[email protected]

Hello!! All of this talk about 4 and 5 yo kids reading and such is
making me wonder... my oldest is a 5yo ds and has little interest in
writing. He will on occasion but is more interested in building and
sort of inventing. He also does not read on his own yet. Even as a
toddler never liked the typical memorizing of the alphabet, etc -- just
seemed too busy for it. He likes being read to and has some favorite
books just about memorized but I am curious if anyone else has had
experiences similar-- especially if your kids are older now?? This is
actually part of the reason we are homeschooling--we did not want to
push things that he simply isn't "ready" for yet and be made to feel
like this is an issue.

I'm just curious if anyone has similar stories?
Thanks--Sharon

Fetteroll

on 5/7/02 8:08 AM, sharonashleigh@... at sharonashleigh@...
wrote:

> All of this talk about 4 and 5 yo kids reading and such is
> making me wonder... my oldest is a 5yo ds and has little interest in
> writing. He will on occasion but is more interested in building and
> sort of inventing. He also does not read on his own yet.

Perfectly normal.

If you hang around long enough you'll hear the opposite end of the spectrum
of kids not reading until they're nearly teens. They learn in ways that are
more meaningful to them. The range of learning to read is much broader than
schools lead us to believe. And when there is no stigma for not being able
to read, kids will learn it when *they're* ready.

Very few kids are reading at 5. In school they might be recognizing words or
the alphabet, but that's not reading. It isn't even really a stepping stone
to reading if it's forced on them. It's just a way for schools to be able to
check off that they were taught certain skills, whether those skills are
meaningful to them or not.

Joyce

Kinkade

<<All of this talk about 4 and 5 yo kids reading and such is making me wonder... my oldest is a 5yo ds and has little interest in writing. He will on occasion but is more interested in building and sort of inventing. He also does not read on his own yet.>>

I have a daughter who just decided reading was a good thing this year, she is 10. It's ok for your ds to wait. Let him explore his interests at his own pace. Reading will come when he needs it.

Rebecca


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[email protected]

In a message dated 5/7/02 6:17:10 AM, sharonashleigh@... writes:

<< Even as a
toddler never liked the typical memorizing of the alphabet, etc -- just
seemed too busy for it. >>

My kids learned to recognize letter because of Sesame Street and us just
playing around with letters on cardboard boxes or signs or menus. They
learned them in order because there's a song (and additional tunes and
cartoons on Sesame Street).

Kirby could name letters before he could tell how old he was, because I
remember one time he was naming refrigerator magnets at our La Leche League
Leader's house, and she squatted down and asked him how old he was. He had
no idea what she was talking about, so he looked at her a couple of seconds
and then turned to the refrigerator and started naming letters again. He was
a year and a half old.

That same boy didn't read until he was nearly nine.
His brother, at nine.
His sister, at ten, is still not fluent (but she's getting there).

None of them waited to learn, though, and

Fetteroll

on 5/7/02 10:23 AM, SandraDodd@... at SandraDodd@... wrote:

> He had
> no idea what she was talking about, so he looked at her a couple of seconds
> and then turned to the refrigerator and started naming letters again. He was
> a year and a half old.

Kathryn was exactly the same way. Knew all her colors too. But at 10 reading
dense text -- which is anything denser than a comic strip -- is still not
easy for her. She will read gaming guides and magazines because what she
gets out of them is worth the effort but still prefers to be read to.

Joyce

[email protected]

Thanks everyone for your responses. I am very green about all of this
and although I know in my heart unschooling is the way for me and my
family I do at times need encouragement and to keep hearing that it will
happen when it's time.

My ds that I am referring to has little interest in writing as I said
and at times does ask for help to write his name so that's when we " do
" writing. He tends to get frustrated at times if it doesn't come out
how he intended so I am not pushing this as I want him to enjoy himself
while writing, etc. But it is helpful for me to be able to come here
and talk about this and hear others say it's ok to let them take their
time...that it worked for your family,too.. instead of hearing that he
better get going!! Thanks again for all of your stories and input.

Learning to let loose about learning--
Sharon :)

Hazy_lilly

hello my boy did not like to write at all when he was
5,6 and he just turn seven this past month. He is
just starting to pick the pencil up to do inventive
spelling on his secrets formulas LOL. He write
numbers down here and there. Mostly when I get a bill
for his serivces lol. He is trying to save money for
a video game. I did buy this book called family
writing. I bought the old edition at half.com. It
had some interesting thoughts on journaling if your
into that. It suggested that you let your child draw a
picture and have a written conversation on a piece of
paper about the picture. He wrote different symbols
for what words meant(he had to translate), but he was
writing. My son really enjoyed it. Like I said he
does not write very often , but this was fun.

