Average age to start reading
Reading Milestones (for Parents) - Nemours KidsHealth
Reviewed by: Cynthia M. Zettler-Greeley, PhD
Nemours BrightStart!
en español Hitos en la lectura
This is a general outline of the milestones on the road to reading success. Keep in mind that kids develop at different paces and spend varying amounts of time at each stage. If you have concerns, talk to your child's doctor, teacher, or the reading specialist at school. Getting help early is key for helping kids who struggle to read.
Parents and teachers can find resources for children as early as pre-kindergarten. Quality childcare centers, pre-kindergarten programs, and homes full of language and book reading can build an environment for reading milestones to happen.
Infancy (Up to Age 1)
Kids usually begin to:
- learn that gestures and sounds communicate meaning
- respond when spoken to
- direct their attention to a person or object
- understand 50 words or more
- reach for books and turn the pages with help
- respond to stories and pictures by vocalizing and patting the pictures
Toddlers (Ages 1–3)
Kids 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)
Kids usually begin to:
- explore books independently
- listen to longer books that are read aloud
- retell a familiar story
- sing the alphabet song with prompting and cues
- make symbols that resemble writing
- recognize the first letter in their name
- learn that writing is different from drawing a picture
- imitate the action of reading a book aloud
Late Preschool (Age 4)
Kids usually begin to:
- recognize familiar signs and labels, especially on signs and containers
- recognize words that rhyme
- name some of the letters of the alphabet (a good goal to strive for is 15–18 uppercase letters)
- recognize the letters in their names
- write their names
- name beginning letters or sounds of words
- match some letters to their sounds
- develop awareness of syllables
- use familiar letters to try writing words
- understand that print is read from left to right, top to bottom
- retell stories that have been read to them
Kindergarten (Age 5)
Kids usually begin to:
- produce words that rhyme
- match some spoken and written words
- write some letters, numbers, and words
- recognize some familiar words in print
- predict what will happen next in a story
- identify initial, final, and medial (middle) sounds in short words
- identify and manipulate increasingly smaller sounds in speech
- understand concrete definitions of some words
- read simple words in isolation (the word with definition) and in context (using the word in a sentence)
- retell the main idea, identify details (who, what, when, where, why, how), and arrange story events in sequence
First and Second Grade (Ages 6–7)
Kids 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
- write by organizing details into a logical sequence with a beginning, middle, and end
Second and Third Grade (Ages 7–8)
Kids 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 many words
- write notes, like phone messages and email
- understand humor in text
- use new words, phrases, or figures of speech that they've heard
- revise their own writing to create and illustrate stories
Fourth Through Eighth Grade (Ages 9–13)
Kids 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
- understand relations between objects
- 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
Reviewed by: Cynthia M. Zettler-Greeley, PhD
Date reviewed: May 2022
Learning to read: What age is the "right" age?
Some kids just “get” how to read, while others struggle for years. When should parents worry?
Photo: Tony Lanz
Jenna Levinson* was reading fluently by the age of four.
“I remember I was wearing an Earth Day T-shirt with a picture of a globe on it,” recalls her mom, Stephanie. “And she said to me, ‘Why does your shirt say, “Love your mother?”’ I was pretty surprised. We hadn’t ever tried to teach her to read.”
Jenna’s younger sister, Sadie, has taken a decidedly different route toward literacy. Well into second grade, the seven-year-old “is just starting to be able to read a simple book out loud to me,” says Levinson, who lives in Winnipeg. “She’s progressing, but she still guesses a lot, struggles with vowel sounds, mixes up her Ds and Bs—things like that.”
Levinson says she’s read constantly to both kids since babyhood.
“Jenna would listen to as many books as you wanted to read to her, and Sadie would grab the book and throw it across the room.” Watching her daughters’ radically different approaches to literacy has left her, like many parents, wondering if there’s something innate that helps some kids pick up the ability to read easily and if there’s a “right” age to learn how to read.
9 best educational websites for kids (that are actually fun, too!)
