Reading Milestones

Infancy (Up to Age 1)

Children usually begin to:

• imitate sounds they hear in language
• respond when spoken to
• look at pictures
• reach for books and turn the pages with help
• respond to stories and pictures by vocalizing and patting the pictures

Toddlers (Ages 1–3)

Children usually begin to:

• answer questions about and identify objects in books — such as "Where's the cow?" or "What does the cow say?"
• name familiar pictures
• use pointing to identify named objects
• pretend to read books
• finish sentences in books they know well
• scribble on paper
• know names of books and identify them by the picture on the cover
• turn pages of board books
• have a favorite book and request it to be read often

Early Preschool (Age 3)

Children usually begin to:

• explore books independently
• listen to longer books that are read aloud
• retell a familiar story
• recite the alphabet
• begin to sing the alphabet with prompting and cues
• make continuous symbols that resemble writing
• imitate the action of reading a book aloud

Late Preschool (Age 4)

Children usually begin to:

• recognize familiar signs and labels, especially on signs and containers
• make up rhymes or silly phrases
• recognize and write some of the letters of the alphabet
• read and write their names
• name letters or sounds that begin words
• match some letters to their sounds
• use familiar letters to try writing words

Kindergarten (Age 5)

Children usually begin to:

• understand rhyming and play rhyming games
• match some spoken and written words
• understand that print is read from left to right, top to bottom
• write some letters and numbers
• recognize some familiar words
• predict what will happen next in a story
• retell stories that have been read to them

First and Second Grade (Ages 6–7)

Children usually begin to:

• read familiar stories
• sound out or decode unfamiliar words
• use pictures and context to figure out unfamiliar words
• use some common punctuation and capitalization in writing
• self-correct when they make a mistake while reading aloud
• show comprehension of a story through drawings

Second and Third Grade (Ages 7–8)

Children usually begin to:

• read longer books independently
• read aloud with proper emphasis and expression
• use context and pictures to help identify unfamiliar words
• understand the concept of paragraphs and begin to apply it in writing
• correctly use punctuation
• correctly spell simple words
• write notes, like phone messages and email
• enjoy games like word searches
• use new words, phrases, or figures of speech that they've heard
• revise their own writing

Fourth Through Eighth Grade (Ages 9–13)

Children usually begin to:

• explore and understand different kinds of texts, like biographies, poetry, and fiction
• understand and explore expository, narrative, and persuasive text
• read to extract specific information, such as from a science book
• identify parts of speech and devices like similes and metaphors
• correctly identify major elements of stories, like time, place, plot, problem, and resolution
• read and write on a specific topic for fun, and understand what style is needed
• analyze texts for meaning