Hi Danielle,

My son is 5.5 (July birthday) and is currently in Kindergarten.  As a little guy, he LOVED being read to but didn't show a lot of interest in reading on his own so I didn't push him.  I was nervous that he would be behind when he got to kindergarten but his teacher said he was actually in exactly the right place...READY to read.  

Now, halfway through kindergarten he is actually reading (at a very basic level) and is really proud of himself.  He's staying really motivated to keep reading more and more words of books we read together and to be able to read some books on his own.  It's been really fun to see how fast it happens once they get started!

I'm sure there are some kids who are capable of reading and loving it at a very young age.  But I'm afraid many kids who get to kindergarten "reading" have been pushed too fast and may lose some of the joy of reading.  My advice would be to stay focused on reading readiness and then let him take off once he gets to kindergarten.

What do other parents think?

Thanks so much! This really makes me feel better. My son loves being read to and seems poised for reading (he likes to ask what signs say, he points out letters, he guesses at some words), but he does not want to sit down and be schooled in reading yet. It really helps to hear that he seems to be just where he needs to be! I'm curious to hear about writing, too :)

When my daughters were growing up, I remember, specifically, when I decided that each one of them had started reading.  They were both one year old!!!!  One daughter changed her voice when she "read" the letters on a paper Safeway bag.  The other daughter said, "Dah Duh" when she looked up at a McDonald's sign.  Now that I have a grandson, I've changed my definition.  We have an incredibly intense picture of him staring at Eric Carle's book "Brown Bear, Brown Bear".  I've decided that he's reading it!!!!  I know that these aren't the official definitions of reading, but what I've noticed is that children can learn what reading is about at a very young age.  You ask about your kindergarten son.  Perhaps you're wondering if he should be reading any particular words by now.  If he has a love of books and loves listening and looking at them, then I would say that he's reading.  Learning the pronunciation of the words is the next stage for him.