Did Your Kindergartener Know How to Read Going into School?

We had one that did and one that didn't. The one that did refused to and we didn't push it. She eventually picked it up and in 1st grade was in the highest reading group. She's about to start 2nd grade and is reading bigger chapter books.

Let him do it on his own time.

I don't think kids should have to know how to read when the enter kindergarten. I am a homeschooling mom and my daughter will be in first grade this fall. I worked with her for a long time on beginning reading last year and she didn't really pick it up until late January. Every kid is different.

Keep in mind that all kids are different, so don't feel stressed about what other kids can do. My oldest was reading at a 2nd grade level by the time she left kindergarten. My son? He couldn't read well at all until 3rd grade. But, by 6th grade, he was reading at a 9th grade level. Once it clicks, it clicks! But, it "clicks" at different times for different kids.

Hello! I am kindergarten teacher. :) This is a very exciting time for both your little guy and you! Don't panic!!! I see children come to me at all levels...some know how to read, some are beginning to read, some don't read but know their letters, and some know none or very few letters.

Wait to hear back from your child's teacher, but I am willing to bet the homework of reading a book means...your child sitting with an adult and "reading" a book. That could mean a number of things. The adult reading to the child, the adult helping the child read, the child reading to the adult (if they know how to)...if this is the case it NEEDS to be at their independent level (not to hard)...keep in mind that a beginning reading skill is for a child to memorize a book, such Brown Bear Brown Bear, What Do You See?...or a simple list book... a cow, a dog, a bird, etc. Understand? If not, inbox me and I would be happy to give more information. Again, relax and enjoy your little guy and this exciting time. I will say that kindergarten is NOT what is used to be and you will be amazed at the gains your son will make in the coming year...he WILL begin to read and write...all in good time! This is the beauty of new teaching techniques...to cater to each child's individual needs. Good luck!

No.
My son struggled with it through kindergarten and first grade.
He got better first half of 2nd grade - then wowed everyone when he took off in the second half in 2nd grade and he's been reading like there's no tomorrow ever since.
He was EXACTLY like me - and there's nothing late about it.
It's a very typical learning pattern.
In the mean time - read all the Dr Seuss (or what ever interests him) you can to him.
Reading to him, point to pictures, recognizing letters - it's all teaching him.
Play with the words and have fun.
Make reading snuggle/cuddle time and don't make it a chore.
Additional:
It's kindergarten - knowing colors will come along like number and letter recognition.
I'd point out to him the homework is asking for purple, and this is what purple is - but if he wants to use the wrong color, let him see what happens when he does that. He'll still learn from it.
He might just like yellow more than purple and doesn't see why he should color it a color he doesn't like.

Hope my experience will make you feel better - my oldest will be entering 5th grade this year. She was not reading (at all) until close to the end of kindergarten. And even then, it was the simplest little books. At the beginning of first grade she just took off reading. It seriously came out of nowhere. She is now reading a year above her current grade level. My youngest will be entering 2nd grade this year. She also was not reading in kindergarten. She was pretty much on grade level all last year in first grade (and I went in once a week to listen to kids read and she was with all the other kids in ability) But she was by no means reading big chapter books. A few days ago I saw her sitting on the couch reading a chapter book - I didn't even know she could read that! It sorta just "happens" (at least with us) I'm like you - I don't really know how to teach basic reading skills - and I'm actually a certified high school teacher! I just don't know how to reach the little ones. Also like you, I've read to my kids almost every day since they were born. All of their teachers have told me that this is one of the best things you can do for early literacy. So, in my opinion, your son will be just fine. When it clicks, it clicks. I'm curious what the teacher has to say though. Asking him to read a book TO you seems a little strange. Hope he has a great year :)

Mine did, but he was only 1 of 2 students who read fluently, and 1 of 4 who could read at all. In some school districts there's a reading test to get INTO kindergarten, in other districts (like ours was) the "goal" by the end of the year is to know 20 letters by sight. Not even all 26. Just 20.

One of the BEST early reading resources out there is completely free, and you don't have to teach even for a second (in fact it's FAR better to set them up / make sure they get how to use it and then Walk. Away. It's because kids pay attention to the 1001 ways we say we're "bored". Even if you can keep yourself from saying "How about we not do the Tiger again?" or "What about B? What does the B page do?" your body language will be like a neon sign saying "NooooOOooooo!")

www.starfall.com

Once you do the letter blocks (just complete 1 block) it has a list of short activities. Things like pictures that you replace the vowel. Pan, Ran, Man, Can. Cat. Rat. Sat., etc. Let him go at his own pace (1000 times to listen to a tiger growl, check.).

