I Think I Have a Non-Reader on My Hands

[cdrumm4448]

I love to read and have books everywhere. I read aloud to the kids for about an hour before bedtime, and we read aloud for school. DD is 5 1/2 and we are working our way through OPGTR. She gets this annoyed look on her face when I mention it (no offense SWB! I love it!) and I have to make her do the lessons. I have given her some slack, but she does have to learn to read at some point.

 

I'm just shocked, since DS read at 4, and reading is just a big part of our lives. She loves getting books from the library, she loves when I read to her. She just does.not.want.to.read.herself.

 

She will be 6 in May. I don't want to give up OPGTR, and actually wanted to speed it up. Anyone who has BTDT?

[Georgiana Daniels]

Oh wow, we are rowing the same boat!

 

My 5 1/2 year old doesn't even really enjoy being read to. She doesn't want anything to do with books. Not only do I have a kabillion books everywhere, I'm a writer, for crying out loud!

 

I'm hoping--no, praying--that once she becomes a fluent reader she'll enjoy books.

 

My oldest loathed reading until I pulled her out of school and allowed her to start reading books she enjoyed, just for fun. Now her walls are practically propped up with books.

 

If things work out right, some kind of epiphany will come over my youngest, as well.

[NanceXToo]

I think she's too young to assume she's a non-reader. At her age, she doesn't really NEED to read to herself. Just keep reading to her (it's great that she loves library books and being read to)!

 

Sure she has to learn to read at some point, but it REALLY doesn't have to be at age 5. By the way, my son's 5 (as of this past November) and we have not even BEGUN to teach reading yet, other than some letter recognition stuff/watching Leapfrog Letter Factory etc. He's not interested yet, and I just don't think it's worth pushing. We're waiting til next fall to start Kindergarten (which is when he would have been eligible for public school K too, because of the cutoff date)... he'll be a couple months shy of turning 6. And when we start our curriculum, it's a gentle one that doesn't push heavy academics in K. He'll probably be 7-ish before he's really starting to learn to read- and I'm fine with that.

 

Some experts, by the way, even recommend that. You could check out "Better Late Than Early" by the Moores and see what you think...

 

BTW I don't know what OPGTR even IS but if it were annoying my kid, and causing them to potentially dislike reading, and my kid was still only five, I would absolutely be dropping it entirely and picking it up again in a year or two. But, then, I'm a pretty relaxed homeschooler and not big on formal curricula for 5 y/o's to begin with, so take what I say with a grain of salt :P

[Pam in MA]

She's still very young! Give it time and keep reading aloud a lot and I bet in a few years it'll be just fine. I've got one who's now 15 whose nose I can't get out of a book, ever, and she didn't get going until 3rd grade. I think reading great stuff aloud so she develops a love of the stories is the most important hook.

[woolybear]

Two things I want to mention here. First of all 5 1/2 is young. Really. My ds hated, hated, hated anything to do with learning to read. Last year in the fall he was 9 and was struggling to read the most basic books. Board books or whatever. By January he was working through Magic Tree House books. Still a struggle and he didn't love it. Now he can read pretty much anything.

 

However, here's the kicker. I too am a reader. Love, love, love books. I loved them as a kid. One of the hardest things for me to just accept is that not everyone loves reading. Maybe my ds won't and that's okay.(I'm really saying this to myself right now.:001_smile:) I thought for a long time once he really could read he would be reading a lot. So far, not really. I do push him to read because I think just doing it over and over is what finally got him over the hump and I am thinking maybe the same thing will happen with his wanting to. But maybe not.

 

If your dd is a non reader it could just be who she is. I do think 5 1/2 is too young to know. Don't look at your ds reading at 4 as the standard.

 

Good luck.

[boscopup]

Have you tried taking a break? Starfall.com is enjoyable around here and stealthyfully teaches reading. Also the leap frog DVDs are fun. Even my son that reads at a 4th grade level still enjoys those DVDs. :lol:

 

Sometimes backing off will actually cause them to jump ahead. I know I experienced that when my oldest was young. He was close to reading (just couldn't blend yet), and when I tried to "teach" him, he resisted big time. Finally I backed off and didn't even think about trying to teach him reading. He picked it up quickly after that! Within 6 months, he was reading at a 2nd grade level. The only "reading instruction" he was getting during this time was me reading books to him and playing starfall.com.

