• Is the child familiar with the handling of books?
• Does the child understand that print conveys a message?
• What does the child know about the purposes of reading?
• Does the child know that speech can be converted into print?
• Does the child know that print can be converted into speech?
• Does the child have any concept of producing a printed message; write own name?
• Are there any concepts of print such as knowledge of letters, words and directionality evident in the child's attempts to write?
• Does the child understand the concept of “word”?
• Does the child understand the concept of “letter”?
• Does the child understand that letter order within a word has significance?
• Does the child understand that words in a sentence have an order?
• Does the child understand the system of direction; i.e. left to right, down the page, line under line?
• Does the child realise spaces separate words in a sentence?
• Does the child use prediction to determine what comes next?
• If the child is making sense of a text, what cues are being used?
• Can the child construct a message from print which matches that of the author?
• Does the child adjust reading style and create according to purpose of reading task?
• Can the child locate books to satisfy needs?
• Can the child use reading to obtain information?
• Can the child relate what is read to his/her own knowledge about the world?
• Does the child enjoy reading?
• How often is the child reading?
• How often does the child vary the types of materials he/she is reading?
• Can the child read silently?
• Does the child ask for help if he/she is having difficulty in any aspect of reading?
• Can the child scan to obtain information from texts?
• How long does the child spend reading at one time?
• Does the child follow the story when read out loud or just follow words?
• Has the child been exposed to reading aloud experiences that are enjoyable?
• Does the child see other people reading /reading aloud?
• Is the child confident reading aloud?
• Does the child talk about what he/she has read?
• Can they use table of contents and indexes?

This checklist is taken from Chapter 9 Checklists in Getting Started with Hoemschooling Practical Considerations by Beverley Paine, available from Always Learning Books.