Charlotte Mason’s List of Attainments for a Child of the age of 6: Learning to Read with Wonder
Ah, Charlotte’s fourth attainment. The one I think causes quite a stir and, if I may be so bold…discredits the “no lessons before age 6” argument.
Attainment 4: “To read—what and how much will depend on what we are told of the child.”
Charlotte Mason’s approach to reading is both gentle and also deliberate. She never pushed early reading but believed it should grow out of a child’s natural curiosity about words. As a former teacher, this is something that I do take with a grain of salt. While each child develops readiness in their own time, early intervention is incredibly important for the overall academic success of a child. This is why I believe beginning gently lessons with younger children is only to their benefit. The goal with early reading lessons is not speed or advancement but delight at all times. We’re working on the recognition that letters hold meaning and that stories are worth discovering.
A Gentle Beginning
Reading lessons should be pleasant occasions in the early years. For the young child, this means keeping them short, cheerful, and filled with success. Before reading print, a child must first fall in love with language. Rich conversation, nursery rhymes, and well-told tales prepare the soil long before formal lessons begin.
If your child is not yet ready for letters, spend the early years building what Mason called the habit of attention. Listen closely to sounds in words. Notice letters in signs. Enjoy the music of language. Practicing rhyming words.
When the Child is Ready
When readiness appears, often between ages five and seven, (however many children are ready around age 4) introduce letters and sounds slowly and deliberately. Mason suggested a sight-sound method, combining phonics with whole-word recognition.
Start with the child’s environment.
Write their name.
Read the words together and point out beginning sounds.Play with word families.
Use moveable letters or cards. Make cat, bat, hat, mat. (this requires deliberate attention. Most children will not figure out reading on their own)
Let the child build, swap, and laugh as words change.Keep lessons short and joyful.
Ten minutes, no more. Keep their attention on their lesson and stop before they’re fatigued and frustrated.Read aloud daily.
Hearing books read beautifully is the surest way to raise a reader. Choose living books—stories told with literary power and moral imagination.
Games and Activities
Letter Hunt: Find the letter “a” on a page, then “b.” Simple hunts train the eye.
Sound Basket: Fill a basket with objects that begin with the same sound—ball, button, book.
Matching Game: Write simple words on cards and pair them with corresponding pictures.
Word Building Tray: Use Scrabble tiles or wooden letters to make small words.
Rhyming Games: rhyming helps build sound recognition
Syllable Games: learning syllables helps children work towards word segmentation
Recommended Books and Materials
The Three R’s by Ruth Beechick
Home Education by Charlotte Mason, chapters on early reading
The Ordinary Parent’s Guide to Teaching Reading by Jessie Wise and Sara Buffington (adaptable to Mason’s principles)
Atmosphere and Mother’s Role
Reading should feel like entering a story, not climbing a mountain. If your child resists, pause. Keep reading aloud and filling your days with language, song, and rhythm. The task of the mother is to nurture those beginnings, not rush them. Honestly, after teaching my own children to read, and dozens of other children to learn to read I can tell you…this is hard work.
The best preparation for reading is a home rich in words, poems recited, stories told, conversations shared. The desire to learn printed word will come when the spoken word is already beloved.
Closing Reflection
By age six, some children may read simple sentences, while others will still be absorbing the beauty of spoken language. Both are learning well. Mason’s words remind us that education is not a race toward skills but a relationship formed with ideas. To read is to enter that relationship, to open a door to living thought.
And if you’re currently in the trenches of learning to read- continue to be faithful in teaching your child. Reading takes a lot of time and practice for most kids.
