How DO Unschoolers Learn to Read? (17 Reading Ideas)

I frequently get asked how unschoolers learn to read. My personal experience with learning to read as an unschooled child was rather spontaneous and very joyful. I literally woke up one morning and suddenly realized that I could read. I then promptly said sat down and read a 200 page chapter book. The second book I read was Mark Twain’s The Adventure’s of Huckleberry Finn.

Unschooled kids learn to read in much the same way they learned how to walk and talk. They live in an environment supportive of reading, around other people who are reading, and when their brain is ready, they begin reading.

Although the process of learning to read is unique to each individual child, often times parents are surprised when they realize that kids really don’t need a lot of formal instruction or structured currIculum in order to learn to read.

So, how do children learn to read when they are unschooled? Let’s explore this a little bit more…

How do Children Learn to Read Without Being Taught?

Learning to read and doesn’t have to (and shouldn’t be) a difficult or long process. Most children will learn to read witvout being formally taught.

Unschooled children learn to read by being read to, and by being around people who are reading. It’s as simple as that. Not subjected to preconceived timelines, they are free to learn to read when they are truly ready.

The biological ability that humans have for picking up the spoken language is the same ability by which they learn to read and write.

“I think reading instruction is the enemy of reading.” -John Holt

Research shows that pushing kids to read before they are ready is not the best approach. It has been shown that children don’t maintain an advantage when pushed to learn to read at an earlier age. Within a couple of years the difference between an early reader and a late reader disappears, making all of that effort and struggle basically pointless.

Children learn best through play. I would argue that even adults learn best through play! So plain with words and letters in ways that engage their imagination are the best ways to begin the process of learning to read.

Ways Children Learn to Read without Formal Instruction

This is only a partial list of some of the ways I have observed my own children learning to read:

1. Being read to
2. Text/Phone Messages
3. Penpals/letters
4. Minecraft
5. Notes from/to mom
6. Game instructions
7. Making a book
8. Playing newspaper office
9. Making signs for garage sales
10. Making birthday invitations
11. Looking at picture books and asking what different words say
12. Memorizing lines for a play
13. Watching movies with sound off subtitles on
14. Reading maps
15. Street signs
16. Pokemon cards
17. Cereal boxes

A common way for unreaders to learn to read is simply through pretending to read. Someone repeatedly reads a a favorite picture book to a child, the child then unconsciously memorizes the book, and then later they pretend to read the book while playing. Pretend reading gradually becomes real reading.

“…in a literate population, it is really not that difficult to transmit literacy from one person to the next. When people really want a skill, it goes viral. You couldn’t stop it if you tried.”

Carol Black

Ways to Support Your Unschooler as They Learn to Read

Keeping your child’s learning style in mind can be helpful as you support them on their reading journey.

• Rhyming and songs are fun for auditory learners.
• Tracing letters in the sand or using chalk on the sidewalk can work well for tactile learners
• Searching for letters in a word scramble or looking at books can be a good method for visual learners
• Hopping, climbing, swinging while yelling the alphabet or spelling words is a great way to keep kinesthetic learners engaged.

Other things you can do:

Skip the lesson plans  – let interest lead the way.

Model reading at home.  Reading should be fun. If you enjoy reading, chances are your kids will.

Utilize audible stories.  Don’t hesitate to let your kids listen to audible books when you aren’t able to read to them.

Don’t forget the library.  We checked out DOZENS of books each week at the library growing up. The librarians knew us by name. The library can be a rich (and free!) resource for unschoolers.

Examples of How Real Life Unschoolers Learned to Read

I found a really great study called “Exploring Unschoolers Experience In Learning to Read: How Reading Happens Within the Self-Directed Learning Environment”. It’s got some great examples in it of real life unschoolers and their experiences learning to read.

I copied some of my favorites below…I really like these examples because they share similarities with my own personal experience learning to read:

“I kinda remember trying to follow along while being read to, and I think one day it just
kind of clicked“

“I can’t really recall or define ‘how’ I learned to read. I spent a lot of time carrying books
around and being read aloud to….It’s more like one day I woke up and couldn’t read,
and the next day I woke up and could read.“

“I don’t remember, but I was told I was upset that my mom wouldn’t re-read Harry Potter
to me so I just started reading it.“

“I remember spending nights with my mother slowly reading words with her
help…learning how a few basic letters sounded so I could get half the word right before
needing her help for the rest. My little sister was trying to learn too…I didn’t like when
she was doing well. I remember going to bed alone one night frustrated with the situation
with my sister. I picked up the book and tried reading. I remember it feeling magical. I
could read the basic book we were learning with! The words that looked alien before
suddenly made sense in my brain.“

“My mom showed me the basics – I remember discussing and laughing about the multiple
sounds of a, and she taught me dipthongs. We also had alphabet charts up in our
learning room and alphabet blocks we played with….Finally, we had a set of amusing
readers that we all went through with her. She let us color the pictures in the books…“

“…I know my sister learned to read on rollerskates. She’s a kinesthetic learner. My mom
would hold up phonics cards and my sister would do laps around the kitchen table and on
skates and read one card per round“