Is it normal for a 5 year old to not know how to read?

Question

Is it normal for a 5 year old to not know how to read?

Answer 1

Yes, they need to be reading at the end of kindergarten but even then they won't necessarily read big words or long stories but they can read childrens books by the time kindergarten is done.  Some kids will learn to read small words at 4-5 years old and that is the beginning.  The best thing to do is read to a child atleast 30 minutes a day and as you read a word put your finger on the word (or under/above it) so they can see what word you are reading.  Use the books that have smaller words, step 1 reading for preschoolers and kindergarten.  Also on cereal boxes or foods you eat show your child the word of the name of the food while you read it.  They learn fast how to recognize words.  The first step though is recognizing letters of the alphabet and the letter sounds then work towards 2 and 3 letter words and work your way up.

Answer 2

yes, but they should start learning soon in kindergarten. But they really get into it in 1st grade.

Answer 3

Absolutely.

Parents today are sold a bill of goods about kids needing/being able to read early.  One simply cannot read until the brain is ready.  For some kids, this happens early, for others much later.  It has absolutely nothing to do with intelligence.

Answer 4

Hold your horses,

Each child will learn at a different pace! During the kindergarten year recognition of letters and numbers will come naturally. Some children do it early, some need a little time.

Please don't force your child to do something (read) before he/she is ready. Nothing will turn off a child's natural curiosity  more then extended sessions with an overzealous parent.

Keep reading to your child.

Answer 5

Yeah it is normal... I learned how a few words at that age but then when I turned 6, I began to start learning.

Answer 6

It depends on the child and the situation. Is the child in a regular classroom situation where reading is taught?  Is the child a new 5 or well into their 5th year? Kids learn at all speeds. Not all kids are the same. In a classroom environment, I would think that any reading problems would be noticed for sure by second grade. Do not pressure or blame a child for not reading at a young age. Many people have difficulties with the written word, and age 5 is too young to expect every child to be reading fluently. Letter and short word recognition should be perfectly acceptable.

One of the best ways to encourage a love of reading and the desire to learn is to read to your child yourself..or have someone pleasant read to them on a regular basis. Reading should be fun as well as functional.

Answer 7

yeah i should think its normal.

though i had a sister 2 years ahead of me and shemust have gotton overly excited about learning to read cause i remember her coming home from kindergarten often and we'd play school which consisted of her teaching me to read and write.

bur yeah thats not bad.

it is bad when you meet a 7 year old who looks at you like you're an alien when you tell them that you're 13 years old

Answer 8

Yes, it is normal. Each child learns at thier own rate. My son has a learning disablilty and he learns just  a little slower than others.  He just needs more one on one.  But the school we were at, they couldn't get him to read past a kindergarten level in the 2nd grade. We moved and he is now in 4th and reading almost to where he should be. Just take your time, read with them and it will all work out!

Answer 9

yeah i could aleady do that

yeah put i go to magnet skools and all

if your child cant dont pressure him/her

Answer 10

It is fine. Some kids simply are not developmentally ready to put the reading thing together until they are more like 8 years old -- and then they take off like a shot. Don`t let No Child Left Behind and the vast right wing conspiracy to teach to the mediocre worry you (whomever this 5 year old`s parents might be).

Provide books and have them around. Let your child see you reading and liking it. Teach the alphabet and help the child observe letters and series of letters in everyday life. My son put together STOP from the sign when he was 3 but that did not mean he was reading Tolstoy the next year -- he can progress at his own pace.

The world is entirely too hyper these days about making kindergarten the new second grade. Let kids be kids -- they will learn when they are ready.

Answer 11

yes, well I'm talking like about s****.-Doo,Winnie The Pooh, Mickey Mouse

but if he/she can sit down and read an encyclopedia then taht isn't normal but little books like doctor seuss of course :)

Answer 12

In this day and age: yes, however, Einstein didn't speak until the age of three.  Personally, I did not know how to read when I was five.  I bet if you put some of his favorite cereal boxes or grocery stores he could read them.  start now.  Have fun with it and never criticize there efforts.

