What is Reading?

Published: April 9th, 2025

‘I taught my kids to read by the age of two,’ a friend of mine said recently. ‘How?’ I asked her. She related to me how the use of Ladybird books had helped her, as a young parent, to teach her child to read; in an age that now seems a lifetime ago. Fifty years?  

The assumption that a child of pre-school age can be taught to read is worth exploring. To what level can any child at such a young age read properly? This parent used Ladybird books that were popular at the time. We talked about how she had taught her child to match words and sentences with the pictures; relying mainly on the simple task of memorising whole words in their story-based context.  

The words would have been simple nouns, mainly with clear meanings, eg. the word ‘giraffe’ easily conjures up a single image – as does ‘squirrel’ and ‘elephant’. But very few words are limited to one, single meaning. Let’s consider the word ‘bright’. A bright child (clever). Bright sunlight. Being in a ‘bright’ mood. The meaning of ‘bright’ changes according to which words surround it in the sentence. 

Our language is riddled with words that can only be understood at ‘sentence’ level. For example, the word ‘light’ can refer either to weight (opposite of heavy), or to degrees of brightness (opposite to dark). Conversely, the word ‘dark’ can describe a mood, or a visual scene. 

While any child benefits from being taught to read at the simple level of picture books; this can only be the start of a long journey that does not end at the Early Years Foundation Stage; but continues throughout the key stages – well into college or university learning. 

So, why does reading represent a long journey? One reason is that, as we learn, words continue to be added to our repertoire of spoken vocabulary; added constantly to the thousands that we already use in daily living. Words may also be specific to the jobs we perform as adults; used in a technical sense. Our careers and development through life may well depend on how we continue to acquire and use new words.

Back to my friend who taught her child to read by the age of two. A wonderful start to the entire process! If only more young children could arrive in the EYFS with the basics of reading; ready to engage with words; and to begin their long reading journey. Ready to take off and fly on the wonderful wings of language! 

So….let’s make it happen! 

Sylvia Edwards is a respected author and educator with a passion for improving the educational experiences of children and young people. Throughout a career dedicated to literacy and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), Sylvia has authored numerous books aimed at helping parents and teachers support students from the Early Years Foundation Stage through to Key Stage 3. Join her mission to enhance education and support every child’s learning journey. Discover more about her work and publications at sylviaedwardsauthor.co.uk 📖✨

#Education #KeyStage #SEND #Literacy #Parenting #SylviaEdwards

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