I think writing can be stressful. To stand there and
look at all these symbols and then have to figure out
what order they go in can be something he is just not
ready for. I would not focus on it at all, his time
will come.

Hazel
--- sharonashleigh@... wrote:
> Hello!! All of this talk about 4 and 5 yo kids
> reading and such is
> making me wonder... my oldest is a 5yo ds and has
> little interest in
> writing. He will on occasion but is more interested
> in building and
> sort of inventing. He also does not read on his own
> yet. Even as a
> toddler never liked the typical memorizing of the
> alphabet, etc -- just
> seemed too busy for it. He likes being read to and
> has some favorite
> books just about memorized but I am curious if
> anyone else has had
> experiences similar-- especially if your kids are
> older now?? This is
> actually part of the reason we are homeschooling--we
> did not want to
> push things that he simply isn't "ready" for yet and
> be made to feel
> like this is an issue.
>
> I'm just curious if anyone has similar stories?
> Thanks--Sharon
>
>


=====
"When we make a choice we change the future" Deepak Chopra

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Tia Leschke

>
>
>I'm just curious if anyone has similar stories?

Probably lots of us. I think there are probably just as many kids who read
"late" as read "early". My son was not really reading at all at age 12. I
pushed him into doing phonics with me at that time (something I thoroughly
regret). He still doesn't read well at age 14, though he's getting better
at it. I'm not concerned about it now (in large part thanks to this group)
because I suspect he's never going to learn things by reading as his
preferred method. He's a doer who learns mostly by doing and sometimes by
watching. Listening is next on the list, and reading is last. So now I
look for ways to support his learning style rather than mine. <g>
Tia

What you think of me is none of my business.
*********************************************************
Tia Leschke leschke@...
On Vancouver Island

zenmomma *

>>my oldest is a 5yo ds and has little interest in writing. He will on
>>occasion but is more interested in building and sort of inventing. He also
>>does not read on his own yet.>>

Five is still really young to be reading and writing independently, no
matter what the schools would like us to believe. For some kids, especially
boys it seems, it's too young to even want to give it thought. Your son will
start writing when he has a need to communicate something in that form. In
the meantime, you can support him by reading to him, playing with him,
providing materials for drawing and writing, and letting him be exactly
where he is right now. It's the perfect place for him.

Life is good.
~Mary






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rumpleteasermom

--- In Unschooling-dotcom@y..., sharonashleigh@w... wrote:

>
> I'm just curious if anyone has similar stories?


Hi,

My son didn't read until he was 10. My girls were both reading (or
starting to) at 5. I think that it takes a lot of (but not all) boys
longer. If your son is just five, I'd let it go for many years yet
unless he expressed an interest or frustration.

Bridget

susan marie

Hi,

My 8 yo dd was worried because she isn't reading as well as her sister
(now 12) was at age 8. At the end of 2nd grade, the older sis was
reading at a sixth grade level. I explained to dd#2 that her sister was
bored to tears in school, and they wouldn't let her do anything else
(this was essentially why we started homeschooling). You, on the other
hand, I told her, are homeschooling and are free to explore what you
want, and you read fine. Since your current interests seem to be more
math oriented -- she loves anything with numbers, and is learning
various math concepts with a great deal of enthusiasm, -- there's no
need to worry about your reading. Just read what you like and it will
come. She's also teaching herself to play the flute. She's busy, she's
learning, she's having fun, and she's doing it on her terms.

If he's building and inventing -- well, that's so cool. Let him. Strew a
few books on builders and inventors and interesting inventions around
the house. He'll read when he's interested and ready.

hth,
Susan Marie

On Tuesday, May 7, 2002, at 10:17 AM, Kinkade wrote:

> <<All of this talk about 4 and 5 yo kids reading and such is making me
> wonder...  my oldest is a 5yo ds and has little interest in writing. 
> He will on occasion but is more interested in building and sort of
> inventing.  He also does not read on his own yet.>>
>
> I have a daughter who just decided reading was a good thing this year,
> she is 10. It's ok for your ds to wait. Let him explore his interests
> at his own pace. Reading will come when he needs it.
>
> Rebecca
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>

>
>
> ~~~ Don't forget! If you change the topic, change the subject line! ~~~
>
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Peace,
Susan

There is nothing so secular that it cannot be sacred, and that is one of
the deepest messages of the Incarnation. -- Madeleine L'Engle





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]