Reading already?

[mrs.t]

My son will be three in a month. He can read several words already. They are mostly familiar words, like Mom, Kevin (his name), other family members' names, names of cartoons that he likes, names of stores that we frequent, etc.

Is this common at his age? I don't know because he is an only child. I'm just curious if this falls under the "possibly gifted" category, or if it is something all kids start do at this age. He's been doing this for the last six months or so. I noticed it when he started pointing out the words "stop" and "go" (he is a HUGE fan of cars and all things traffic related) but I thought it was just him recognizing the colors red and green and making the association. Then it continued with other words.

Any input is appreciated!

[Katico]

My DD is almost 4 and has been recognizing some words since she was...maybe 2? Definitely stop, go, Mama, her name, some random others. Now, at nearly  4, she recognizes a fair number of words but isn't reading. 

When she was 2 and saying "Look mama, S, T, O, P, spells Stop!" or when she would see her name in print and recognize it,  it was one of many  little ways I knew she was different...but now that she is 4, I don't really consider the list of words she reads extraordinary at all.   She was quite early with her alphabet (reciting and reading the letters) but it seems to be that it is more that she has an amazing memory, not that she was destined to be an early reader.  

So,IMO. if he was recognizing words like his name, stop etc at 2.5....it may be a sign he's advanced?  Not as clear a sign as if he were recognizing more complex words or words without the association of the red sign, ykwim?  But it certainly is fun when you're on the bus and your tiny person is reading signs out the window and people do a double take, haha! But I really have no idea, that's just my guess.

Also, DD is my oldest and has been pretty obviously different/ahead from birth, so I don't even know anymore what "typical" looks like, you know? Maybe it is actually rare that kids can read a few words at 2? my perception of normal is all screwed up.  See above where I have decided i't's too late for my almost 4 year old to be an early reader, because she hasn't started yet, hahaha.  My idea of early is 2 or 3, having read this board! 

[nyssaneala]

Originally Posted by Katico 

Also, DD is my oldest and has been pretty obviously different/ahead from birth, so I don't even know anymore what "typical" looks like, you know? Maybe it is actually rare that kids can read a few words at 2? my perception of normal is all screwed up.  

I think reading skills are all over the place at the age, but that seems early for reading words other than family names.

My DD recognized a few words by age 3 and knew all the phonetic sounds, and then a full year went by with no jumps in her reading (although during that time she did move from 36 piece puzzles to 200 piece puzzles, so maybe her brain was just engaged in learning other things!)

Then last summer, when she was 4, she taught herself how to read. Other than bedtime stories, we actually didn't spend that much time reading with her, but she would spend hours reading books in her room. I didn't even realize how far she had advanced until the end of summer, when she picked up a Magic Treehouse book (2nd grade reading level) and started reading it to me. In three months she went from reading Biscuit and Mittens books to 2nd grade chapter books.

[whatsnextmom]

It's hard to say. I taught preschool for a few years and it is not uncommon for kids that age to read their names (if they are in preschool, not uncommon for them to recognize the names of all their classmates.) Words that come in a special font, color or symbol like a store banner or stop sign... pretty common. If you were to just write "stop" or the title of his favorite cartoon on a piece of paper in pencil and he recognized it, far less common. 

How a child develops from these early stages is anyone's guess really. My eldest started to write phonetically at 3... even sentences but didn't pick out words or sit down and read a book until after her 5th birthday. She was downing 5th grade level novels comfortably within a month. I'll ad that she was the LAST of her playgroup friends to start pointing out words and reading... and yet the only one that was eventually labeled gifted. My youngest started picking out words at 2. At 4, could read any word individually. Didn't become a fluent reader until after turning 7. He ended up high on the gifted scale too. There are lots of factors that go into reading... exposure, family importance, eye development, ect. 

