Unlocking Literacy: The Natural Path to Reading Skills
Venturing into the unschooling journey often sparks initial concerns among parents, with reading standing at the forefront of their worries. The notion of abandoning conventional education prompts questions about how children will acquire literacy skills without structured lessons on letters, sounds, and words. The traditional approach seems indispensable for many, making it challenging to fathom how children can grasp reading without explicit instruction.
Consider this: if a one-month-old baby isn't crawling, does that raise alarms? What about an eight-month-old not yet walking, or a twelve-month-old not running? These scenarios might seem absurd, yet in just five years, that same one-month-old, eight-month-old, and twelve-month-old will all be judged against the same developmental benchmark and expected to read around the same time.
Roughly speaking, children typically learn to read without formal instruction or pressure around the age of 8, though this milestone can vary, occurring earlier or later. However, this notion often triggers judgmental reactions from mainstream circles, who struggle to comprehend a child learning to read beyond the age of 8.
A key element of nurturing reading abilities lies in the simple act of reading to children. While some children may find fulfillment in being read to for several years, traditional schooling often employs an expedited approach, instructing children in batches and urging early reading to keep pace with standardized instruction and uniform progress among students.
When the focus is put on meeting someone else’s expectations, and there is no actual joy in reading, then they’re not going to see the point other than the please the person requiring it. Even if you successfully pressure kids into reading it won’t set them up to care about it. When the inherent desire to read is lost, the person will look for the bare minimum they can do to meet necessary obligations with the least amount of repercussions. If a child is dodging intended learning experiences only to get that passing grade, the lesson misfires.
In the realm of unschooling, the rush for independent reading takes a backseat. Unlike traditional institutions with their oversight of dozens of children at a time, assembly-line approach and pressure to hit reading quotas, we prioritize meaningful connections with our children. Our days are filled with written words, lively conversations, and a deep immersion in language. We embrace the journey, opting for the scenic route over shortcuts, and we honor each child's natural pace of learning to decode and comprehend words in their own time.
“If we ever wanted young people to dislike reading we would force them to read things they don’t care about, place reading into a subject silo separated from daily living, assign mundane homework so that reading becomes more chore than pleasure, time them, test them frequently on decoding skills, and give them a label. Those of us who still enjoy reading after all of that do so in spite of school, not because of it.” - Kerry McDonald, Unschooled
Children can learn to read through patterns and associations without being bogged down with semantics. It’s not to say that word meanings and relations aren’t important, but that kids take in intricate qualities better when a stimulating task encourages suitable challenges and when they can attribute importance to what they’re learning. In other words, when they’re doing fun stuff that’s just the right amount of tricky, the learning clicks because they’re not caught up in the instructional break down but rather using words in a way thats useful to their experience.
Consider video games, for instance. Children eagerly dive into understanding gaming objectives and rules, mastering the ability to input codes and communicate with friends, and find excitement of identifying items within a game that serves as a powerful motivator. We can offer support with reading and spelling words as necessary, and some kids might even utilize talk-to-text features. As we observe their progress, we witness them making connections between letters, becoming acquainted with words, and associating them with images and functions.
I've observed this process firsthand with my son when he was learning to read. While playing Minecraft, he would familiarize himself with words, such as ‘obsidian’, because of repetitive exposure to seeing the written word connected to the image of an obsidian block, and understood its function and usefulness beyond just reading it. It's a prime example of how immersion in meaningful experiences fosters deeper understanding beyond basic reading skills.
Exposure to written words is unavoidable in our day-to-day lives. Regardless of their interests, children inevitably encounter numerous opportunities to engage with words visually and hands-on. Whether it's reading street signs, exploring their favorite hobbies, or navigating technology, the world around them is filled with chances to gain familiarity with language in various forms.
Unschooling offers a refreshing perspective on the journey of learning to read. By prioritizing meaningful experiences over rigid instruction, children are empowered to explore language in diverse and immersive ways. From deciphering words in games to discovering the utility of vocabulary in everyday life, each encounter with language becomes a deep learning opportunity. Through patient guidance and trust in their innate curiosity, unschooling nurtures not only reading proficiency but also a lifelong love for learning where the joy of discovery and the wonder of language intertwine to shape confident and capable readers for life.
