Are 5 year olds supposed to read and do patterns?

Question

Are 5 year olds supposed to know patterns and read chapter books? My 5 year old knows basic patterns, but my family is telling me that she is behind because she hasn't known them "long enough" or something, and because she can't read whole books yet. She's known her alphabet, numbers, shapes (including trapezoid, octagon, pentagon), colors etc since she was 3 years old, but she's just recently starting to learn phonics, and she's gotten some down pat so far. I don't think she's BEHIND! She's not a genius, but I think she's on the right track.

I think my family is trying to scare me because I insist on homeschooling, and they want me to enroll her in public school. So they're trying to tell me that she's behind and needs help, in order to lure me in. I've talked to other moms with kids her age that say my daughter's fine, and so does my mom...who's a public school teacher. But I'm here for more opinions.

Answer 1

Oh, I was homeschooled in 2nd grade and yeah, I was a LITTLE behind but I wasn't stupid! I think your daughter is at a good level and the truth is, she's better off homeschooled. There is WAYY to much drama in public schools, boyfriends, friends, popular people, jealousy, critisism.

Answer 2

yes if he or she was born bright or a gifted child

Answer 3

My Five year old is being homeschooled this year and here's what we're doing we went to Kmart and bought a $10.00 workbook for math and one for phonics they both have activities for the entire year and by the end he should be reading pretty well for a 5 year old. No he can't read yet but I know I'm capable of teaching him how and so are you. So for the family that says you should put them in to school remember this. Their decision to let the school system raise they're kids was right for them but not necessarily right for you.

Answer 4

If you're going to deny your child proper schooling, shouldn't you at least know the pace at which she is meant to be taught?

Answer 5

Somebody is pulling your leg.   Your child is actually ahead of the norm of 5 year olds.   It sounds like you are on the right track and doing all the right things, EXCEPT blocking out unfair, unasked for criticism of your child.  They are putting you under stress, and that stress can communicate to your child.   At this tender age, (and any age) children have to learn that learning is fun and interesting, that they should not judge themselves by somebody else's standards.   Sad to say, many "friends" and family members like to "help" by being judgmental busybodies and setting up standards for you to follow.  By making the decision to homeschool these people are wanting to make you feel incompetent.  Be strong.  You know what is right for your child and you know that your child should not be measured by anybody else's yardstick but her own.    Good luck.  You sound like a great homschooling mom off to a good start!

Answer 6

Some can and some can't.  Although most kids do read in Kindergarten, the truth is that many of them shouldn't be reading yet.  

Research has shown that the average child who is exposed to the alphabet and language as a young child (by being read to, singing ABC song, etc.) and who's formal education is put off until their language development is complete (at age 7 or 8) will, in reading, be ahead of his peers who began their formal education at age five. Those children who are ready to read at a younger age usually do so on their own.  

Your daughter is just fine and does not need to read yet unless she is ready.

Answer 7

She's doing perfectly fine. I have a cousin who's six and she's just starting to learn to read. Reading chapter books doesn't usually come until a child is around eight or so.

Answer 8

She is not behind.

If you wish to try and keep her at least on the same level as the local schools, you can look at your local grade level expectations. They should be found on your states board of education website.

That will give you back and white proof what the schools expect out of her by the end of Kindergarten.

Answer 9

You don't have to live to please your family.  In fact, it is best to ignore them. It is not their business how you raise your child.  Don't try to convince them or even converse with them.  Their opinions are irrelevant in this matter. If they continue to harass you then ignore it.  Don't answer them.  Do you respond to a child having a tantrum?  No.  Just don't respond to them.

I have homeschooled for 16+ years, and do know what you are facing.  You just have to ignore them.  You answer to God and your husband, not your cousin or your mom or your sister or anyone else. Set your face like flint just like Jesus did and go towards your goal.  Ignore distractions.  Your job is to educate your child and be a helpmeet to your husband.  Just do that. Ignore the rest. You are not on this earth to please them. And they are not entitled to any response when they complain.

Answer 10

This is a classic attempt at trying to convince you to do what they want you to do. You're going to have to put your foot down and say, "You know what, I've made this decision. You don't have to like it, but I'd appreciate it if you'd actuall accept it. You're not going to change my mind and the more you try, the more I'm determined to continue homeschooling." STOP DEFENDING YOURSELF and trying to explain. You won't convince them any more than they'll convince you.

You could also tell them that Thomas Edison wasn't reading books until age 7-8 and Abraham Lincoln didn't read until age 14 and neither one of them would have ever done math work with patterns.

Answer 11

Your child is not behind.  Many children don't enter Kindergarten until 6 years old.  While many do start at 5, most schools don't really expect reading proficiency until the end of 1st grade.  They usually don't expect real fluency with reading until the end of second grade.  Your family is just being silly.  Go to http://www.worldbook.com to see a typical course of study.  Also, just for your information, even the most advanced homeschool curriculum packages usually don't expect a child to be reading at 5, that is why the Kindergarten level of every curriculum starts teaching the ABC's as if they expect that some children won't even know that yet.