Experts say no. “The brain isn’t naturally hard-wired to read in the way that it’s wired to speak or listen,” explains Bev Brenna, an education professor at the University of Saskatchewan who specializes in literacy education. There simply isn’t one age where kids can or should be reading—despite the deeply ingrained North American ideal that children learn to read in first grade, around age six.
“There’s actually no evidence to support that belief,” says Carol Leroy, director of the Reading and Language Centre at the University of Alberta.
Attaining literacy is, rather, a very gradual process. It begins with infants playing with or even chewing on board books and being read to by parents or caregivers, and continues through to independent reading. While some kids, like Jenna, seem to pick it up on their own, most need to be taught how to make sense of those squiggles on the page. And some kids take longer than others to do so.
Home-schooler Sue Holloway, for example, tried to teach her older son, Walker, when he was seven. “I got a ‘learning to read’ book, and he hated it. We fought about it a lot, and I finally just let it go,” says Holloway, who lives in South Gillies, Ont. Two years later, Walker began reading independently. “I have no idea how he figured it out, but he did, and now he really loves to read and does so every night.” Holloway’s younger son, Rowan, is still trying to get the hang of reading at the age of eight. But home-schooling gives them the luxury of being able to learn at their own pace.
And Holloway says she often hears of home-schooled kids learning to read at about age nine—and going on to complete high school and attend university without any negative effects.
For kids who attend school, the stakes are different. Even if there’s no biologically correct age to read, students who aren’t reading according to a school’s timetable can fall behind and experience distress as a result. If the gap between slower readers and their peers isn’t identified and dealt with early on, it can widen over time and lead to other issues.
“Kids who aren’t reading can’t participate, because they don’t understand the basic mechanics and, therefore, can’t understand what the other children are doing,” says Leroy. And if you don’t understand the basics, you can’t point out the last word of the sentence when asked or circle all the words that start with S.
In gym class, a slow reader may struggle to figure out which sign to line up behind if he wants to play soccer or skip. “Around grade two or three, they start to become really conscious of their reading—they can lose their confidence, stop taking risks, become afraid of being teased,” says Leroy. “That’s where we start to get behaviour issues; some kids will withdraw or stir up trouble to avoid reading, because it’s so painful for them.”
The effects can last well beyond grade school, says Chicago literacy expert Timothy Shanahan, author of the blog Shanahan on Literacy. A British study released in 2013, for example, showed that children’s literacy and math levels at age seven were predictive of their overall earnings at the age of 42.
Fortunately, says Brenna, today’s teachers are trained to recognize and accommodate the needs of kids at all levels, so everyone can learn. They might use strategies like choral reading—where all the kids in the class read out loud together—or reading back stories they’ve dictated to the teacher.
Any classroom will typically contain students with a wide range of reading levels, says Leroy. The rule of thumb, she says, is to double the grade to get the range. “So in third grade, there could be six years’ difference between the lowest and the highest level of readers in the class. Similarly, in a first-grade classroom, there’s bound to be at least one kid without any reading skills and at least one kid who’s reading independently.”
So what’s a parent of a late reader to do? Be vigilant, but don’t panic, say all three experts. If you think your child is struggling with reading or isn’t getting the help he or she needs, says Shanahan, the first step is to talk to the teacher—don’t hesitate to bring up the subject and brainstorm strategies for supporting reading. If you’re still concerned after meeting with the teacher, says Brenna, ask for a referral to another member of the school’s or the board’s team, such as a special education teacher or speech-language pathologist.
“A team approach is often very helpful in developing an action plan for literacy, and most students respond well to additional supports at the school level,” says Brenna. Your child’s doctor, as well as speech-language pathologists and educational psychologists, can also help to create a support plan.
Above all, say the experts, don’t push, because it will turn reading into a power struggle. “The biggest priority has to be how the child feels about reading,” says Leroy. “So entice kids by making it fun.” And be reassured by the fact that many kids who are slow to pick it up become lifelong book lovers.
If your child isn’t reading at grade level by the end of grade three, Leroy says you should investigate whether she is struggling with other subjects, create a plan with the teacher and discuss having a thorough assessment. In some cases, the delay may be caused by an underlying condition.
