From our Literacy Specialist

Learning to Read… It’s Not as Easy as ABC!

Did you know that human brains are naturally wired for speech—but not for reading? Reading is a human-made construct that allows us to decode written symbols, interpret their meaning, and then comprehend that meaning. This system has evolved over time to become an integral part of daily life. For many of us, reading is central to our lives—both at work and for recreation!

Yet, while some students pick up reading with relative ease when taught well, learning to read is far from simple.

Reading involves four regions across three different areas of the brain! To become fluent readers, we must build pathways in our brains that can efficiently link these regions together. As mentioned, it’s not a natural process we are born with—it’s one built through intentional effort and practice.

As fluent readers ourselves, we may never stop to consider the enormous task our young learners face as they pull letters off the page to create meaning. Our 2025 Prep students have recently reached their 50th day of school, and remarkably, many of them are already beginning to read!

I would love to direct parents and carers to the following resource, where you can learn more about how we learn to read:

🔗How Children Learn to Read – Reading Rockets

Take a moment to explore how reading works in the brain. If your child is finding it more challenging than their peers, this resource may help you understand why reading is such a complex task for some learners. After all, our brains weren’t designed to read—but it’s pretty amazing that we can!

Happy reading,

Mrs. Seyer