This is one of the questions that parents keep asking when we talk about teaching young children to read.  Here is a good answer I found in the book “Teach your child to read in just 10 minutes a day” by Sidney Ledson, author of “Rising Brighter Children”.

“There is little reason for a child to be bored n school simply because he or she can read. In most grad 1 classrooms, much of the day is given over to matters that appeal to all children. The atmosphere is often club-like, and peer relationship and social skills get a lot of attention. There might be morning exercises, health, safety, art, nature studies, crafts, videos, show and tell, story time, game time, music, and any number of other activities the teacher thinks important.

On the other hand, if a child enters a grade 1 classroom where the emphasis is on reading, printing, and arithmetic (bearing in mind that no two grade 1 classrooms are identical), the teacher might divide the class into groups. The advanced children (the readers) will form their own group, average children will form another, and children needed special attention will form a third. It is these last chilrden who are most vulnerable to boredom; finding the work difficult, they often fall behind and lose interest.

There are several reasons why children might be bored in school, but children who can read probably have less reason than others for being bored. They can read books while their classmates are learning how to (possibly by a difficult and confusing method). And if the advanced children ever find the work unchallenging the teacher can give them enrichment materials.

But let’s suppose – let’s just suppose -  that a reading child draws a grade 1 teacher too lacking in spirit to provide stimulating work for the youngster. Would we want to withhold a child’s preschool education and intellectural advancement simply so he or she will fit in comfortably with a worst-case scenario teacher? If the teacher is too lacking in enterprise to deal appropriately with a child who can already read, it may be a tedious and unproductive year for the entire class.”

Read more on my I Teach My Child blog. Not sure where to begin? Download the free ebook 52 Cool Websites for Kids and have some fun!

Why not leave reading instruction to the professionals teaching Grade 1?

This is a popular question that parents ask about teaching their child to read, one with several answers.

First, teaching a young child (a preschooler) to read is so simple and so much fun that in most cases there just isn’t any justification for delaying the task until grade 1. After all, parents don’t delay teaching their children to speak until grade 1. Yet, learning to speak – which normally takes a year or two – is a much more difficult task for a child than learning to read.

As the celebrated mathematician and philosopher Alfred North Whitehead noted, “What an appalling task, the correlation of meaning with sounds.” Speech is difficult. Reading is easy by comparison – when an easy and fun program of instruction is used.

Second, leaving a child’s reading instruction ot the public school system is rather risky. The task of teaching twenty or more children – all with varying ability, intelligence and interests – is a difficult task for schoolteachers. What is more, the task is made even harder by the constant need for behavior modification: teaching children to sit still, pay attention, listen, and be quiet – is a continuing daily task for teachers that doesn’t favor quick reading progress. Also, not all teachers have been taught what is essential and what is unessential to ensure quick literacy.

Reading provides a powerful form of nutrient for the young brain. A child who reads can find in books an intellectually rich environment populated by interesting and knowledgeable people, both fictional and real.

Read more on my I Teach My Child blog.

If you are one of the parents that is always searching for cool things to do with your kids – here is a list of cool educational websites that you can use with your kids to help them learn and have fun at the same time.

These are all high-quality, professionally developed websites and programs. They teach reading, foreign languages, math, science, art. Some of these websites are free, some charge a monthly fee, or there is a one-time payment.  Visit them with your kids and have fun!

Read more on my I Teach My Child blog.