“I kept hearing, ‘She’s going at her own pace,’ or ‘She’s behind, but I’m not worried yet,’” recalls Toronto mom Jessica Miller* about her daughter Sabrina’s lagging reading skills in first and second grade.
When Sabrina’s school didn’t take action by the end of grade two, Miller and her husband paid to have Sabrina tested privately—and found out that she is dyslexic. Miller’s first grader, Gavin, isn’t showing any signs of delayed reading, but she’s adamant that she will have him tested at the first sign of any trouble: “I’m not falling for, ‘He’s in the range.’”
Levinson, meanwhile, is doing whatever she can to make reading enjoyable for Sadie. “She loves making up stories and dictating them to me, and will happily read those out loud,” she says. “We get library books on whatever she’s interested in—mummies, wizards, jewellery making. We’ve done treasure hunts at the grocery store and word searches. I have literally done reading time with her sitting on my shoulders.”
That’s the right approach, says Leroy. “If a kid wants to stand on his head while he reads—if he wants you to stand on your head while he reads—do it. With children this age, we forget how much they’re in control of their own learning already.
”
Online resources:
ABRACADABRA is a free language and reading program developed at Concordia University in Montreal. Kids can use the “light” version, which contains activities for teaching comprehension and fluency. abralite.concordia.ca
Saskatchewan Reads, created by Saskatchewan’s provincial reading team, is a user-friendly site with strategies and resources for teaching primary students to read. saskatchewanreads.wordpress.com
Read more:
15 creative ways to get kids reading (that really work!)
Essential tips for teaching kids to read
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FILED UNDER: app-school-age Books Family Literacy Day June 2015 Mcdonalds2018 Reading
Rosstat named the average age of marriage for Russians
Russia has published statistics showing at what age people in our country prefer to marry. According to registry office data, most Russians get married between the ages of 25 and 34. At the same time, the number of marriages in Russia is steadily declining.
According to new statistics, the majority of Russians marry between the ages of 25 and 34: approximately 456,600 men and 386,000 women officially married at that age over the past year. This was reported on the website of Rosstat.
According to the statistical service, in 2018, about 265.5 thousand Russians and 216 thousand Russian women were married at the age of 35 and older. The number of marriage unions concluded between the ages of 18 and 24 has halved since 2011: only 170,000 men and 285,500 women got married at this age over the past year.
Before reaching adulthood, girls are ten times more likely to start a family life than young men. 454 young men and about 4.5 thousand girls got married in Russia this year before the age of 18.
In total, 893 thousand marriages were registered in 2018, which, according to statistics, is one and a half times less than in 2011.
The data of the Ministry of Justice also confirm the decline in the number of marriages in the country in recent years. Statistics for 2018 show a figure that is 21% less compared to 2013 and 8% less compared to 2017. However, the number of divorces also decreased: in 2013, 696,000 divorces were registered, while last year - 613,000 (12% less).
According to Yuri Krupnov, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Institute of Demography, Migration and Regional Development, the decline in the number of marriages may have demographic reasons.
“Today's young people, conditionally 20-30 years old, are those who were born just in the difficult 1990s, when we had a colossal drop in the birth rate.
Accordingly, today the young people themselves (both men and women) are simply physically smaller, ”Krupnov explained in an interview with RT.
However, not all experts are inclined to explain the reluctance of young Russians to marry because of the insufficient number of these same Russians. In 2018, when another statistics was published confirming the decline in the number of marriages, Candidate of Psychological Sciences, Associate Professor of Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov, Alexander Rikel, in an interview with RIA Novosti, called the inhabitants of Russia, who are not yet 30, eternal children.
“Official statistics only confirm the stereotype that arises in society regarding the younger generation - these are the same people who are now 30 years old or younger. This generation is called in the West the "Peter Pan generation" - eternal children, basking in the rays of their infantilism and marrying late, giving birth to children, starting to live an independent life, ”the psychologist said.
Not so long ago, young Russians were reproached for marrying for the sake of a feast.
