Learning to read early - how useful is it?

Every child has their own learning pace. Our education system, on the other hand, is known to teach all children in lockstep. A common piece of advice heard from kindergarten parents is: don't teach your children to read just yet. The argument often cited is the later boredom in class, which arises when the classmates learn to read. In this article we take a critical look at the question: How useful is it to teach a child to read early or to refuse to read?

Argument one against early reading: The child will then be bored

If you look at the current curriculum, the first graders will have learned all the letters by around Christmas these days and can therefore read everything. Depending on the federal state, it is a period of four or five months during which a child who can already read at school is ahead of his classmates. However, since other content than just reading is taught in school, the child is still challenged intellectually here. For us, the argument of boredom is therefore not very conclusive.

Argument two against early reading: The child should rather be creative

A completely correct approach: no child should be forced to learn at kindergarten age. This creates frustration and is rather detrimental to the motivation to acquire an education. However, frustration can also arise when children are prevented from developing. If a child wants to deal with letters, they should be allowed to do so too. There are very creative opportunities for kindergarten children here. For example, use the Natureich alphabet blocks made of woodthat children can play with freely while using the letters that interest them.

Conclusion: self-motivation is the right engine

As long as your child wants to learn to read on their own, asks questions, and seeks clarification, you shouldn't suppress it. Acquiring knowledge through play is a natural process in children and should never be viewed negatively. An early drill with exercise material in the form of preschool books, without the child's request, is, however, not advisable.