Before I get started, I feel as though I should mention the toddlers and preschoolers who have taught themselves how to decode and to read. There are many out there but this is not about them, this is about the typical preschooler being pushed to read long before they are ready.

No one is debating the preschoolers ability to learn, what is being debated is the preschoolers readiness for such a structured curriculum. Reading is not a simple task of just learning the alphabet and it’s sounds. There is so much more to it and many parents forget just how hard of a skill it is to master. It is not something that is children go from no knowledge on to reading in a few months. Pre-reading skills are more then just recognizing the alphabet.

Preschoolers are generally eager learners and at ages three and four they are little sponges absorbing, processing and storing everything about the people and things in their environments. But pushing a three or four year-old to learn a complex task such as reading often backfires when they get older.

Having your five year-old enter kindergarten or your six year-old enter first grade already reading at a first, second or third grade level is not going to give him a leg up in the world. He will be bored having to sit through lessons he already knows. He will not have an advantage over his peers who are being academically challenged. A child who is bored losses so much more then time. Boredom often results in acting out or in being burned-out long before highschool.

On the flip side you will have three and four year olds who may have a disability that is not yet diagnosed. Pushing a child who has an undiagnosed disability that affects their ability to learn to read to do just that, read will result in tears and a child who thinks they’re stupid because they can’t do something.

Not every three of four year old is ready to read. Not even 6 and 7 year-olds are ready to read! Reading is a complex skill that a child should be motivated and joyful about to learn. When they are ready to learn to read they will learn and love it in the process. If you are worried about your child’s future success in reading read to them. When they are little read everything to them as they get a bit older and start to be interested in certain toys or items (cars, dolls, animals) find short and egaging books on that subject. A youngster who only cares about cars will like a book about cars. If the child only wants to look at the pictures that is fine let them.

What should a Preschool Worksheet Look Like?

How Preschoolers Learn