Reading lessons are a struggle.

[Guest gandamama]

My 5 1/2 year old and I started the Ordinary Parents Guide over a year ago. We are on lesson 89. He refuses to read other than during lesson time. If I force the issue, there are tears. He reads reasonably well during the lesson, but I can hardly even get him to read a road side sign. I feel very frustrated and I know he can do it, but he just flatly refuses. Any advice for a novice homeschooling mom.

[Ottakee]

Check out http://www.iseesam.com or http://www.3rsplus.com They have some books that are REALLY cute and NOT overwhelming at all to read. It can be a complete program or you can use them to supplement. They are in the public domain so you can find them for free online to print out at times as well.

[rwjx2khsmj]

Take a break. Get books that you can read aloud, picture books, books on subjects that your ds enjoys, books on cd. Fill his life with books. Play games that teach letter sounds if you feel you must. Relax about the learning to read for a few months then try it again. If you meet resistance, give it another break.

 

My dd7 wasn't interested in learning to read until she was six. We labored through some of Phonics Pathways. She absolutely refusted to continue after about 30 lessons. We took a break then continued with OPGTTR. She labored through the first 100 lessons. We took a break. She flew through the rest of the book.

[Elizabeth in WA]

Mine were extremely fond of Dr. Seuss and were generally willing to read their favorite aloud (over and over) while learning to read. They also liked vintage 1960's Dick and Jane readers which helped them a lot with fluency.

[Sophia]

My youngest, also 5 and a half, has been my most reluctant child irt reading.

 

I have mainly given him coloring sheets of letters, had him tell me the sounds they make, what words would begin with a particular letter, let him choose readalouds (he loves stories about animals) and...that's about it.

 

Last week he approached me and asked if d a d spells dad :001_huh:. That's my cue that he's ready to move on and wants to learn how to read. Had I pressured him into adhering to the schedule my other dc followed, there's no question in my mind that he would have shut down and refused to cooperate with my plan.

 

I think you want to avoid turning reading into a battle. If he's reading his lessons, congratulate him and drop it until the next day. He'll start reading road signs when he cares about them :tongue_smilie:.

 

Just as an aside, I never asked my dc to read a sign.

They were always the ones who excitedly said "I can read that sign!"

I can still remember when my 18 y.o. was learning to read and realized he could read the name on the storefront. Maybe your ds just wants to be the one to make those discoveries instead of being prompted?

[NanceXToo]

I really don't see any reason to force the issue with a child that young.

[Tigger]

In some places, 5.5 isn't even K yet.....he's young, he's learning, pace it, don't push it! If he'll read some with you each day during his lessons, that's great - keep that up....if he needs a break, take one, then go back in a week or two - sometimes a break is really all that's needed to increase motivation again!

[oldskool]

My kids just had to find a book or series that they were interested in. All were reluctant until they got that spark. From then on though, we can't get books out of their hands. I would just give it time. For my kids it was more into the first/second grade years that they really got into reading.

[TracyR]

If he likes to be on the computer I would try things like Starfall.com and ReadingBear.com

These are both excellent phonics instruction online. Some kids just need visual stuff to see what they are hearing. All children are different but some children I have learned just cannot hear what they are putting together , this being because they are visual learners. If they see and hear in a way that captures their attention then they get it. My oldest and youngest were/are like this. My two middles I used a combo of K12 and 100 EZ lessons and they got it that way.

Keep working on the reading. He'll get it.

[Guest gandamama]

Thanks everyone. I know he is still very young and I do try not to push him. I think I just have a lot of anxiety. But, all will be well. I am sure in a year or so, he will be chugging right along. Thanks for the encouragement and the ideas.

[LarrySanger]

My 5 1/2 year old and I started the Ordinary Parents Guide over a year ago. We are on lesson 89. He refuses to read other than during lesson time. If I force the issue, there are tears. He reads reasonably well during the lesson, but I can hardly even get him to read a road side sign. I feel very frustrated and I know he can do it, but he just flatly refuses. Any advice for a novice homeschooling mom.

My son, who is also 5.5, started reading young. But even though he could read very well, he did not have much of a desire to read by himself. After much speculation about why this might be, I think I finally figured out why: if you're a beginning reader, reading is hard. It requires a lot of concentration. Five-year-old boys are generally not excited about giving things that much attention.

 

I have a few bits of advice. First, let your son pick the books, and give him a lot of choices. Second, let him read aloud or silently--whatever he prefers. (If silent, just ask him questions afterward.) Third, if you haven't done it yet, try "switching off" reading, where you read a line or two and then he does, and so forth. This is a handy half-way activity. "We Both Read" books can be great for this. Fourth, if there is a younger sibling, you might try having the 5-year-old read to him/her.

 

There are lots of other tricks, too!