Reading Time

Reading is one of those "subjects" that really freak out those who don't unschool.  Public education tells us that reading starts at age 5 and should be finished by about age 8.  In those 3 years, you have to cram in phonology, inflection, spelling, punctuation, etc.  That's a lot to learn in just 3 short years!!  If reading works so well in public education, then why do we have so many students struggling in remedial reading programs?  And don't get me started on those who are English Language Learners.

If children are allowed to read when it becomes interesting to them and their brains are mature enough to understand how the English language works, then reading becomes second nature.  We have some kids who read at 3 and some kids who read at 9 and beyond.  If reading is not forced upon the child, you will have some kids trying to read encyclopedias at 10 years old!  And wouldn't we all love a child who loves reading?  Not because they have to, but because they want to.

Orion signing "fish"

Letting our children explore books on their own and reading to them as much as we can, are the building blocks of learning to read.  It starts with pictures and interpreting "what's going on" and then moving to pictures associated with words, and then putting words together to form sentences.  And so on.

Here's a video of Orion reading one of his favorite books.  He loves opening the flaps and pointing at things for me to tell him what they are.  He does not talk very much, but he knows so many words!  All we did was stock his bookshelf with colorful books; some of them age appropriate and some of them more advanced.  But a book is a book.  He finds them fascinating.  And that is a great start in unschooling!