My son is 4 1/2 years old and has been reading on his own for about a year now. He is able to read books from a 2-3 grade level pretty much without hesitation and is now placing verbal emphasis correctly in written dialogue. He absolutely breaks words down, sounds them out and continues on. He does like us to read to him and we do, but no more than others from what I gather. Is it possible that he just taught himself to read at such an early age?

Absolutely! It’s not super common, but I have seen many children who just seem to figure out the “code” early. Some children are gifted with numbers at an early age, some children are physically gifted and have great hand/eye coordination with regards to sports at an early age, and some children are gifted in the language arts area at an early age. It is a wonderful blessing and such fun.

The challenge comes in finding reading materials that can keep him reading at his advanced level, but that aren’t too mature for him. I have a son like this and it was amazing to watch, and really fun to see them develop that fast. But you have to keep them reading, and there are more reading stories for little girls than for advanced little boys. I did discover a wonderful series of simplified classic stories that my child found quite interesting. They are called “Great Illustrated Classics” and they are published by Baronet Books. I think I have about 25 of them or so, including titles like Treasure Island, Oliver Twist, Peter Pan, The Prince and the Pauper, etc. Baronet books has taken these great children’s literature classics and simplified them. They are wonderful, great stories with any age appropriate material. I believe that most of them are written on a 4th grade level, so they may be a bit past him yet, but keep them in mind. I picked them up at my local bookstore, but I’m sure that you could order them on line through someone like Barnes & Noble, or maybe even directly through the publisher.

Another challenge comes when teachers who discover he is gifted in one area, thinks he’s naturally gifted in another. Sometimes that is the case, sometimes it isn’t. Be watchful and make sure that he gets the proper instruction needed for each topic based upon his skill levels. Enjoy his gift and good luck to you.