Tamara Pletneva, chairman of the State Duma committee on family issues, criticized the country's residents for their irresponsible approach to the issue of marriage and reproached the Russians for marrying for the sake of celebration itself.
According to the parliamentarian, young people do not take responsibility for divorce, because the most important thing for them is the holiday, which, as a rule, is held with the money of their parents.
“No responsibility, absolutely. They need a holiday - here is the wedding: “okay, parents, let's fork out”, and then “they didn’t agree on the characters” begins. This lack of education, responsibility for everything. And these civil marriages, as they call them, are not civil marriages. This is just cohabitation, most often temporary, ”Pletneva said in an interview with the Moscow agency.
In 2017, VTsIOM sociologists found out what age is considered the most suitable for marriage.
Their poll, which involved 1,200 people, showed that the opinions of Russian men and women differ - the latter, apparently, believe that a girl needs to get an education before getting married.
If women believe that the best age for marriage for a girl is 25 years old, and for a young man - 28, then men are sure that brides should be no more than 21 years old, and men - 26. Sociologists thus considered the optimal age for creating a marriage union to be 23 and 27 years old.
At the same time, 78% of Russians, according to the survey, in 2017 supported official marriage - the older the respondent was, the more likely he was in favor of the indispensable presence of a stamp in the passport. Sociologists have calculated that among those who are over 60 years old, the number of those who spoke in favor of mandatory attendance at the registry office is 85%, and among young people aged 18 to 24, 64% of such people.
Birth to adolescence
Here are the different books you and your child may encounter as they grow up:
Cardboard books
FROM BIRTH TO 3 YEARS
Cardboard books are small, thick cardboard books that fit in a baby's hands.
They can be safely chewed and thrown at the wall. They are equally visual and verbal; The pictures explain the story as well as the text. Research shows that visual reading is an important precursor to verbal reading, and toddlers need to develop this skill. Image decoding and text decoding are parts of the same process. Becoming a reader begins as soon as your child begins to pay attention to cardboard books.
SIGNS OF A GOOD CARDBOOK
Familiar. Our little ones love to see their world reflected in the pages of books, including the faces of other babies and, it seems, household items such as a stroller, a bottle, or a crib. The pages of a simple cardboard book may be boring for you, but pay attention to what attracts your child to books and look for more similar books.
Beautiful illustrations. Cardboard books should include large, bright illustrations and few words. Very young children find it easier to perceive simple and large black and white pictures.
As your child gets older, look for board books with rough color combinations and high quality illustrations. Babies won't necessarily appreciate the softer, gentler palettes that adults love.
Textures. Something that you can pull, twist, feel. (Babies love to touch and feel everything.) Once they learn to use their hands, cardboard books are a great way to make reading a tactile experience of the world, as well as introduce an element of surprise while telling a story.
AVOID
Cardboard versions of your favorite books. Not every book that can be illustrated fits this format. Art requires a certain scale, and there needs to be a solid, simple visual component to the story. Don't think it's a good idea to give your toddler a cardboard version of your favorite book. It is best to wait until your child is old enough to read your favorite book on their own in the format intended for them.
Sounds and trinkets. Toddlers can easily get overexcited and quickly tire of all those whistles and bells (not to mention you).
Your lively, human voice is better anyway.
Lots of text. Too many words, as well as too sparse or finely detailed illustrations, are unlikely to attract the attention of a child. Every word in the cardboard book should count.
Picture books
2 to 8 YEARS
Picture books are larger than cardboard books, with (beware!) paper pages that can cut you. The stories in them tend to be slightly longer and more developed. You can introduce picture books to babies as well, but it's best to introduce picture books a little later. Your child's perception of the world is constantly expanding, and picture books tell more ambitious stories, discover new places, and help your child begin to understand and navigate every stage of life (new brother, starting preschool, conflict with a friend, fear of the dark, picky eating etc.).
SIGNS OF A GOOD PICTURE BOOK
It skillfully combines beautiful illustrations and beautiful words.
