Reading Milestones: Why reading to your chronological age matter

Did you know that a child’s brain develops most in the first five years of life? During this phase, the brain makes millions of new connections every second, this rate is never repeated again at any other point in a child’s life. 

The human brain is only 95% developed by the time the child reaches 5 years old. That means, in the first 5 years, the brain is still rapidly developing- learning and absorbing new knowledge from the world around it. As a parent, one of the basic things you should know is when to start reading with your child and what to read to your child at certain age groups. 

Choosing the right book for every reading level matters. If you don’t know the right book for your child, the risk is that you may choose the wrong kind of book that they are not ready for yet. If you choose a book that is too complicated for their level of development, they will only be able to comprehend a little bit of what you are reading. On the other hand, reading books that are too easy for the child may also undermine their reading levels and cause delays in learning development. Since the brain is rapidly absorbing knowledge in the first five years, we want to maximize the child’s learning during these years! 

Infancy (newborn to 1 year old)

In the infancy stage, children begin to understand that gestures and sounds are their means of communication. At this stage, children are most likely drawn to books with colourful pages and large illustrations. It’s ideal that you buy picture books during the infancy stage. Read to your little one and emphasize the sounds of animals like birds, snakes, and monkeys. The infancy stage is where you plant the seed of their love for reading. This is where their love for books grows. 

Toddlers (ages 1 to 3 years old)

In the toddler stage, children begin to interact with you during reading time, it is the most playful and enjoyable reading stage. At this stage, your child will pretend to read, and memorize sentences and phrases from books that they are very familiar with! Toddlerhood is the best stage to engage your child in reading. Their imagination is at its peak in their toddler years. They will ask questions like “what’s this object” or “what’s that animal”. So, give them books that will encourage them to imagine! 

Personalised books take your book-reading experience to a whole new level. In a personalised book, your child is able to see themselves as part of the story. Early child development experts highly suggest the use of personalised books because of their positive and lasting effect on the reading engagement of the child. 

Preschool and Nursery (ages 3 to 5 years old)

Preschool and kindergarten children already begin to read independently. At this stage what you want to establish is a reading habit through reading for pleasure. When children read for pleasure, they will crave the book and explore books independently. At this stage, children must also be able to tell familiar stories, understand that the book is read from left to right, understand the definition of words, and arrange stories in proper events and sequence. 

However, if your child does not do some, most, or all of these signs, their book engagement may need a little bit more work. If you find yourself with a reluctant reader or a child that would totally reject a book, it’s ideal that you explore personalised books. Personalised books give the reader a sense of ownership, an important element in perceiving oneself as a reader (Dymore and Griffiths, 2010). 

Early Primary School (ages 6 to 8 years old)

In their early primary school years (grades 1 to 3), your child must be an excellent reader. Children at this stage will read on their own, will pick their own schedule to read, and read for enjoyment. At this stage, they are also ready for books with thicker pages like short novels. They are also able to tell stories with proper expression of emotions of the characters that they are portraying. 

At this stage, the child will also be able to write short phrases and essays. They will be able to use new words that they learned while reading and even figures of speech. Children who have a solid reading habit will be able to correct their own punctuation and spelling in their primary school years! 

Reading according to chronological age is very important for every child. Reading too early or too late for their reading level has its own disadvantage. When a child does not develop any interest in reading in their childhood, they are more likely to fall behind their peers in perform poorly in their academic years. 

As a parent, it is very important that you know the reading stages for the child so you know how to choose the right books and what reading skills your child should be able to do according to their age. 

Reading early brings long-term benefits to the cognitive, emotional, and mental development of your child. The best time to build a reading habit is in their early years, starting in their infancy!