By what age are kids able to read?

The reading process can start at birth. The reading process starts with the introduction of a language rich environment and includes the introduction of books with lap reading which is critical to good reading development. Let the child hold heavy books of cloth and cardboard. They gain an interest in books. Explore the pictures and talk about what happened and what might happen next, and so that they develop reading comprehension. As they get older, let them also pick one sight Word that will be their Word to read in each book. Do alphabet puzzles and sing the alphabet song with them. The related links has a good article on raising a good reader.