Starting Early: Better or Worse?

In many countries children don't begin to learn to read until they are 6. And exams are something that begin at 11. Children in some of these same countries where they begin later, come out tops in reading tests when compared on both a European and worldwide basis.So beginning reading earlier doesn't necessarily mean that it is better for the children.And for some young learners, beginning too early is definitely worse.When tests come back full of red marks and low results, they begin to assimilate the belief that they are 'bad' at reading or that they don't like it. This is a pity if the issue is that it is a little early for them. It is possible that your child has a special difficulty but this is something that needs to be assessed by a trained specialist. We will deal with special difficulties such as dyslexia in another article. Don't presume that your child has a serious learning difficulty because s/he experiences difficulties at first. Here children begin to read early. The state education system sets standard targets by age that are to be 'done' and evaluated, year by year. And teachers are obligated to work within this system. By the time they are 8, children will be doing multiple choice and reading comprehension tests quite regularly. Your child is within this system which may or may not be right for his/her pace of development.
It is something similar to obliging all children to be a certain height in order to progress to the next level...
So keep things in perspective, if everything suddenly seems difficult for your child when s/he is 8 or 9.This may be a issue that will resolve itself with a little more time. All of that said there are many things you can do to help your child to get into the habit of reading and to enjoy it.

Encouraging Reading

Make it a special time for the two of you!Have some cocoa together and read, take a trip to the library together
Reading should be fun! The last thing you should do is transmit impatience with your child when s/he can't read a word.
Start simple and build.
Read a little every day.
Let your child choose books.
Reward your child with a book that you buy together.

Reading in English

It's true that reading in English carries its own difficulties. Words don't always sound like they are spellt! These days we are lucky because there is a wealth of audiovisual material available free. So if you don't know English, or are not confident with your accent you have a way to resolve the issue!