What's with all the added details???  Did you do that or someone else???  If you did then was your first question just a hoax to get us all to answer? I hope you'll explain yourself.

Okay, I am glad you explained.  For a minute there I was VERY confused.

To your cousin, I'd politely thank her for her concern and then recommend that she read up homeschooling so that she can understand more of what you are trying to do.  If she is really only saying that out of love then she should be willing to investigate what you are doing.  Ask here to research and come up with some verifiable evidence that homeschooling results in being behind academically, ask her to read everything she can about academic standards for 5 year olds and get back to you when she has something concrete to show that your child is behind.  If she refuses to do that then just tell her that you are not interested in an unsubstantiated opinion.  You appreciate her concern, but you are the parent and will make the choices for your own daughter.

You might also point out all the spelling and grammar mistakes this cousin made, I am assuming she is a product of public school?

Answer 12

Your child is right on target.  Don't let your family stress you any more.

Answer 13

She's fine! I began to learn that sort of stuff in kindergarten. I could read kids chapter books by first or second and short books by the end of kindergarten, it sound like you're doing a fine job!

Answer 14

Well, I don't know who is telling u that ur child is behind.  They either don't have children or have child prodigies.  I learned to read when i was 6 in the 1st grade.  In second grade i was at a 5th grade reading level.  Most children learn to read one sentence a page books when they are 5.  If your child is like almighty prodigy then he or she will learn to read at about 3 or 4.  As far as home schooling, I used to be against it cuz i thought that it inhibits the child from interaction, but now i am all for it.  There are special classes and projects and groups for home schooled children.  Also i know someone that was homeschooled.  She graduated at 14.  At 17 She had an associates degree.

Answer 15

Watch how she does with phonics. If she learns to roll those alphabet sounds together and get hold of the joy of that new world, things sound OK. If you're not familiar with phonics, find someone to help you both. Reading and math facts take work but work wonders..

Answer 16

One: if you want to homeschool, you are going to have to start right now not accepting any disrespect from your family. Don't argue, don't discuss, just say, thanks for your opinion, this is my choice. If your cousin wants to keep disrespecting you, you need to tell her that you won't accept phone calls or emails until she agrees to not harass you about homeschooling. She is NOT all you have, you mentioned that your mom thinks your daughter is fine....s***w your cousin!

Two. Find a support group. Your family will not be appropriate, and will probably never be supportive of your decision. You're digging a deep hole with them, and every negative thing you mention will be more ammunition for them to list against you. Refer to number one.

Three. Your daughter is fine. The whole point of homeschooling is that each child is a work in progress and homeschooling allows them to work at their own pace. The idea of academic development is only important in terms of public school, because each teacher must follow through the accepted curriculum for the next teacher to do their job. That is the only point of saying 'read by five' or 'multiply by eight'. Homeschoolers don't have to follow that.

Four. Personality is personality, and homeschooling very rarely affects that. What it DOES do is allow a child to reach social interaction through their comfort level, rather than forcing them to interact in a manner for which they aren't ready. Being in large groups of people forces children to become a person who isn't authentic to themselves, all in an attempt to fit in. Then when they become adults, they are lost and confused, whether they know it or not (and suffer through midlife crisis because they are trying to find themselves).

But if you want to pigeonhole your child, five year olds are just beginning to read, and chapter books usually aren't read independently until seven or eight years old. Your daughter is fine.

Answer 17

First of all- every child devolpes at a different rate

Second- my step son is in Kindergarden and they are just learning letters and patterns- he is almost 6

Third- I am an elementary school teacher and some students come to kindergarden knowing how to read but its not expected- that's what school is for.  In 1st grade the most advanced students read chapter books and some students can't yet read.

Finally- home school is wonderful!!!!  Good for you.  Your child will get personal attention and you can monitor exactly what they need help in.  My cousins were home schooled.  Very intellegent girls.  One is in college now at Georgia State and getting all A's.

Answer 18

Yep, sounds on track to me too.  These days kids are 5-6 in kindergarten and they learn to count, do addition, identify, extend, and create patterns,  letter sounds, and beginning reading.   Extremely few five year olds read even simple chapter books.  About two more years or so for that.  Make sure that you have appropriate resources to guide you in your home schooling so that you will know what is the normal expectation for given ages.   But, remember that kids are unique and one of the best reasons for home schooling is so you can fit the education to your child's exact needs and readiness.   Happy teaching!

You are allowing this kind of input from a 16 year old to distress you?  You might be on the right track in thinking that you should keep your children away from people who are trying to undermine your parenting decisions.

Answer 19

They teach letters and letter sounds and some basic words in kindergarten.  Go to a teacher supply store and check out the kindergarten materials.

Answer 20

As a number of the posters here have already said, each child develops differently, and your child is certainly NOT behind her peer group. Continue to work with her and she'll pick these things up as she becomes ready.

