Speaking and creating grammatical structures seems to be wired into the brain. There is a critical period for learning. Reading skills are best learned early during the preschool and early elementary grade ages. Learning how to read after age 9 is possible but it takes significantly more time, energy and motivation for students. The preschool years and the home experiences are critical for giving children a jump-start on learning how to read.
Children vary in learning rates.
A variety of skills help students become good readers. Children need to learn letter names and sounds and the sounds of letters combined. There are 26 names of letters of the alphabet in English and more than 40 sounds associated with them and their combinations. These skills get better when children are read to at home before they come to school and when they learn that reading is a fun activity shared early with their family. Then, children need to read fluently.