I just found out my son is way ahead of his class in reading...?

Question

I knew he was doing well, but I just found out he has already gone through all of the Kindergarten level reading books - he blew through them, faster than any other kid in his class. He has also learned all of his sight words much faster than the other kids.

Once I am done beaming, and being proud of him, and bragging about it to everyone I know... I want to make sure that I foster it as much as possible.

One thing I have noticed when he reads to me is that he doesn't really FOCUS. He squirms around gets up and sits back down... and he will stop in the middle of a sentence to tell me a story because the word he just read make him think of the story.

I try to calmly tell him to focus, and don't stop mid-sentence to go off topic, and to not squirm, etc... but I don't want to make it into a negative experience.

Why does he get so distracted and squirmy... and what, if anything should I do about it?

Any advice to keep his love of reading going is appreciated.

Answer 1

Talk to his teacher and whatever support staff are available to see if they have a procedure in place for dealing with kids who are progressing ahead of classmates. Remember to keep your child in the loop. If he is having fun and enjoying what he is doing, there is no need to jump on board the "my kid is brilliant and I want to make sure he stays ahead of everybody else" train.  Most likely, the others will catch up and he will have gotten a boost of confidence from feeling secure in his reading.

Answer 2

Forget kindergarten level books, and the next level up. Get him something with an actual story in, or some interesting information. Show him the TV guide or your recipe book, and let him realise that reading isn't just fun, it's genuinely useful out of school too. Also encourage him to read silently by himself. Reading out loud is much slower, and kids who can read fluently often absolutely hate doing it!

Answer 3

ITs probably b/c he is bored with what he is reading, have him read something that is challenging for him, and stuff that is interesting to him. Take him to the library and let him pick out some books he wants to read. Grats on the smarty!

Answer 4

My Son learnt to read in kindergarten and excelled. He is frist grade now and at Second grade level.  You should be proud and the best thing to do it just encourage him to read. I started the my kids reading at bedtime. 10mins for my 5yr old (who doesnt read yet, but looks at pictures - but he has a real interest in learning to read and hasnt even started kindergarten) and 20min for my 7 year old.  Buy him books as presents and ask him what books he wants. Just encourage, encourage, encourage but dont scold him for his short attention span. Thats completely normal for his age, and being male. Just ask him to remember that story he wants to tell you, but save it for after the book....and remind him to concentrate.   Have a reading chart, for every 10mins of reading he gets a sticker and after so many minutes - he gets a prize like going out to pizza, or a new book!! Congratulations for having this wonderful time with your son and enjoy it.....sounds like you have done everything right so far and your son is doing well.....Good Luck.

Answer 5

no one likes a bragger

Answer 6

My oldest daughter, too, was like that (she is now 12). She began reading at the age of three and I found that if I took her to the library/book store and let her pick out the books she wanted to read, then she stayed more focussed. She is now in grade 7 and is at a grade 10 level for reading. She reads 2 hours every day from books that she has chosen. I, too, am very proud of my child. She is a straight "A" student in school!

Answer 7

ADHD... i had the same problem and i read at a high level as well... get the kid some adderall and some goosbumbs books, that alwas did the trick

Answer 8

my child loves to read she is  9 yrs  and still loves to

Answer 9

Don't mean to burst your bubble but is he actually comprehending what he has read in the books?  Yes, he can read the sight words (and then some, probably) but if you ask him basic questions about the book that he is reading or ask him what he thinks is going to happen can he tell you?

He may have ADHD, can his school assess him for it?  Has his teacher said anything about it?  How are his report cards or progress reports?

Answer 10

On reading your question, the first thing I thought when I read the words "squirms around" is that he is a normal little boy!!!  Stopping in the middle of the sentence inspired to tell you a story says that he has a great imagination.

Small children don't devour books to get to the end like we do.  You are already doing the best thing possible by listening to him read and encouraging him to do so.

I work in a school;  part of my job is listening to 7-8 year olds read.  By far and away the most proficient readers, and those most interested in books, are those whose parents listen to them read at home (I can tell from their reading records!).  

My son is 7, and no brainiac, but loves to read to me.  I treat him to books from the book shop that I tell him he has to read to me, and encourage him to pick more challenging titles each time we go.  He fidgets and jumps around all the time (he's 7, and full of energy), but right near the top of his class for reading.

