Reading

A five-year-old child. . .

• Shows interest in books and reading
• Might try to read, calling attention to himself and showing pride in what he can do (“See, I can read this book!”)
• Can follow the series of events in some stories
• Can connect what happens in books to her life and experiences
• Asks questions and makes comments that show he understands the book he is listening to

Print and letters

A five-year-old child . . .

• Knows the difference between print (words) and pictures and knows that print is what you read
• Recognizes print around him on signs, on television, on boxes, and many other places
• Understands that writing has a lot of different purposes (for example, signs tell where something is located, lists can be used for grocery shopping, directions can tell you how to put something together)
• Knows that each letter in the alphabet has a name
• Can name at least 10 letters in the alphabet, especially the ones in her name
• “Writes,” or scribbles, messages

The main sources
for this list of accomplishments
are Preventing Reading Difficulties in
Young Children and Learning to
Read and Write: Developmentally Appropriate
Practices for Young Children.
For more information about these sources, see
Suggested Reading at the end of this booklet.