What I'm more concerned about from reading your post is you personally. Please forgive my attitude but - why on earth are you allowing your 16 year old cousin to bully you? You have stated that both you (a mother) and your mother (a teacher) feel like your child's development is fine, why are you concerned about the opinion of someone who is neither? (and additionally for all of her advocation of the public school system's 'benefits' apparently cannot use proper grammer and form, punctuate, or even capitalize properly)? For the sake of your sanity and your child you need to put your foot down (as Glurpy and hoamsch1 mentioned above). If you truly believe that this is the best choice for you and your child then that is the final word, despite the 'opinions' of your so-called well-meaning family (and I say so-called because if they were actually well-meaning they would support your decisions and parental authority instead of attempting to undermine them and destroy your self-confidence). The next time someone in your family raises the subject you need to change it, and if they persist you need to tell them quite frankly "We are happy and my child is progressing just fine. Thank you for your concern and you are welcome to your opinion, but I will make the decisions that are best for my own child." and leave it at that. Don't get into it any more, it is apparent that nothing you say will change their minds, and you're only adding to your own stress if you continue to try. While you may think that statement sounds rude, how rude are they being by constantly questioning your decision making process?

You really need to nip this in the bud now before it continues to take a further toll on your self-confidence. Keep reminding yourself that you are doing whats best for your daughter and that the opinions of your family are not as important as your own as your child's mother and teacher. I wish you the very best of luck.

Answer 21

alot of homeschooled kids have better social skill and some have higher I.Qs.  It's probably because they always have that 1 on 1 time.

No shes not behind.  my daughter is 5 (6 in a month) and from 4 she could write her name and recognise numbers and shapes etc. and now she can write and recognise every letter and spell basic words like, dad, mum, tap, dog, the, cat (simple one sylable words) but cant read books yet.

She goes to a private school (its quality of teaching is better than public in my opinion)

So, your daughter is right on track.  Good work

Answer 22

She sounds fine to me. Ages for reading are 2 - 6 years. The shapes sound like what the kids I am around know. Academically she is probably just fine, it's her social skills I would be worried about. Make sure she gets out and plays with other kids her age several hours a week. It isn't enough that she is exposed to people like you and her other parent and any other adults, she will react to kids her age very differently then adults or even siblings and will grow up with a complete lack of social skills unless she is exposed to other kids, who, unlike her family is not required to love her.

Generally, I am against homeschooling myself (although a lot of what is taught, especially about history is kind of a lie and that could be done away with in homeschooling), however without knowing your situation I am hardly qualified to give much further advice. I will say that if the only reason you don't want to send her to a school is because you want to shelter her from harsh teachers, cruel children and other unfortunate realities of life, homeschooling is the worst thing you can do to her because she will grow up thinking she is better then everyone else and that her mom and dad love her more then other parents love their kids.

Answer 23

Up to age 9 is the NORMAL range for full reading.

Of course 5 year olds aren't supposed to read chapter books.

You are right, she's not behind.   You will get lots of pressure to put her in school, so steel yourself and get used to it.

Our oldest son didn't start to fully read on his own until he was 6, and he devours books now; has for years.  We unschool, so he has no curriculum at all to follow, and he is brighter than virtually every adult I know (and all our friends are college educated, most with advanced degrees.)  

Our son is self taught in history, comparative religions, politics, geography and more.  For example, he wanted to learn about the Vikings.  He has read Icelandic and Danish sagas, Hamlet (of course), lots of history books on the Vikings, and Norse myths.  Learning about the Vikings took him into Russian history, because they traveled there, then down to Ottoman history, because they traveled there.  He has read extensively on the history of that whole region, knows more about the middle east than pres. bush (which I guess isn't saying much) and actually knows all about and understands WWI (you can't find many adults who do) and WWII.  

Relax.

Answer 24

I totally support you on homeschooling--it's the best way to raise your child. Children who are homeschooled have the highest grades (a proven fact).

I think it's perfectly normal for your child to read so well. In fact, I think it's better than normal. It doesn't sound like she'll be behind any time soon! =)

Answer 25

Sweetie, what you need to think to yourself is: "The only people who are critical of homeschooling are the ones who really don't understand it."  That is the honest truth.   Your child is not behind and you know it.  It IS hard to stand against criticism,and criticism from families hurts the most.

However, what I've found is that the naysayers drop as the years pass.  When my kids were 5 & 6, yeah, there were people who we knew who made comments.  When they were 8 and 9 the comments had pretty much ceased.  Now that they are 12 and 13 we get loooots of praise.  The education and behavior gap widens as the kids get older.

Another thought here on ps education...in spite of what guidelines say, I find that the ps kids I know, at the end of kinder, can read SOME 3 letter short vowel words,and occasionally I'll meet a kinder graduate who can read 4 letter long vowel words.  This may or may not be average, but we've lived in 3 states since having kids, and this has been true in all 3 areas.  My mom taught kindergarten in ps for 20+ years, and she taught her class more than that, so maybe I have lived in areas with below-average ps.

Answer 26

the child is not behind at all thats an average learning skill for children in kindergarden and even 1st grade