 

Your DD will read eventually. If she hates OPGTR (and I know how you feel), I'd either try to make it more fun, or switch methods/take a break. I use OPGTR for my 4 year old, but we do it on the white board with markers. He loves that. I have to keep lessons VERY short, but he will ask to do them. He's just in the beginning of CVC words (we started those lessons before Christmas and haven't touched reading lessons since then because I'm just getting started with the first grader this month).

[EKS]

She is very young. My older son has dyslexia and didn't learn to read well until he was 9. He didn't enjoy reading until he could read well because it was hard work. I'm guessing this is your daughter's problem as well (not the dyslexia but that it is still hard because she is still learning).

 

Just keep reading aloud to her and keep up the reading instruction and at some point she'll be a good enough reader so that she actually enjoys it.

 

Also, you might want to change things up a bit--one way is to make a PowerPoint slide show (if you have PowerPoint) with things she has learned (use really big letters) and have her sit on your lap and read the big letters or words off of the screen.

[Haiku]

She just does.not.want.to.read.herself.

 

 

 

My dd was like that, too, at 5-ish. I think it's far, far too soon to label her a non-reader. All kids learn to read at different ages. My little five-year-old resister was reading chapter books to herself when she was six. Just keep working through OPG, and, most importantly (imo), DON'T make a big deal out of it to your dd. I told my dd, "It's fine if you don't want to learn to read. We are still going to do our phonics lessons." I'm facing the same thing with her now in regards to Latin (which we haven't even started yet). She has decided she doesn't want to learn Latin and gets teary at the very mention of it. I merely say, "Ok, you don't have to learn it, but when it's time, we will still do the lessons and you will complete the work." She has said, "But I won't pay attention!!" To which I have responded, "Then it will be harder for you to complete the work!!" ;)

 

Tara

[abbeyej]

Backing up the others: give her time. Keep doing phonics, keep reading real books *to* her. And give her time.

 

I do understand -- my 2nd-born dd didn't read fluently at the same age her older brother had done, and really, she was about two years older than he had been when she *did* read fluently -- and it worried me a lot. ... But she has more than "caught up" and is a completely voracious reader now. I tried to tell myself all along that she was just a different child and it would come, but it was hard to wait! :)

 

Unless you see evidence of an LD (and you certainly didn't say anything in your post that would indicate that), just keep giving her time, consistent instruction, and exposure to good books (through your reading-aloud and audiobooks, etc)...

[kokotg]

just echoing others here: it's very hard to enjoy reading when you're still struggling to decode words. My now 7 year old was like that until probably just before he turned 7 ("I HATE reading!"); once his reading took off he very quickly became a voracious reader. Like you, I had an early reader who came before him, and I was worried this one would never like reading. But my later reader is just as strong a reader at 7 as his big brother was. Slow and steady, and she'll get there.

[Sasharowan]

The earliest mine became real readers was 8yo. Ds14 (who reads constantly now) didn't take off on reading until he got glasses. Dd was really resistant to reading practice (and anything else she couldn't learn by herself) and just this year started regularly reading for fun. Ds9 was the easiest to teach but was hamper by meds he had to take. Ds4 (5 on Mon.) is interested in learning to read, as long as he doesn't have to sit still for it.

 

ETA: liking to be read to is a very good sign that she will be a reader when older. She just needs more time.

[5LittleMonkeys]

Dd just turned 8 and she just started reading this year (while she was 7). She just wasn't interested when she was 5 or 6. She was reading somewhat but no where near what would be considered "grade level" according to the ps. It wasn't until the beginning of this year that she finally took off with it and I would say that by the end of the year she will be at grade level or maybe a bit above. We have continued phonics all along though but I kept the lessons very short...sometimes only 5 minutes. I also had her use ETC workbooks and anytime she complained or balked about doing the phonics we would just play a game.

 

I'm just re-stating what others have already said...I wouldn't worry about it. And in one so young, if she is crying about having to do phonics I wouldn't push it. I think we forget sometimes that for little ones, learning to read is a chore! It's hard and takes a huge amount of brain effort.