Some kids do know how to read by Kinder, but not all. No, it doesn't matter. Whenever you have these kinds of questions and worries, remind yourself that "Education is not the filling of a bucket, but the lighting of a fire."

Your son will learn to read well enough by the end of first or second grade.

Meanwhile, allow him to "read" in whatever way makes him happy. If he stares at the pictures, and guesses the words, or makes up a story, that's fine. The most important thing is that he gets joy from the experience, not negativity.

Yes when my oldest was in kindergarten he could read but this is generally when kids start to develop that skill I don't think it's normal to expect them to be able to read at the beginning of the school year. Some kids in kindergarten still don't know all of the letters.

Start with letters and the sounds they make if your son learns how to blend the sounds together he will pick it up before you know it.

That probably isn't the expectation for the first week.
She will most likely send home a book with sight words
It will go like this
Mike likes ___________ picture of ice cream
Mike likes ___________ picture of baseball.
Mike likes ____________ picture of a puppy.

So the child is learning IKE and all he sees are IKE words.

THe best way to help him is to be excited about his first year in school and get him organized to do his homework and read to him every night.
Kindergarten is where they all learn the alphabet and how to count to 100. He'll be OK.

Both of my little ones knew how to read upon entering kindergarten. I always thought they were ahead just based upon what other moms said. Most commented "Wow, so and so knows how to read already?!"

So, I think your little guy is just fine! Just work with him and read to him constantly! That is hands down the best way to teach them to read. Don't make a big deal out of it or pressure him incessantly. Make it fun! Let him pick the books, make noises with the character voices, turn the pages, etc. Good luck!

My son could, but I despair of my daughter being able to!
Which proves that even in families there are huge differences.
My son hungered to read, he nagged me everyday to teach him, he is OCD to the max and wanted to know what every road sign meant, at age 3. I thought there would be no way a child could read at 3, but he could - and I videoed him to make sure nobody could dispute me - He could read any book, any word at 3.
My daughter at 3, can recognize all her letters, and know a few of their sounds, she can recognize certain words such as NO, I think she is more the norm, although I don't have quite as much time to work with her, and that makes a difference too.

I haven't read all of the responses but, yes, my kids could read by kindergarten age. But all 3 were at very different levels of fluency.

That said, reading is a developmental skill that should not be EXPECTED before kindergarten starts!!! It will click when it clicks, so long as there's plenty of exposure. Personally, I'd let him color the balloons however he flipping likes!

Only one of my four could read prior to Kinder. I think the norm is NOT being able to read. It is somewhat of a developmental thing. When it clicks, it clicks. For some kids that is very early, and for some it is late. Just because a child reads early doesn't mean he/she will be brilliant, and just because a child is a late reader doesn't mean they will be behind.

Anyway - some simple tricks to help it click - get magnetic alphabet letters or those sponge ones for the bathtub, and play a game with them. Sing a made up song "B says b-b-b-b like BOY!" And begin putting together 3 letter words and emphasize each sound as you place it. C-c-c-aaaaa-t-t-t. When you drive, ask him to find the letter "D" in sign. Play the alphabet game (start with A and progress) It will click, and it won't require sitting down, one on one time, do it during your everyday activities.

In my experience, kids are all over the board in kindergarten. Kids develop at different speeds. Just start him with an easy, easy (one word per page?) book. (like the word jump...and the picture of someone jumping). Then he will feel the accomplishment of having read a book to you.

You don't need to "force" him to color it the right color, but you can coach him along by having him repeat the sounds, then asking "what color starts wtih p - p - p?" He'll start to get the idea of the word-sound-letter connection.

Kids can "read" a book by turning the pages & telling you the story - whether it's one that they're familiar with or not. It's great pre-reading practice, and the more they do it, the more they'll pick out words that they recognize. And good for the imagination, of course! :)

My kids all learned to read well before kindergarten (well, one is still working on it, but she has another year!). But I don' t think that's usually the case. If your son is really struggling, the school will probably give him some extra help. But you should do what you can to help out at home.... point out words on street signs or cereal boxes, take him to the library, give him a pencil & paper to write a letter to someone or practice his name. Every little bit helps!

Oh, and those calendars - I suspect they have the same one for the first few grades - at least the ones we receive! Maybe yours is different. Ours are more just suggestions of things to do at home - we get a reading one & a math one.

My dd did not read at the beginning of kindergarten but was a prolific reader by the end of first grade. She was one of the 3 better readers in her class. She is now 7 and is reading the faraway tree series by Enid Blyton.

I would not worry too much about it. Expose him to books. (We read to our children every night. At first they memorize a favorite book. That is considered pre reading. I see that you are doing this already so youvare on the right path =]

As far as the colors trace the word with the color in crayon

I did purchase the easy lesson book for my littlest one. It does work because she was able to follow but she gets antsy and off she goes. She does know a lot of sight words from preschool prep. She is 5 and is autistic.

