The roots are taking hold. Your child is doing the hard, beautiful work of cracking the code. Sounding out, blending, trying again. You can see the effort. That effort is everything.
They sound out words slowly, letter by letter
Simple books feel manageable. Longer books are still hard.
They know most letter sounds but mix up some (b/d, p/q)
Reading takes real concentration. It is not automatic yet.
They recognize some sight words without sounding out
They sometimes get frustrated when words don't come easily
Take a quick readiness check to see which foundational skills are strong and which ones need a little more attention. Free, 5 minutes, clear answers.
Take the Beginning and Emerging Reading CheckBooks written to match what they know give children the experience of real reading success. Every page builds confidence.
The goal isn't speed yet. Careful, deliberate sounding-out is exactly right for this stage. Honor the process.
When they read "cat," point to "hat" and "bat." Pattern recognition is what makes decoding automatic over time.
Even as they learn to decode, being read to keeps vocabulary and comprehension growing far ahead of where they can read independently.
"The effort you see is the work."
When your child sounds out a word slowly and carefully, that is not struggling. That is reading. The automaticity comes later. Right now, deliberate and careful is exactly right.
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