When Should Children Learn to Read?

Since parents expect their children to learn to read eventually, it would therefore be an advantage to learn sooner rather than later—in fact, the sooner the better. 

Generally, four is the optimum age for most children to begin learning how to read. By then, they have become mentally alert and mature enough to ask the right questions about what things are, and how they work; that is, they have become genuinely interested in the things around them. They want to know, they are ready to know, and they are able to know; in short, they are now ready to learn how to read. 

Although it is desirable to teach children to read at around the age of four, age should not be the only determinant because the mental capacity and the physical development of children vary considerably, irrespective of their intelligence. The other factors that determine children's reading readiness are a large oral vocabulary, and fully developed sensory organs. 

Reading is the ability to make the association between sounds and letters, as well as between sounds and words. If children can decode the oral sounds of words, that is, giving meanings to them, they are already on the way to learning to decode printed words, that is, to read. Therefore, an oral vocabulary of several hundred words is essential to learning to read. In addition, children must be able to see printed words and letters clearly, before they can learn to read. 

Furthermore, they must be able to hear distinctly sounds for letters or letter groups before they can make the right associations. Hearing with reasonable accuracy is fundamental to learning to read. 

Finally, the ability to write complements and reinforces the process of learning to read. Accordingly, developing sensory organs is necessary in the process of learning to read and write.

To conclude, parents should be able to decide for themselves the most appropriate time for their children to begin learning to read, since they are in a better position to gauge the development and capabilities of their children. However, it is important to remember that reading is an ongoing process with neither a beginning nor an end. You need not set a date on which you will formally start teaching your child to read. If you have been a good parent, you may have been inadvertently preparing your child to read from day one of his or her life.

Stephen Lau