple words.  I don't know what phonics are (off to google - we may have called them something else in ireland).  He's always been into letters/reading though.  it's his thing.

Jamaica_Bride

Yup- Owen has been reading since about 4 yo.

SaraSmile

My son is 4.5 and in preschool.  He can identify and write most of his letters and can sound some out but cannot read words yet.