Bao & Bun's Bilingual Journey

It’s been a while since I wrote about both kids’ reading progress, but here’s where we’re at! Like I mentioned in a few posts that Little Bao moved from reading 5-minute leveled readers (like Greenfield) to now independently tackling picture books and even some early bridge books when we read together.

Looking back at his sister, Little Bun’s, journey last year, I see a few differences. She started with super simple picture books, gradually moved on to ones with more text (what I call picture-bridge books), then early bridge books, and now she’s flying through full bridge books. After 1.5 years of regular practice, she’s become an independent reader who’ll just grab a book and find a quiet corner to read.

Comparing their paths, Little Bun didn’t really start reading until she finished Sagebook 500. Her character recognition became so strong that she naturally picked up new words while reading.

Little Bao is taking a different route. He’s still working through Sagebook and doesn’t recognize as many characters yet. However, his zhuyin blending skills have come a long way—something he relies on more than his sister ever did—and it’s working well for him.

This just reminds me that every kid learns differently. Some take longer but they pick up different skills along the way to eventually reach the same goal( hopefully!)

For next year, the goal for Little Bao is to finish Sagebook by the end of the school year and keep reading a variety of books.

As for Little Bun… honestly, I don’t know! Maybe I’ll just keep giving her more advanced bridge books and see where that takes her.