This general outline provides a comprehensive overview of the key milestones that children typically reach
on their journey towards reading proficiency. However, it is important to note that each child's development is unique and may not necessarily follow a strict timeline. Some children may progress more quickly or slowly through the different stages of reading. If you have any concerns about your child's reading development, it is essential to consult with their doctor, teacher, or a reading specialist to ensure that they receive the appropriate support and resources. Early intervention is crucial for children who may be struggling with reading, and parents and educators can take proactive steps such as providing access to high-quality pre-kindergarten programs, fostering a language-rich environment, and encouraging daily reading activities at home to support children in reaching their reading milestones.
Infancy (Up to Age 1)
- Children typically start to learn the connection between sounds and gestures and their meaning
- They respond to being spoken to
- Show attention to people or objects
- Understand at least 50 words
- Attempt to reach for books and turn pages with assistance
- React to stories and illustrations through vocalizing and touching the pictures
Toddlers (Ages 1-3)
- Able to answer questions and identify objects in books, such as "Where's the cow?" or "What does the cow say?"
- Can name familiar pictures
- Use pointing to identify named objects
- Pretend to read books
- Complete sentences in books they are familiar with
- Draw on paper
- Know the names of books and can identify them by their cover
- Flip through board books
- Have a favorite book and often request it to be read
Early Preschool (Age 3)
- Explore books independently
- Listen to longer books read aloud
- Retell a familiar story
- Sing the alphabet song with prompting and cues
- Create symbols that resemble writing
- Recognize the first letter in their name
- Understand the difference between writing and drawing
- Imitate the action of reading a book aloud
Late Preschool (Age 4)
- Recognize familiar signs and labels, especially on signs and containers
- Recognize words that rhyme
- Name some of the letters of the alphabet (a good goal to strive for is 15-18 uppercase letters)
- Recognize the letters in their names
- Write their names
- Name beginning letters or sounds of words
- Match some letters to their sounds
- Develop awareness of syllables
- Attempt to write words using familiar letters
- Understand that print is read from left to right, top to bottom
- Retell stories that have been read to them
Kindergarten (Age 5)
- Produce words that rhyme
- Match some spoken and written words
- Write some letters, numbers, and words
- Recognize some familiar words in print
- Predict what will happen next in a story
- Identify initial, final, and medial (middle) sounds in short words
- Identify and manipulate increasingly smaller sounds in speech
- Understand concrete definitions of some words
- Read simple words in isolation and in context
- Retell the main idea, identify details, and arrange story events in sequence
First and Second Grade (Ages 6-7)
- Familiarize themselves with various types of stories
- Decode and understand unfamiliar words using different strategies
- Use punctuation and capitalization in their writing
- Self-correct while reading aloud and show comprehension through drawings
- Organize details and events in their writing to create a logical sequence.
Second and Third Grade (Ages 7-8)
- Become proficient at reading longer texts on their own
- Learn to read aloud with emphasis and emotion
- Employ contextual clues and illustrations to decipher unfamiliar words
- Grasp the idea of how to structure writing using paragraphs
- Demonstrate proficiency in using punctuation correctly
- Demonstrate the ability to spell a wide range of words correctly
- Write short messages such as phone notes and emails
- Demonstrate an understanding of humor in written text
- Incorporate new vocabulary and figures of speech into their writing
- Edit and improve their writing to create compelling stories
Fourth Through Eighth Grade (Ages 9-13)
- Investigate and comprehend various forms of literature, including biographies, poetry, and fiction
- Examine and comprehend various forms of expository, narrative, and persuasive writing
- Extract specific information by reading
- Comprehend the connections between different objects or ideas
Reading and writing skills are essential for children's development and education. As children grow and develop, they will begin to learn and understand different types of texts, such as biographies, poetry and fiction. They will also learn to read and write with more fluency, expression and accuracy. To help children develop these skills, it's important to provide them with engaging and age-appropriate reading materials and activities. One such platform that provides a fun and interactive way for children to learn is Learn with Koala, which offers a wide range of reading materials and interactive activities that are designed to help children develop their reading and writing skills. It is a perfect place for children to continue their journey of reading and writing development. Learn with Koala offers many of the best phonics classes for young learners with talented structured literacy tutors. You can find and book those classes at this page.
Happy Learning!
