How DO Unschoolers Learn to Read?

A few point to remember:

• Children learn to read at all different ages - they are neither behind nor ahead of anyone else. No race or competition exists when they are no longer in a school setting. Children are exactly where their brain needs them to be.
  
  
• Reading, from an unschooling perspective, is not the Holy Grail it is in school. Kids *are* left behind if they reach about 4th grade and still cannot read fluently. That’s because the teaching mode changes to cover more material. But in a home, there’s no need to worry about that. No “teaching mode” exists that has to be accommodated. Learning can continue as it always has, and pivot when it's clearly ready to.
  
  
• The GOAL of Reading is to bring information to the learner. But if the Learner can gather information in a different way, a way that matches their preferences and even brain development, then the goal is simply met through a different vehicle. Reading isn’t the only way. Schools preoccupation with reading is a throwback to an antiquated system where that was the only way for information to be shared.
  
  
• Some people’s learning styles fit other ways to gather information. Everyone really doesn’t have to be a great reader or enjoy reading to be a voracious LEARNER.
  
  
• Notice if you’ve adopted the school’s attitude that “good readers are The Smart Kids.”  Sometimes our fears about when our own kids are learning to read, are tied to this. Research shows that early reading is not an indicator of intelligence. The Terman study shows that early reading did not reliably boost lifelong educational attainment in that sample.
  (Read the Research)
  Children learning to read later catch up to children reading earlier
  
  
• Be aware that society places tremendous pressure on you as the parent - but also on your child as the Learner - to get Reading figured out. Still, even if a child wants to learn to read, sometimes their brain isn’t cognitively ready. Parents can still play with many pre-reading activities and can dismiss naysayers with “Yes, we are working on it,” without judgment or shame.
  
  
• Quality, context, and broader skills matter. The book‐reading study shows that richness of language, parent-child interactions, and controlling for SES matter. That means simply “child can read independently at age 4” doesn’t tell the whole story.
  
  
• Focus on broader literacies and self‐directed learning. Since early reading is not the sole driver, fostering love of reading, oral language, rich talk, motivation to read, self-regulation, and numeracy or problem-solving skills matters just as much or more.

• Literacy is best used as a tool rather than a benchmark.  It's the path TO the information, not the end goal itself. Schools have gotten the horse before the cart, because the system required it. We can focus on building environments rich in literacy, numeracy, play, motivation, curiosity, and self-direction.