When Should We Begin to Teach Reading?

The particular learning program must be considered when determining a child's reading readiness. Any child is ready to learn something about reading if the material is scaled down to his or her level of understanding & ability to accept the information. Most children are placed in a reading program in first grade; those who are not are placed in a readiness program designed to improve his or her readiness level to the point where instruction can be beneficial. Traditional readiness instruction has avoided teaching reading, but the best readiness programs are seen as involving a gradual introduction to reading, often in a game setting. First grade children differ in skills & levels of maturity & it is not unreasonable that some should be more ready than others. Readiness programs should help the child express language according to its rules, without requiring knowledge of the rules themselves. T. Lamb