Well done on what you have done so far... keep it up and I wish you many years of fun reading with your son!!!

Oh - and to the lady who gave her 5 year old son Harry Potter to read, please give it to him again when he is about 8 or 9, as I read The Hobbit when I was 6 and didn't understand a word of it, but didn't admit that until I was about 20.

Answer 11

Check his diet with his doctor the next time you go.  He may be eating too much of some foods that are making him figity./hyper.

Answer 12

my daughter is the same way... she was reading all dr seuss books at 4 so she is kinda in the same boat- but not all squirmy... maybe you could find him more books with a higher education level... my daughter is in K and is reading books now that 1st and 2nd graders read. She was getting bored really fast and the teacher suggested that... she is fine now.  Take him to the dollar store and let him pick out a few books on his own... I am sure that would grab his attention.

Answer 13

My daughter was a really advanced reader in kindergarten, and to keep her focused and interested in reading we just got loads of books from the public library for her to read.  We focused on books about topics that she was interested in.  Sometimes the kindergarten books are too babyish and boring which caused the kids to lose focus.

Answer 14

Congrats on having an above grade level child.  If you child's teacher is good then she should have him read books at his level.  As a teacher it is my job to continually assess my students and put them on books at their level.  If he is ready for first grade books, I suggest she start him there.  Ask his teacher to have him tested for GT (Gifted and Talented).  Sounds like he is GT to me.  As for you encourage and further develop his reading skills by reading books with him for fun and enjoyment.  Don't force him and make reading fun for him!  By the way all 5 year olds tend to squirm now and then, it doesn't mean they are not comprehending.  I should know I have a class full of squirmers!

Answer 15

My son is in Kindergarten, too.  5 and 6 year old boys are not known for their attention span.....

Just encourage him to read.  The rest will fall into place soon enough.

Answer 16

my best advice is to make sure you keep reading to him and keep reading low-pressure and fun, even if he's a strong reader.  my oldest was a strong early reader, and was assessed to be reading at a fifth grade level in kindergarten.  she always hated reading aloud (though she did it well), but she absolutely loved reading to herself and being read to.  if he doesn't want to read to you, he might still be interested in reading silently to himself.  and even strong readers benefit really well from read-aloud because they can understand books at an even higher level than they can read themselves, and because it just generally makes reading fun.  i would emphasize the fun part.  if he wants to go off on a tangent, let him.  smart kids can learn at least as much from a good discussion as from a first-grade-level book! and maybe consider which books he's reading.  things written at k and first grade levels sometimes just don't have interesting stories.  if there's a powerful or very funny story it may keep his attention better.

Answer 17

A lot of exceptionally bright children have ADD. It could also be that he is simply bored with the books he is reading and needs something that will stimulate his interest more.

My son is in the same boat- best reader in kindergarten, but doesn't pay attention for more than 3 seconds if it's not what he is completely into.  In our case, it's just too easy and he's not that interested. If we gave him a slightly harder book- about Transformers or Cars or one of his several fixations- he will read the whole thing.

Answer 18

How old is he?

Do you really expect him to sit still?

Little kids don't!

Praise his reading and keep encouraging him, but make sure you don't just concentrate on that.  How is he with numbers? making friends? building things? creativity?

But most of all .... relax ... and keep smiling.

Answer 19

AE is the same way. I think it's great that they get all excited (squirmy) and want to discuss ideas (distracted) that pops into their heads from certain words etc. That tells me that they are comprehending what they are reading. It is great to stop and listen to his thoughts about the word or story. Definetly encourage discussion. I know we as parents are somtimes in a hurry and want them to get thru it already, but let him take his time. I think the more he stops to talk about the book/words/or story, the better. Ask him questions as well, let him know you are really into sharing this storytime with him. I don't focus on the fact that AE is ahead, i focus on enjoying my reading time w/her and tell her i'm proud of her for all her accomplishments. I think you are ok. I don't think it's ADD or ADHD! Don't listen to them, now adays everyone wants to blame being a kid on those two culprits!

Way to go C.O.!!!!!! Keep up the good word T.O.!