Picture books are not just fun, they are an art form. As with cardboard books, images don't just accompany words - they work in tandem with text to tell a story. Sometimes the text can be just terrible, but beautiful illustrations keep it afloat. (And if you're reading a picture book to your child before they can read, you can cheat and change the text a little so it's not so terrible.) But the "best" are the books you'll keep in your library. for many years, hoping that your children will pass them on to their children. They combine incredible illustrations with powerful, unforgettable text.
They are made by talented authors and illustrators. Some of the best picture books come from illustrators such as Maurice Sendak, Dr. Seuss, Leo Lionni, Jerry Pinkney, Lois Ehlert ) and Taro Gomi. These masters of the genre can make a picture book the most valuable thing in the world.
Books written and illustrated by different people can be just as amazing, combining word-oriented talent with a highly visual one—and you'll often find famous authors or illustrators filling just one of those roles.
Maurice Sendak and Ruth Krauss, for example, collaborated on the classic A Hole Is to Dig. Most recently, Adam Rex and Christian Robinson collaborated on the charming book School's First Day of School. Tip: Find out the names of famous picture book authors, illustrators, and illustrators.
They pay attention to detail. Every inch of the picture book is thought out to the smallest detail, from the cover to the last page. Judge these books by their cover without a twinge of conscience! But even under the cover you will find wonderful surprises.
They do not age. Great picture books never lose their magic no matter how many times you read them. “Where the Monsters Live”, “Snowy Day”, “Sunday Moon”, are books that you can read aloud to your children indefinitely and continue to enjoy.
They help you see between the lines. Some great picture books are wordless, such as David Wisner's The Wreckage, Jerry Pinkney's The Lion and the Mouse, and Susie Lee's The Wave.
Books without words are a fantastic opportunity for your children to build visual speech and learn to decipher illustrations. Try this: have your child tell you what's happening on each page and ask leading questions like "why do you think that?"
They use animals to create allegories that teach children morality. A huge number of the best picture books use animal protagonists, such as "Quak and the Toad", "Little Bear" and "Petenka the Cat's Colored Buttons". The trick is not only that children love animals - furry little brothers allow you to look at ordinary problems from an emotionally safe point of view. Also, animals are often not assigned a gender, so such books are suitable for any small reader.
They make facts interesting. Not every picture book tells a story. Many of the most memorable books approach their task from a different perspective: they tell about the most amazing things in the world, breaking the story down into small, easily digestible fragments.
Richard Scarry's books, for example, show children a lot of interesting things and insert mini-stories that are easy to grasp. For many children, picture books, organized like catalogs or encyclopedias, are often more exciting than stories. And even children who love stories sometimes like to dive headlong into these books of interesting facts.
For those who are quick learners to read
4-7 YEARS
Books for early readers use limited words and are full of illustrations. Most look a little more serious than picture books. They often have simpler, more elongated and thinner covers. Many are released under titles like "I Can Read" or "Step to Reading" and have three to four levels. Such books can always be distinguished by a large number or letter on the cover, indicating the level of this book. Your child may come across such books at school or kindergarten. For this reason, parents rarely bring them home, but there are many books for early readers that do not create an oppressive atmosphere of ranks and levels.
SIGNS OF A GOOD BOOK FOR EARLY READERS
Fun. Adventures. Playfulness. Such books are designed to lure your child into the world of readers. It is a jump full of inspiration, success and joy. But if your child constantly feels judged, or that their level of development is being paid too much attention to, the experience may not be all that fun. Moreover, it can hinder learning. You can help by making sure that the books your child reads are of interest and delight. Dr. Seuss revolutionized this category and set a standard that still stands today, so be sure to check out his section when choosing books. Regardless of the topic or story, reading a book should create a feeling of a club that the child wants to be a part of, not a class where you need to get grades.
Rhymes. Many books for early readers are written in the form of poems or use rhymes to help the reader understand the meaning of words they may not be familiar with. Word repetition and word patterns are also commonly used techniques.
Good quality and interesting illustrations. The pictures on each page of the book are designed to help early readers decipher unfamiliar words. Make sure the book has an attractive design. Many books for early readers do not use a large number of words—sometimes only a couple per page. Be sure your child reads every word in this book. This is a satisfying and impressive achievement.
