My six-year-old who is in kindergarten surprised me this past week.
Picture by Kahanaboy
He has been studying sight words at school and so we have been reading the little booklets they make every week.
Lately, I have asked him to pick out these word in whatever book we are reading. I want to encourage him without frustrating him.
This week we have been working on a collection of Biscuit stories. My mother likes to buy the kids ‘collection’ books and this one seemed perfect for him. We also have Scooby Doo and Curious George and Dr. Seuss books in collection form that get the “go around” until we get though each book.
So he is going along, pointing out sight words when he decides he is going to try for each word on the page. Some words he knows and are easy. Some, like those pesky “w” or “wh” words don’t want to sound out so I whisper the word to him and he tries it on for size.
Picture from Barnesandnoble.com
Soon, he knows “biscuit” and “woof” as soon as he sees them. Other words come easily while those “w” and “wh” continue their troubling way. But he hears my little whisper and sounds them out on his own. Before you know it, he is reading the whole sentence on the page.
The next night we work on a different Biscuit story. That puppy wants to make friends with the kittens but they want to follow the butterfly. After the word gets broken down into simpler pieces, he gets it. He gets that this jumble of letters means “butterfly. ”
Suddenly, I have a new reader on my hands. I am very excited. But I must be patient. He is not quite ready for that first Harry Potter book.
Notes from Rumbly Cottage 
So exciting. Have fun with it!
That is such a milestone! Hard to believe my daughter will be there one day soon. My son still amazes me every day when he reads aloud to us. And if I catch him reading aloud to his sister it truly brings a tear to my eye. Nothing like opening up to the world of books!
I loved to read to and with my kids! When they were about 7 and 10, we read through the Narnia series together! Sweet, sweet memories! Now I get to read with my grandkids!
Watching a child learn to read is like watching an explorer uncover and open a treasure chest…it’s an experience that will change their lives forever…
I remember getting a call when my daughter was almost 4 from her pre-k teacher (kind of a loosey-goosey half day, 2 or 3 times a week thing) and she said, “I wanted to talk to you about your daughter’s reading.?” and I said, “yeah, she likes to sound things out–here and there…she’s trying,” and the teacher said, “No. I mean…she’s reading. on her own. READING.”
She’s never stopped…reading is the best gift we can give our children…
what a sweet post.
blessings
jane
It’s a great time in his life, and a big step. I hope he never loses the joy of reading.
Wonderful!
My older son is a new reader, too. Isn’t it amazing to watch the learning process? It sounds like you’re doing a wonderful job teaching. Just sitting beside him and urging him on makes all the difference.
Thanks for the comments, everyone. It is a proud day for me to see him be so excited about figuring out how letters can make words that express so much!