Answer 13

i would say 6 there reading some what out of  Kinder garden my daughter new a few words at 5 i would be concerned if they were 6 1/2

Answer 14

It depends, my daughter she was fine at 5 and reading. My son, absolutely refused!  He is 7 and we are just starting to get him going.  If you think they are having a learning disability it is one thing.  My son is just stubborn and would prefer to have things done for him.  Its his way.  Parents usually know if there is something going on with their kids.  Trust your instinct.

Answer 15

Yes...  as long as the kid knows the ABC's and the 123's up to 20 they ought to be alright.  

Spend extra time reading to the kiddo...It is way fun for them and they might learn something... we were dirt poor, but I can still remember my mama reading to me.

Answer 16

Everybody has their own weakness and gift. I couldn't even speak clearly when i was six, but now i'm a mechanical engineer.

Answer 17

yea my nephew just turned 6 and he hardly can read

also my brother can read only a little bit and he's 7

your child should be learing soon

its best to read books around his/her age to them as well

Answer 18

Yes!  My son read before kindergarten, but spent the first half of the year learning letters and letter sounds because most of the kids did not know how to read, or at least some.  If your child can read at age 5 that's great. But if not that's totally normal and at least will not be as bored in kindergarten.

Answer 19

Not really.  They should at least know basic 3 letter words, their name, mommy, daddy - the things that they may have seen most often.

Answer 20

Yes, but s/he should be able to identify some letters (especially those in his/her name) and also begin trying to write his/her name.

EDIT: A lot of people are saying "Well, my cousin could read at four!" or "Oh, my son didn't start reading until seven." However, you should never compare your child's development with another child's. Everybody's brain is different, so everyone learns at their own pace.

Answer 21

well, they should be able to know how to sound basic words out and be able to recognise their NAME for sure! I'm a teacher. If they have not started kindergarden yet, I wouldn't worry, but if they are goinng to 1st, I would get the child tested for learning impairments

Answer 22

WTF, OF COURSE IT IS. They don't teach you to read till about second grade. First grade is all about learning letters, there sound, and BASIC words. They don't start teaching you real words till second grade. It sounds like you are expecting to much from your child.

Answer 23

ummm...i would say yeah. but i suggest that u teach the child to read by at least four years old so that they can learn their common usage of vowels. at least 95% percent of little kids who learn to read before five have a higher chance of passing kindergarten and being straight A students. but encourage the 5 year old to read. let him or her know that reading can be fun. play games with them and read with them.

Answer 24

It's normal. But if you want him to be ahead, start teaching him yourself and reading with him. It's important.

Answer 25

yea why not its actually pretty good when he/she gets older he/she well be very smart for their age im serious i dint know how to read until i was 7 and im 14yrs old right know.......

                         ♥girl4rmloc44♥

Answer 26

Yes, it is perfectly normal.  In some Scandinavian countries parents are actively encouraged not to allow their children to even try and read until the child is 6 or 7 years old.,

The reason for this is that literacy is parasitic upon spoken language and the development of 'inner speech.'  It is widely known that the more able the child is with spoken language, (a wide vocabulary, sensitivity to rhyme and alliteration, sensitivity to the sound system of language), the easier he will find it to learn to read and write.

The second factor is 'inner speech.'  When you read, you can hear a voice inside your head, which is doing the reading.  This allows you to monitor and make sense of what you are reading.  Studies have proven that disrupting this inner speech badly affects reading comprehension.  On average, inner speech does not develop in a child until he is 6 or 7 yars of age, so trying to teach reading before this age is fraught with difficulties and often ends in failure.

Hope this helps.

http://www.snowdrop.cc

Answer 27

Yes this is normal just give the child time to learn to read when he or she is ready but still read books to the child just for that extra push

Answer 28

Very common, most children only start school at 5- 5 and a half... give it time.. a child learns to read in 6-8 weeks with a trained teacher...

Answer 29

Idiot!  Unless someone teaches him he will not learn to read.  He's still young anyway...probably barely knows his letters...then again...you need to teach him.

To talk nerdy..you can't even spell..heaven knows how you could read the question.

Answer 30

yess it iz normal but the child should b learning s00n. listin mah s0n wuz da same he wuz truly but i worked with him and we praticed and 2 make da long storty short he can read now. g00d luck :]

Answer 31

i started reading at age 3, but my little sister who has dyslexia didn't learn to read until she was almost 10 (and she still struggles with it a little--but she's really good at math and science).