[ohmel]

I would switch off of OPGTTR. Both of my kids have hated it! They have both done well with HOP. Even so my 8-year old just really got reading in the past year and my 4-year old is starting to read on her own. Kids are different!

[Ellie]

She's way too young to put such a label on her. Really. If she were, oh, 12, I'd go there with ya, but 6? No way.

 

Maybe she doesn't like the way OPGTR works.

[BlsdMama]

She loves getting books from the library, she loves when I read to her.

 

And because of this I think you have nothing to worry about. It's not a matter of WANTING to read. Phonics, for 15 minutes a day, is just one of those things we do - not because we want or don't want to. It simply IS. :001_smile:

 

If she likes the library, likes books, and you read to her often, I have no doubt you'll end up with a reader! ;)

[Homemama2]

I think she's too young to assume she's a non-reader. At her age, she doesn't really NEED to read to herself. Just keep reading to her (it's great that she loves library books and being read to)!

 

 

:iagree: My oldest HATED learning to read, and quite honestly wasn't very good at it. I switched programs and it didn't matter. He still hated it. First and Second grade? Still hated it. Fast forward to now (3rd grade)....he LOVES reading. At five, reading is still hard so it isn't fun. Once they can read without having to sound everything out etc., it becomes much more enjoyable.

[ElizabethB]

:grouphug:

 

I would try some games for a bit, then try OPG from a whiteboard.

 

Here is my game:

 

http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Phonics/concentrationgam.html

 

You could also try a bit of Webster, it might be motivational to teach the syllables then do some 2 to 5 syllable words, my students love being able to read "5th grade words" and "8th grade words" and "12th grade words."

 

(You can run a Fry grade level test on the 1908 Webster passages, basically your 2 syllable words are 3rd to 4th grade, 3 syllable words are 5th to 8th grade, 4 syllable words are 9th to 10th grade, and some of the 5 syllable words are 12th grade level.)

[silliness7]

I love to read and have books everywhere. I read aloud to the kids for about an hour before bedtime, and we read aloud for school. DD is 5 1/2 and we are working our way through OPGTR. She gets this annoyed look on her face when I mention it (no offense SWB! I love it!) and I have to make her do the lessons. I have given her some slack, but she does have to learn to read at some point.

 

I'm just shocked, since DS read at 4, and reading is just a big part of our lives. She loves getting books from the library, she loves when I read to her. She just does.not.want.to.read.herself.

 

She will be 6 in May. I don't want to give up OPGTR, and actually wanted to speed it up. Anyone who has BTDT?

 

Yes, I've BTDT...At this age I would patiently plod along and keep up the reading out loud. If things don't improve in a year I would recommend an appointment with a vision therapist for testing.

 

My oldest read at 4 and has inhaled books ever since. My 2nd bloomed a little later, balked at his reading lessons but is a strong reader and enjoys it though he savors his books a bit longer than my oldest. My 3rd cried and cried and cried over his lessons. I switched things up, tried a few different things and was met with so much resistance. When I noticed him covering up one eye in order to make it through a reading lesson I took him to the eye doctor and eventually a vision therapist. It was a long journey but he is now in 5th grade and is an average reader. He will read for fun if he lands on just the right series and is showing steady improvement.

 

I've got 2 more to teach to read yet and I'm hoping I don't have to travel the same path as I did with #3. So far my daughters have followed the same pattern as my sons. My 3rd dd is only 3.5 and doesn't know any letters or show any interest in learning them. I hope history isn't repeating itself here. But it's too early to be concerned.

 

Anyway, it is hard but it does get better. Hang in there!

[In the Rain]

I agree with others- it is too early to think of her as a non-reader. My oldest dd was an early, advanced reader. My younger dd was content listening to me read until she was nearly 6 1/2. Three months later, she is reading chapter books, and carries a book everywhere.

[LittleIzumi]

Mine is not a non-reader. She taught herself to read at 3. But she HATED OPGTR. She would literally run away if I even tried to bring it out. Not all kids like it--totally normal. And she did not want to read herself until she KNEW the words almost perfectly. Once she went beyond CVC she refused to read by herself until she figured out the new sounds on her own. Dd does best if I just read to her, a lot. She picks the phonics up & processes it herself. She also loves starfall.com.

