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Readiness Activities Can Bring: Current thinking holds that reading readiness does not develop suddenly; rather, it increases gradually with the growth of the child. Theorists now reject the notion that educators must wait idly by for the maturational process to reach the level of readiness. They also reject the no-, tion that a formal uniform program of readiness activities can bring about reading readiness. Evidence suggests that readiness unfolds in continuous interaction with stimulation.
Some children learn to read at very early ages. But to assume that all children are ready to do so in a formal setting—even to the point of recommending that they be forced—could easily be detrimental to the child's attitude toward reading, especially if he is put under pressure by an adult unversed in child development. Consequently, the less formal readiness activities discussed above, such as reading aloud, are better suited for parents interested in contributing to their child's readiness to read.
Reading readiness consists of many complex and interrelated components. These components combine in varying degrees, so that each individual presents a unique composite. Not all of these components have yet been identified, but some that are recognized as correlated with reading readiness are visual and auditory discrimination, intelligence, general language maturity, broad experiential background, good general health, and motivation. Advocates of early reading instruction point out that, because components of reading readiness not fixed by heredity depend on experience, readiness can be accelerated by carefully planned experiences.
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