My 6-year-old can't read yet: what to expect, what to do

What should a 6-year-old be able to read?

Six is first grade in the US (Year 2 in England), and children get there at very different points. Understood.org notes that some kids just need more time and practice than others to learn reading skills. A child can only sound out spellings they have been taught, so a lot depends on where the class is in its phonics program.

The US Common Core standards for first grade give a sense of the target. Children are expected to know common consonant digraphs, decode regularly spelled one-syllable words, handle final -e and common vowel teams, and read grade-appropriate irregular words. In England, children sit the phonics screening check in June of Year 1: 40 words, a mix of real words and made-up words, to see whether they can sound words out. Children who don't meet the standard retake it in Year 2. The order in which sounds usually arrive is covered in the phonics progression.

Where it usually gets stuck

Sometimes the book is the problem before the child is. If a page has spellings they haven't learned yet, they can't sound those words out, so they guess from the picture or the first letter. The UK government's guidance for parents suggests asking the teacher for decodable readers that match your child's phonics level. What is a decodable text? explains the idea.

Some patterns are worth noticing. Understood.org lists trouble with familiar words like "cat" when there's no picture, swapping in a different word (saying "house" for "home"), and trouble separating and blending the sounds in a word. Children who have trouble reading may also avoid it, especially out loud.

What you can do tonight

Ask the teacher which sounds the class has covered and which readers come home. Then, instead of opening a new book, have your child reread a few short lines they can sound out completely. In the UK, the parent leaflet for the phonics check also suggests pointing out letter sounds as you read together, starting with single letters and moving to pairs like "ee", "ch" and "ck". A page they can finish on their own is a better start than a new book.

Understood.org offers a few simple routines: look through the book together first, take turns reading pages, let your child read in a whisper voice while you sit beside them, let them pick the book when you can, and celebrate small wins. The What Works Clearinghouse practice guide for kindergarten to grade 3 recommends that each student reads connected text every day. A short session most days beats a long one now and then, and reading 10 minutes a day at home shows how to set it up.

What helps less

Guessing from the picture doesn't build the skill you're after. The UK parent leaflet says to encourage children to sound out unfamiliar words and blend from left to right rather than guess from pictures, so stop at the word and sound it out together. Context still has a place afterward: the Common Core first-grade standards ask children to use it to confirm a word and to reread when something doesn't make sense. If your child knows the sounds but can't string them together, see the guide to blending sounds into words. Praise effort, not speed, and keep comparisons with classmates out of it.

When to ask for help

Start with the teacher. Understood.org suggests sharing what you've noticed, especially any patterns, and then talking through what to try at home and at school. In England, the school should explain what support it has put in place if your child struggled in the phonics check.

On timing, experts disagree. In a Child Mind Institute article, Matthew Cruger suggests waiting until a child is at least six and has had some formal reading instruction before seeking a formal evaluation, while Sally Shaywitz says that when a gap between ability and reading is clear, which she says can be seen in first grade, it's a good idea to get help. A doctor or other qualified professional can help you decide whether an evaluation makes sense. The signs that justify acting earlier are listed in the guide to signs of dyslexia. This guide is not a diagnosis.

Bedtime stories still count

A child who is still sounding words out needs to hear real stories as much as ever. The What Works Clearinghouse guide treats language and vocabulary as a recommendation of their own, next to decoding. See reading and language development for how listening and reading fit together. Reading to your child at night and having them read a short text during the day are two different jobs, and they need both.

That's what Lulio's stories are for: episodes starring your child as the hero, which you read aloud. They aren't meant to teach decoding. For practice at that, use the readers that match the phonics your child's school is teaching.