[Guest]

I would have to agree with those that said if she does not like the program then I would change it. No program is a perfect fit for everyone and if one is not working I would personally change fast. But that's just me.

 

My son started reading CVC words when he was 3 1/2. At the time being new to all this I started him on Phonics Pathways and HOP. He was not eager to do anything (but he was very young) so I dropped it. I also noticed that the two programs worked differently and I made the decision to use HOP because I had a tactile/ visual learner on my hands (and mildy kinesthetic also). We started again when he turned four and it was a perfect fit. We then moved onto ETC and Horizons after he finished HOP grade 2 (we did use some of Horizons at the same time as HOP) just after turning 5 and we have not looked back since. He reads way above level. Now I am streamlining and will be using PR for him next year because it is a complete program and I want to ensure he has not/ will not develop any gaps along the way. I will more than likely use PR from the start with my son Malcolm.

[Mommy22alyns]

Just keep swimming - like the others said, she's very young still and there's plenty of time for things to improve.

[DaffodilDreams]

You have absolutely described my child. In fact, I sometimes felt like maybe I was wrong to read to her so much. But, isn't that what THEY say to do? So, until the past couple of months, nothing. Nada. Then we stumbled on Progressive Phonics and Phonics Pathways. She really likes both programs and has actually started to learn to read. She's 7 by the way, so this has taken a LONG time and has been a path littered with several programs. I don't know that it really was the two programs mentioned above so much as the timing was just finally right. Something finally clicked in her brain and she was ready. Is she sitting and pulling books off the shelf to read to herself? No. But, she is starting to pay attention to words all around her and proudly read them, so that's awesome medicine for my heart. I hope the other will come, but if it doesn't, that's just not who she is and that's okay. At least I've exposed her to wonderful literary works, and I set a great example for her by reading often myself. Her dad doesn't enjoy reading. I do. She's incredibly creative and a do-er like her dad, while I'm so content to sit and read or knit or do something gentle and quiet.

 

I guess all of this rambling to say, I know how you feel, and I really think one day you'll be able to look back with a sigh of relief that this is behind you. (in fact, dd just came up behind me and read part of this last paragraph - - one day yours will do something similar and then no more privacy for you!)

 

:grouphug:

[Guest]

She's way too young to put such a label on her. Really. If she were, oh, 12, I'd go there with ya, but 6? No way.

 

:iagree: But I hate labels of any kind anyway :). My way has always been, there has to be a way of dealing with this. Then I try to find ways of dealing with whatever issue we are going through.

 

I read a book a short while ago (before Christmas) called The Book Whisperer. It is an excellent read. The author is a teacher and it is geared to a classroom setting really, but it does explain how some kids become non readers and what we can do to deal with it. You can try your library to see if they carry it. In the meantime, one thing I did do when my son was not ready for reading yet was, I had him read words from the read alouds. I always read to him with the book open in front of him, running my finger under the words so that he knew where I was. I would then pause and encourage him to read a word here and there. He was reading without even knowing it :). This also helped me determine the next time around, when he was ready to finally start a program. I know your daughter is older but reading with mommy could encourage her to read.

[poetic license]

I can't help but think that it's the rare 5 year old who would actually like OPGTR.

 

I checked it out from the library on a whim and after one look couldn't imagine a small kid enjoying it...but DS actually loves it.

 

There's a handful of other free stuff you could try like progressivephonics.com, starfall, and funnix. I think the love of reading is too precious to risk by pushing a kid to read from a phonics primer they detest. Just my opinion though, everyone's situation is different...

[woolybear]

I don't know that it really was the two programs mentioned above so much as the timing was just finally right. Something finally clicked in her brain and she was ready.

 

 

:grouphug:

 

:iagree: Actually, I tried OPGTTR with ds at age 7 and it totally bombed. Two years later, it was the program that really helped with ETC. And lastly, time. The time was right.

[Sevilla]

Agreeing with the others. I did not like OPGTTR and neither did DS. What I did instead was glance over it for key phonetic concepts and then introduce them and point them out orally when we were reading aloud together. That worked much better. Also agreeing with Starfall.com and maybe the Leapfrog Letter Factory DVD's (get them from the library).