Why is my child not at the reading level that he/she 'should' be at?
/There are so many schools of thought when it comes to reading.
Many parents I speak to tell me that it is vital that their child learn to read before the age of 4.
Other parents tell me that they would prefer to wait until their child is older.
You can choose the school of thought you wish to choose.
For me, it’s obvious.
And the reason it is obvious is because in my nearly 20 years working in schools across the country (private and state), I have seen the deep impact on children who have been unable to read from an early age. It literally holds them back in so many ways.
From fluency, to comprehension, to vocabulary to simply being able to read a worded problem on a test, not being able to read from an early age is detrimental on so many levels.
It is also the biggest cause for frustration for many parents.
It is also a huge cause of frustration for many teachers!
You see - if a child is unable to read (insert whatever age they are currently), they will need so much more support than if they are able to read. Obvious no?
So let’s look at the question again…
Why is my child not at the reading level that he 'should' be at?
You won’t like my answer.
If your child is not reading at the level that he/she ‘should’ be at then it is because they have simply not practised enough. I promise you reading is not practised enough in schools. I do not care which school your child is at.
Practising reading (to me) means sitting down 1:1 with a child for at least 30 minutes each day. Practising reading (to me) means absorbing every single word they try to read and supporting them to read the words they can’t. Practising reading (to me) means discussing the meaning of more complex words and depending on the age of the child, writing the words in a glossary together with their meaning and coming back to them time and time again.
So if you want your child to be a proficient reader. To be an avid reader. To be a fluent reader. You’d better believe that YOU will need to put in the work. No one else. YOU.
Many of you ‘don’t have time for this’. That’s fine. We all decide what we make time for.
