𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐉𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲

I just wanted to share this for parents who might be worrying that their child still isn’t reading yet. Try not to stress too much. After raising four kids, I’ve learned that reading can sometimes click later, even as late as age 8.

When I was juggling many grade levels, my two youngest didn’t always get the same focused teaching my older kids had. During those years I was pouring myself into making sure my older ones graduated with honors in every subject. That meant my little ones often only got short lessons in letters and phonics, with less encouragement for independent reading. I did read aloud to them every single day, and they memorized a lot of sight words. The books we leaned on were the old Dick and Jane readers.

By the time my younger two were around 8, I shifted my focus entirely to them. In less than a month they were reading with ease. It was honestly amazing, almost like their brains were finally ready to see the value of reading for themselves. Once it clicked, they devoured books quickly, and their comprehension kept pace because I had always emphasized context clues and reading for enjoyment.

One practical thing I did was have them read aloud, even during their own “independent” reading. That way I could catch when they mispronounced a word, even if I wasn’t sitting right next to them. At first reading felt like a chore, and I had to push them to sit down with a book. There was plenty of groaning in the beginning. Over time it became something cozy, and now they love settling in with their books.