My big kid

(I meant to publish this last week, but time got away from me...)

Erik and Grandma G playing Connect Four

Time to brag on my oldest child for a moment. Every day before "quiet time" and bed time, we read to the kids. Now that Erik is a big kindergartner, sometimes he does some of the reading. Today, I was able to tuck in William for a nap first, then read with Anna and Erik separately. That gave me some nice one-on-one time with each child.

Last week Erik's papers from school included notice that he had jumped two reading levels since the last time he was evaluated. I wasn't really surprised since his reading skills and willingness to do the reading has really taken off since Christmastime. Being an observant and clever kid, Erik early on was showing off his reading skills by memorizing signs and favorite words ("train," "Lego"). As he began kindergarten, I was convinced he knew how to read at a basic level for his age. He preferred to let others do the reading to him, though, so I couldn't determine what he really knew. It's very exciting now to hear him read aloud and see concrete evaluations of his reading skill. Since imparting a love of books is one of my main goals as a mother, it is so gratifying to see all my kids delight in reading and being read to. It's also fascinating to see the process of reading development from small person who chews on books to bigger person who devours books!

Long live words!