Ugh - I hate the pressures we put on children these days. I was an overachiever - excelled in high school, college, law school and I do very well in my career today. Did I know how to read before kindergarten? I have no idea - my mom has no idea - she just let me be a child during my childhood (the nerve!). She was never concerned at that age with my ability or gifted and talented classes etc. - all she cared about was that I was happy, fed and in the house before dark. Sure when it came to high school she encouraged me to do my homework but it was more about teaching me that hard work pays off (and it did). Ease up on these kiddos now - they need to be kids! PS - my first son did not know how to read before kinder, he excells now in 2nd grade, my second son is entering kinder now and barely knows his letters/sounds. I am not worried a bit. We read to them every night because it helps them go to sleep and its a great cuddle time with Mommy but we do not feel its necessary to try to teach them anything else. Oh and we live in an area with highly rated schools and they don't have homework during Kindergarten or 1st grade (thank goodness!).

Simple books, yes. By December, my son's K class was reading very well.

That woudl be crazy. I think she expects that your child should spend some time on that day "reading" to someone at whatever level s/he is at. I think most kindergarteners are sounding out words. Get a Level ! "I can read" book or a really simple "Hop on Pop" type of book and let your child do whatever he can. Even if he only has the patience to sound out one page, that counts as "reading."

I sincerely doubt the teacher expects them to read a book. They just want to shift the parents' thinnking from reading TO MY CHILD to hearing my child read TO ME.

In first grade our homework was 10 minutes of reading per night WITH your child. Since we read 30+ minutes per day already, this was no big deal. But I tired to push her to make the 10 minutes be for her to read to me to get her used to doing it. She learned to read proficiently around October of 1st grade.

This is basically a way for them to learn to read. By reading a book with him , every night, it is helping learn to read and recognize words. My son didn't read before going into kindergarden. However, reading to him nightly, did help him start to read and form words. You will be surprised at how quickly this helps them read on their own. Reading a book to him is basically the key to helping him learn to read. I am not good at teaching things either, and this is the most simplest way to teach him to read. Now, if it were about math, that is a different story-:)
Added: about the coloring. My son, who loves to color, was a lot like this. He was like," but I want it this color, why do I have to color it that color?" I told him that at home, he can color what he would like, but for school, and learning, it is important to color the object the right color. For him, he knew colors when he was two. That was the first thing he learned, so for him, he didn't need to follow the directions. However, it is important to teach them to follow directions, even thought they would prefer not to..BOYS!

Try The Bob Books especially set one. They are for very beginner readers. I am sure she doesn't mean a book any more complicated than a very simple 3 or so words type book.

Many children come to Kindergarten with basic "sight word" recognition, but please don't think that is a requirement! Your child can "read" to you by telling you a story that goes along with the pictures. He can "read" you a story by co-reading a familiar story and letting him "fill in the blanks". Pick a book that he knows almost "by heart" and let him read along with you.

In our house my son (3) "read" Goodnight Moon and Where the Wild Things Are- mainly b/c he has heard them so many times and can remember the words based on the pictures.

I really doubt that the teacher is expecting your son to sit down and read a book cover-to-cover! Many Kindergarten teachers will encourage their students to start taking ownership over their literacy development in this way. Your son will soon be "writing" his own stories too!

My oldest was just turned 5 when he started Kindergarten, and he was reading chapter books. He was an early and avid reader. My second son will start K this year, he will be 6 the end of September. he too is reading, but he's a full year older than my oldest was. He's a very good reader too.

My daughter is 4 and is not reading at all. BUT she has only been home for 9 months (she is adopted from Ukraine and has CP).

I think by 'read a book' they mean have him pick up a familiar book and 'read' it to you. By memory, telling a story according to pictures, or make it up as he goes. That is a pre-reading thing.

Yes. My kid is starting K in a few weeks. He learned in pre-k - letter recognition and sounds. He can read Reader 1's mostly by himself now and when reading any otherkind of books, can pick out his site words.

I didn't push him to read. His preschool teachers kept telling us how he did well in letter/word recognition and encouraged us to develop this at home. B/c we don't watch TV or play video games during the week, he always picked reading over playing w/his toys when asked to decided what he wanted to do, and what mom could deny their kid that choice?

Don't worry if your son isn't reading yet. Teaching letter sounds and recognition isn't hard so be thankful that's all he is doing now. Just wait till he gets into math concepts and history facts! That's when I start panicking just thinking about it!

a few sight words......they learn to read in kinder ~1 syllable and 2 and 1st~ 3 and 4 and on syllables

My daughter was late in this, no way could she have read a whole unfamiliar book in kinder. She struggled a little in 1st grade but perfected it by summer. Started chapter books in 2nd and now she is reading harry potter. Which is pretty advanced.

