Important Reading Milestones for Kids Ages 6 to 7

Here's what to expect, plus the tips that will help you raise an avid reader during these formative years.

By Scholastic Parents Staff
Sep 02, 2020

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6-7

Important Reading Milestones for Kids Ages 6 to 7

Sep 02, 2020

Reading is one of the most important skills children learn in early elementary school, but every child learns how to do it in their own way and at their own pace. That is, literacy development milestones are helpful to keep in mind, but may differ from one child to another. This guide will help you know if your child is on the right track to developing important skills like reading comprehension, recounting stories, and reading fluency.

Speak to your child's teacher if you have questions or concerns about the development of their reading skills. 

Here’s what your child may be able to do by the end of kindergarten, first grade, and second grade.

Skills By the End of Kindergarten 

  • Recognize and name all upper- and lowercase letters in the alphabet
  • Read basic single-syllable words
  • Identify the main topic in a text with prompting and support
  • Retell familiar stories

  • Write simple stories using pictures and words

  • Read their own writing back to you (even if they have some misspellings) 

  • Write a letter for every sound they hear in a word

  • Place spaces between words when writing

  • Use upper and lower case correctly when writing 

Skills By the End of First Grade

  • Recognize the distinguishing parts of a sentence, including capitalization and punctuation

  • Pronounce unfamiliar but commonly spelled one-syllable words
  • Read words with inflectional endings (-ing, -ly, -ed, -tion) 

Skills By the End of Second Grade

  • Pronounce unfamiliar two-syllable words

  • Recount stories and say what the lesson or moral is

  • Identify the beginning, middle, and end of a story

  • Identify the points of view of different characters

  • Learning to summarize stories with important facts only, as opposed to retelling the whole story 

Don’t be concerned if these skills develop erratically, unless your child...

  • has trouble remembering new words

  • has trouble blending sounds together to say words

  • says reading is easier for their classmates

  • avoids reading silently or aloud

If your child is struggling to read at home but you haven’t been informed of an issue at school, check to see if the books they’re reading with you are manageable and enjoyable for them. You can get tips for selecting just-right books in this reading guide for ages 6-7

“Sometimes kids resist reading at home because the books are too hard,” says Marissa Fraser, an elementary school teacher in Danbury, Conn.

For instance, you may be eager to read the Harry Potter series with your seven-year-old, but the magical crystals and wizards in the Dragon Masters series may be a better place to start the family’s foray into fantasy.

Make Reading Social and Relaxed

The best thing you can do to raise an avid reader? Promote reading as a joyful hobby. As tempting as it may be to set a timer to make sure your child reads for a certain amount of time each day, that type of strategy may actually be hindering their progress and love of reading.

“Forcing reading in that way doesn’t help,” says Fraser. “It’s best to foster the joy by giving them opportunities to read in various ways.” That might involve giving them less academic books and more texts just to read “for fun,” like comic books and graphic novels

You can make reading more fun for your child by turning it into a family activity. Read over a video call with Grandma, sit down for story time with a friendly neighbor, or read the family dog a chapter or two from a favorite book. 

The Best Books for Kids Ages 6 to 7 

There are several books designed for early readers that will help them reach the milestones listed above. These might inlcude phonics sets for younger readers in kindergarten or early chapter books for kids in second grade. 

Shop the best books for kids ages six to seven below! You can find all books and activities at The Scholastic Store

For more tips on finding books at the right level for your child, visit our guide on reading levels for kids.

Phonics Box Sets

Early Chapter Books

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