Books with multiple chapters
6-10 YEARS
When children outgrow the level of early readers, books with multiple chapters begin to appeal to them. If not, give them these books, perhaps they are already ready, or will soon be ready to read them. This is an exciting moment! Something about the gradual transition from chapter to chapter makes little elementary school students feel like adults. Books with many chapters for younger readers are usually released in series, because after finishing a book, children often want more stories with their favorite characters.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
Eternal friends, complicated plot. Remember heroes like Henry Huggins, Ribzy, Beatrice Quimby, Nancy Drew, Fern, Charlotte and Stuart Little? Books with chapters are where your child will meet characters who will become important friends - they will play a big part in the young reader's life as they grow into a more independent, self-sufficient individual. In these books, children begin to read longer, more intricate stories that take them into an enchanting and immersive fantasy world with their own rules and logic, and discover stories that will guide them through the many changes they will soon face in their environment. world and within themselves.
Visual interest is still important. If your child is still having difficulty with material that is difficult for him, look for more visual books with at least an illustration on every page. Books like the Magic Tree House or The Notebook of Doom series are just right in such situations.
These books are often unfairly dismissed as too "simple" or "cartoonish", but you should ignore these prejudices. The best books in this series full of illustrations are just great!
WHAT TO AVOID
Reluctance to try new things. Huge franchises of such books take up a huge amount of space on the bookshelves, so try to introduce your little reader to new, lesser-known series of books, many of which are better from a literary point of view, better illustrated and written in more interesting language. The books in some of these series are best read in order, but in general you can start anywhere. Also, long episodes are a good reason to become a library regular!
Middle School Books
8 - 12 YEARS
Many consider books for this age to be the best in children's literature because they focus on the golden years of childhood. This is the time before a series of changes, difficulties and new responsibilities that children will face in adolescence.
Such books do not contain the level of violence and sex that is acceptable later in teen novels, although some books for middle school students are intentionally age-appropriate and may contain light scenes of kissing or violence.
The recommended age range is usually not shown in the book itself. You can find it on the publisher's website (sometimes!) or in an authoritative review, but be aware that your child may or may not be ready for a book with some content intended for older children. If your child brings home a book that you do not approve of, you will have to decide on the spot whether to forbid him to read it or not. But keep in mind that when it comes to books—as opposed to movies or TV shows—children can easily lose interest or skip material they're not emotionally ready for.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
What is my place in this big crazy world? Children of this age are interested both in defining their own personality and in exploring questions about the big world.
A good book for middle school children can be surprisingly philosophical, covering concepts like honesty, justice, freedom, and compassion. Some of the best books are historical literature, dealing with difficult periods of time such as the Civil War or the Great Patriotic War, the Holocaust, and so on. They often deftly present real issues that your child is just beginning to understand in an age-appropriate way: topics such as racism, refugees, foster care, and mental illness. Tip: No matter how difficult your child is going through - bullying, the end of friendships, social anxiety, moving, death, or illness in the family - there is always a good book that can help him get through it. Ask a librarian or experienced bookseller for a recommendation.
The child is in the spotlight. In great books for preteens, children are the main characters; they solve problems, go on adventures, are not attached to adults, and are usually the stars of their shows. This is why orphans are so common in classic children's literature.
Even in modern fiction, the story's parents are dead or unavailable for some reason, leaving the hero children to bravely face all odds alone.
But adults also count. However, every good book for this age will have at least one great adult character, and sometimes more. At this age, children begin to understand that the adult world is wrong, but they still need role models to help and guide them.
Series are still great. Just like readers of multi-chapter books, kids this age don't like to part quickly with their favorite characters. Series of such books are more fantasy oriented than realism, so in each book, young readers are likely to learn more about the rules, history and structure of the world described in the series.
The fantasy world rules. Many of the best books for this age are fantasy, and some of the best fantasy novels were originally intended for middle-class readers (from A Wrinkle in Time to Some Magical Kid). At this age, readers love to escape from reality through reading.