Basically, it's really hard to say. I think he sounds like an observant and eager child who is ahead of the curve. Certainly keep reading to him. When he asks you questions, answer them. Don't bother with reading lessons until he's begging for them... and he may have it all figured out himself before he gets to that point!

[nyssaneala]

Originally Posted by whatsnextmom 

 She was downing 5th grade level novels comfortably within a month. 

I don't want to hijack this thread, but do you have any recommendations of books on a 4th and 5th grade level that would be appropriate for a 5 year old to read? We have stuck with the early chapter books (Judy Moody, Magic Treehouse, etc), but I found my DD on the couch reading one of MY Anne Tyler novels the other day (without getting stuck on a lot of words). But she also scares easily, and doesn't like fantasy books all that much, and just generally a very sensitive child. I haven't ventured into older books yet mainly due to content concerns (that, and I don't want to rush things...I still like picture books, lol!)

[ollyoxenfree]

Originally Posted by nyssaneala 

I don't want to hijack this thread, but do you have any recommendations of books on a 4th and 5th grade level that would be appropriate for a 5 year old to read? We have stuck with the early chapter books (Judy Moody, Magic Treehouse, etc), but I found my DD on the couch reading one of MY Anne Tyler novels the other day (without getting stuck on a lot of words). But she also scares easily, and doesn't like fantasy books all that much, and just generally a very sensitive child. I haven't ventured into older books yet mainly due to content concerns (that, and I don't want to rush things...I still like picture books, lol!)

Check out the wiki Books for Advanced Early Readers. You may find some suggestions there. There are quite a few older threads that might help too. 

The sensitivity makes it tough. Most middle school books have some conflict to keep their target reading audience interested. 

[whatsnextmom]

Originally Posted by nyssaneala 

I don't want to hijack this thread, but do you have any recommendations of books on a 4th and 5th grade level that would be appropriate for a 5 year old to read? We have stuck with the early chapter books (Judy Moody, Magic Treehouse, etc), but I found my DD on the couch reading one of MY Anne Tyler novels the other day (without getting stuck on a lot of words). But she also scares easily, and doesn't like fantasy books all that much, and just generally a very sensitive child. I haven't ventured into older books yet mainly due to content concerns (that, and I don't want to rush things...I still like picture books, lol!)

DD read a lot of classics like "Peter Pan", "Dr. Dolittle," "Wizard of Oz" and the likes. She loved horse novels (but NOT "Black Beauty"... that freaked her out.) She liked animal stories too like "Ralph S. Mouse." Beverly Cleary, Rald Dahl, Judy Blume, Cynthia Rylant, in general were good for her. She was a huge fan of "Molly Moon" and novels about girls in her age range. However, my own DD was good with most fantasy... it was the realistic stuff that bothered greatly  like "Little House on the Prairie" that starts with a pig boiling description. She didn't get past the 2nd chapter and never picked up the series again. She also wouldn't read past the 2nd Harry Potter until she was in 4th grade due to the intensity of it.

At that age though, she continued to read all over the map and we didn't worry about levels and did our best not to assign value. She read lots of picture books. She read early readers as happily as she did classic works. She read a lot of non-fiction. It wasn't until about 9 that she pulled away from easier reads and actively sought more challenging works.

[Katico]

The road to reading is really interesting to me...DD loooved books from the time she could hold one,  was obsessed with the alphabet, reading and saying all her letters by the time she was 2...recognizing some words by then....knows all the phonetics, recognizes a good bunch of words, can sound out a lot of words/figure out the spelling when you sound out simple words, and desperately wants to learn to write at 3.75.....but isn't reading yet.  I  have to say I'm surprised!!   I kind of expected her to have taken off with it by now!  I won't lie...I'm looking forward to it....because I read A LOT OF BOOKS to the endlessly curious kid!

