Emergent reader trying to guess & memorize instead of decode

[AChimes]

I just found this wonderful website and community and have been enjoying reading all the great advice here!  I'm seeking advice for my DS (4.75 yo).  He learned to read words with a program Children Learning Reading in which he learned to decode without pictures.  We started reading BOB Books, and that was going well.  He was having fun and decoding 4-5 letter words with ease.  Lately, he has been trying to guess based on the pictures and memorize.  He seems newly hesitant to actually decode, like he really wants to avoid decoding if he can.  I tried to solve this by switching back to stories without pictures (printed from various websites) so he would need to decode, but he says he wants an actual book and then reverts to avoiding decoding.  Any experience and advice would be greatly appreciated.  Thank you!  :)   

[Alice]

Welcome! 

 

My kids all did that and I’ve heard from other people that theirs did also. I think it’s a normal stage...it’s less work to guess from context than to decode hard words. 

 

Do you use a reading program rather than just books? The advantage of that would be that it introduces words in a systematic way without pictures. We used Ordinary Parents Guide to Reading but there are tons of others. I’m not familiar with Children Learning Reading but it wasn’t clear to me if you are still using it or just used it until he was able to do basic words. If you aren’t using a phonics program, I would go back to that and use it as well as the readers. 

 

A game I played with all three of my kids that worked well for this issue is this: I would put out 10 M&Ms and explain that they could have all 10 M&Ms if they could do their reading without guessing. They were allowed to ask for help and they were allowed to get it wrong but if they just guessed I would eat an M&M. When we got to the end they could have whatever was left. I think I only had to eat a couple of M&Ms for each child before they got the idea. :)

 

 

Edited March 23, 2018 by Alice

[MerryAtHope]

This is really normal, especially for little ones. Sometimes guessing just seems easier and more intuitive to them. Keep your lesson-times short and upbeat, and when he guesses, keep encouraging him to try sounding it out again. Here's a blog article about helping kids sound out words. If you have some letter tiles or magnet letters, try starting with a quick demonstration of how to sound out words each day. Have him model it back to you, and then let him try reading in a book. Doing some "pre-coaching" like that can help get him in the right frame of mind as he starts reading each day. Have fun with your little one!

[AChimes]

Thank you for the welcome, and the great advice and encouragement.  It is encouraging to hear this is normal.  

 

Alice - I had stopped using the phonics program because he was resisting it and I didn't want to push it as it was stressing us both out.  After seeing your recommendation about restarting it, we did it today and it went well.  I tried to have a relaxed attitude about it and he did it without resistance.  I think I will research other phonics programs and hopefully find something he enjoys more.  I love your creative use of M&Ms and am going to try it - what a fun way to encourage decoding.    

 

MerryAtHope - I love the idea of starting each book reading session with a refresher on blending - what a great idea to get him in the correct mindset.  I am definitely going to do this from now on before our book reading sessions. 

 

This is all so helpful - thank you so much!  :)    

[ElizabethB]

When it is easier to guess than decode, they will.  I have remediated hundreds of students who have a bad guessing habit, you want to do whatever you can to break it!  Over learning the sounds and a lot of practice decoding word lists helps.  I have a fun free game that makes both real and nonsense words that helps break the guessing habit and gets in some of the repetition in a fun way:

http://www.thephonicspage.org/On Phonics/concentrationgam.html

Also, here is a video with some ideas about making phonics fun:

 

And one about why blending is hard:

 

[Xahm]

To make the practice more fun, play "mystery word." You write a decodable word on a whiteboard, pretending it's a big secret, then show it to him for him to read. Occasionally throw in a fake weird, like "crig" or "wesh" and moan and groan about how he doesn't get tricked (or pretend you are the most clever person in the world when you do trick him and then follow up with a super-easy made up word so that he can get back at you.) You could have a word hunt, "hiding" words taped to walls, the furniture, etc, and give him a point for every one he brings to you and reads (this lets him take his time to sound it out before coming to you so he can be sure to get his point.) If your kid is like mine, a half point might be needed for words found but improperly read. Competition can get too serious too fast with little ones.

[AChimes]

Thank you ElizabethB and xahm.  These are great tips.  I like the idea of making reading more of a game for him.  Thanks again!

[Ottakee]

Check out the I See Sam books for learning to read.  They are very phonetic and have pictures but the pictures won't tell the kids the words like they do in many early reading books.