Yes my kids were reading by kindergarten. Taught my youngest how to read at age 4 using the $15 book "How to Teach your Child to Read in 100 easy lessons". It only takes 15 minutes a day and by day 60 she could read any easy reader from the book store.

my daughter could read 2-3 letter words when she started, but nothing more. Now going into 1st grade, she is reading chapter books all by herself. We were at the library last week and she checked out 4 Junie B. books and read them all with in a week! She wants to go back and get more now. I told her she should try for a more challenging book now since she is just flying through the other books! I wouldn't worry about it. I think most kids can't read at the beg. of K.

My oldest starting reading the 2nd month of pre-school. Something just magically clicked and she was reading. By mid-K, she was reading chapter books.

My youngest daughter had a very difficult time reading. By mid-first grade they were expected to know 100 site-words. She only new about 1/2, and still didn't know all of them by the beginning of 2nd grade, although I worked with her all the time and she even got extra help. By the end of 2nd grade, she was reading, and in 3rd grade something clicked and she was in the top reading group in her class.

Each child learns at their own pace.

My kids could read a lot of words and most first readers by then. But I can't imagine most kids do. To tell you the truth, the reason I homeschool is because teaching my kids to read empowered me. If I'm going to teach them the basics which allows the kids to learn most anything they want on their own, I can't see what the schools are actually for. I see my job as an over-seer more than anything else. My kids had a lot of freedom to learn and explore the world even in the 90's. But look at what we have at our fingertips now with the internet so full of great info.

My understanding is that they should learn how to read during kindergarten. That said, my 4 year old will not be attending school this year because his birthday is not until the end of October....but he can read a little bit. (Just beginning to). My neighbor is a kindergarten teacher and she says the kids are at all different levels and this year is the year to get everyone on the same page and ready for the next grades.
Does he know/recognize his letters yet? If he's not proficient in this, then I would suggest The Letter Factory (a DVD from Leapfrog) that talks about the letters and some basic phonics, and get something like an alphabet puzzle (we have a big train floor puzzle that not only helped with normal skills that puzzles help with, but also helped solidify what the letters look like and what order they go in...we had to sing the alphabet song after placing each letter, until we knew what the next piece was at first, but that's because he was doing the puzzle a little before he was 3). Don't stress out over it, just stay cool and make it a casual fun time, and keep working on it. Let him get on the computer to play "games" and he can go to starfall.com and practice there. (All he needs is the mouse--to click on the letters and see them while he hears someone say the letter, the phonetic sound, and then pictures of things with that sound....you can do that normally, but it's a "game" to children if they're on the computer).....after he's got a good grasp on the letters, you can move to the "learn to read" part of the site where they can start putting those phonics together to make words. You can click on "an" for example, and they'll sound out a - n to make "an" and then pictures of things (pan, can, fan, ran) and the child chooses the letter to put in front. Once they get that going well, they can move to little online books that you can "play" with. After that (and the calendar and all the other "stuff") they can move on to "It's fun to read" where they can go further but we haven't gotten there yet. We are in the little online books and picking out the words. And he writes notes to his grandma, grandpa, and sometimes a note to stick in daddy's lunchbox. I looked up "sight words" online and printed them off, and have them on index cards. We practice the words and talk about them, he knows 15 by sight now. Personally I don't understand the whole sight word concept (to me a word is just a word), but that's what his elementary will use, so it's what we do. He does fine with it. It's a process. Don't stress it, but yes I think you do need to "work" with it at home too! (I think school can practice but I don't want to trust them with all the responsibility of teaching my child....I want to do the teaching as much as I can, and they can practice, review, give other ways to look or think about it, and have fun...when it all comes down, I feel that his education is my responsibility right now.)
I laughed when I read your SWH....I think that's an age / maturity thing more than anything else. He's been free to color the balloons whatever he likes, and now suddenly he's being told to color things certain colors. My son would do the same thing yours did. I don't know what's "right" in that case, but I think it's normal.

My daughter will be attending junior kindergarten this fall. Her birthday is at the end of October, so she misses the private school cut-off of September 1st for Kindergarten. She started sight words before she turned 4 and can now read at a 2nd grade level. She has always been an extremely verbal child and I read to her every chance we got. It started with the alphabet and then learning the phonetics that go along with the letters. Once it "clicked", everything fell into place.

I wouldn't worry too much about your son. He'll learn in school, along with his classmates. Some may be ahead, but I'm sure the majority are in the same boat. It's more important that he enjoys books, whether being read to or reading them himself. And, he will most definitely be able to read them himself soon enough.