[OrmEmbar]

For a 5 year old?  I'd try Milly Molly Mandy books, Betsy Tasy and Tib books.  Paddington Bear series.  Catwings books by Ursula LeGuin (kittens have to fly away from Mom to find a better place to live, which might not sit well with a 5 yr old but my girls loved the stories).  Pony Pal series.  There are a ton of books in this Fairy series.  Plots are predictable but my girls actually liked the predictable plot - Grumpy Jack Frost is always stealing the magic items from the fairies and two human girls help get them back.  Suspense and chasing are extremely mild while still giving a sense of adventure.  

My oldest was a young reader (and is still a fast/voracious reader).  It was so hard to find long enough books that were age appropriate.  Luckily, she loved picture books and is happy re-reading the chapter books several times a year.  I'm glad we did our best to keep the book contents appropriate to her age.  There were a couple times when I didn't get a chance to pre-read a book and it was not a good thing for her to be exposed to themes from books meant for tweens and teens.

Picture books authors we like (again, pre-read 'cause some are for older readers) - Jan Brett, Elsa Beskow, Patricia Polacco (Just Plain Fancy and Thundercake are favorites), Doreen Cronin (Click, Clack, Moo and Giggle, Giggle, Quack) 

Even though they might be easy readers, your DD might like Frog and Toad, Little Bear, and stories about Frances the badger if she hasn't already read them.

Thank goodness for all the authors writing delicious books for us to read!

[mrs.t]

Thanks everyone. I thought he was just recognizing the shape of the stop sign, or the fact that green means go, or store logos, but then he started applying the knowledge of those words and finding them in other places. He recognizes the words he knows in different fonts, so it's not just that he is associating them with the sign or whatever. I'm really surprised to see how many words he recognizes!
 

[minkin03]

I think early reading can be a sign of giftedness, but doesn't mean that if a child doesn't read early that they can't be gifted. I can tell you that my dd who is highly gifted (WISC-IV fsiq 149) was sounding out words (even attempting complicated words like chiropractor) and spelling simple CVC words between 2 and 3 years of age. This was all self-taught.

[Katico]

As for good books for young readers, I was recently talking to a friend about what chapter books to read to my DD.  Like I said, she isn't reading herself but we do have the similar problem that she is ready for chapter books/more involved stories but we still want something appropriate for her age.

 My friend recommended Milly Molly Mandy, The Children of Noisy Village by Astrid Lindgrin and James and the Giant Peach!  We have also read Little House in the Big Woods and are starting Little House on the Prarie.  DD is almost 4.

And a big yes to Frog and Toad and the Frances books.  They are simple but still a bit longer than a picture book and really funny. 

[Katico]

also,  

http://www.inlieuofpreschool.com/chapter-books-for-preschool/

[squimp]

For the 5-year old, my DD read all the Beverly Cleary books at that age, starting with Ralph S. Mouse.  They are now reading these books in her 3rd grade class, so I guess that's the level.  She also loved Pippi Longstocking and some of the less intense Roald Dahl.  Also the authors Edward Eager, Eleanor Estes and Dick King-Smith.  

[nyssaneala]

Originally Posted by squimp 

For the 5-year old, my DD read all the Beverly Cleary books at that age, starting with Ralph S. Mouse.  They are now reading these books in her 3rd grade class, so I guess that's the level.  She also loved Pippi Longstocking and some of the less intense Roald Dahl.  Also the authors Edward Eager, Eleanor Estes and Dick King-Smith.  

This is what we are moving on to next, while taking a break from Magic Treehouse. She just read Charlotte's Web, and I was going to track down Stuart Little and Mouse and the Motorcycle at the library. Pippi Longsticking too. DD's uncle just bought her the complete series of Roald Dahl but unfortunately she's not as interested in Dahl's books (ironically, I never really liked Roald Dahl as a kid, either). I have my old copy of The Secret Garden, so I might pull that out soon too, but more for us to read together than for her to read independently. 

She also just discovered the Rainbow Magic series. I'm not a fan, but they always have a ton of these available at the library, and I'd much rather have her occupy herself with reading those than asking to play computer games or watch TV.