how to raise interest in learning to read?

[nertsmommy]

DS(5) is 4 weeks away from completing MFW-K. He knows all letter sounds, can sound out CVC words, and knows random things from the Leap Frog videos. However, he has no interest in learning to read. I know he could do it, if he wanted to. How do I get him more interested in learning to read on his own?

He LOVES being read to and not just picture books but chapter books as well. He loves playing Reading Eggs. I just can't seem to get him to want to do any work on it, even the short little lessons included with MFW. He will whine that it's too hard, but when he finally will do it, he flies right through with little problem.

Any suggestion on ways to motivate him?

Thanks.

 

ETA: I will be starting ETC and HOP with him. I just want it to be enjoyable for him.

Edited March 17, 2012 by nertsmommy

[Ellie]

No suggestions. :-) He's just a little guy. He has other things to do. Let him do them. :)

[SuperDad]

If he's not interested at all, then I would hold off on the phonics programs for a while. In my home (not saying you should do it this way, but this is just what works for us), I begin phonics instruction when the child displays true interest in learning to read. If you start too early, your child will struggle and basically be turned off to reading (as it sounds he is now). JMHO.

[boscopup]

Just let him continue playing Reading Eggs (my kids LOVE that site!), and continue reading to him as you are doing. That's GREAT that he loves being read to!!! Time and patience will transfer that love to reading the books himself. Right now, it's hard work to read, and 5 year olds don't typically like to work. ;)

 

I found with my oldest that the more I pushed, the more resistance I got. When I backed off completely and didn't worry about it, he took off in the reading department. :)

[MomatHWTK]

Time. My oldest Ds still doesn't read fiction for fun but he will read a wiki about his favorite game for hours.

[raceNzanesmom]

I agree with the others. He's still young. Read to him, let him play on Reading Eggs or Starfall, watch Leap Frog, play games, let him enjoy reading. He'll read when he's ready.

[atara]

We do Starfall and Preschool Prep. He LOVES that!

 

 

My son isn't into books in the sense of me sitting reading to him very often, but I keep books around and ask him to bring me one sometimes and he will. I also use sparkle stories for him to listen to books also. My son is 3 1/2 and I don't push it. I have also lightened up with whatever he does want to read - not being picky.:tongue_smilie:

[mumto2]

No great suggestions but I want to tell you what happened when my son had just turned 5. He had been reading ready for over a year and simply refused to learn. At that point and time our family was moving between 2 houses e every 6 weeks. This required moving the school stuff too. I was tired of packing his learn to read bag -- BOB books, etc. We were switching for about 2 weeks once. The daily schedule was filled so I decided to skip the reading bag, he refused to use it anyway.

 

I had everything organized for the van when my son asked where his reading bag was. I explained we didn't need it this trip. He announced that we did need it because he planned to learn to read that trip. He did. By the time we returned he could do all the BOB books.

 

I think it needed to be his decision. After he decided to read he advanced extremely fast. I think he needed to decide that it was time to grow up that bit.

 

I hope this helps some. It is really hard to wait when you know they are capable of something. Reading is extra hard because everyone asks if they can read. :grouphug:

[nertsmommy]

My initial thought and plan was not to push, but then DD (4) asked to learn to read and I started worrying that if she reads before him then he'll be even more upset. And then I started comparing him to others his age and started worrying. I should just listen to myself a little more. I went through el. ed. training and that's still stuck in the back of my mind.

Thank you all for knocking my senses back into me.

I love this site! It really helps when you're feeling worried you're not doing something right.

[boscopup]

My initial thought and plan was not to push, but then DD (4) asked to learn to read and I started worrying that if she reads before him then he'll be even more upset.

 

Or it might motivate him to want to learn. ;)

 

My younger two are 2.5 years apart and both doing Reading Eggs (the youngest one just for fun when he asks for it - I didn't have any intention to actually teach him at this point, and I thought he'd hit a wall early on and lose interest... hasn't so far). Well, they are only 4 or 5 lessons apart right now, despite starting 10 lessons apart (youngest started at the beginning and the 5 year old started on "map 2" due to the placement test). DS2 sees that his baby brother is catching up with him, so last time they did Reading Eggs, he did TWO lessons and moved on to the next map. They're at least in different maps now. :D He is perfectly capable of doing much better than his younger brother (who isn't even 3 yet), but seeing his baby brother start to catch up did motivate him quite a bit! ;)

 

Reading and math don't come as easily to DS2 as they did to DS1 and seem to be doing to DS3 so far. DS2 is a late bloomer comparatively (though he's on target compared to "average children"). I know I'm going to have to deal with DS3 possibly passing him in these areas early on, though I suspect DS2 will shoot ahead at some point. And who knows, he could even suddenly get past DS1. That's just part of having siblings, especially ones as close in age as yours. There are going to be things that one can do better than the other. That's just how life is, and they'll have to learn to accept that, just like we all have to learn that sometimes other adults like us are better at certain things. I think this is an important life lesson, and when better to learn it than very early, so it's just normal not to worry that someone else is better at something than you? :)

[momtoamiracle]

my son is kin dof taking a break from wantng to read as well. He can read, just doesn't want to! Wants to be read TO! So I'm not making him right now, he's just 5.5 - I figure his interest will rise again.

 

 

 

You never know - next week he could start reading everythng in sight!:)

[EKS]

No need to motivate. He isn't yet at the stage where reading is fun. Just keep doing the reading lessons. And keep reading aloud to him, because that will be where his love of reading comes from.

[Guest NancyA]

Just let him continue playing Reading Eggs (my kids LOVE that site!), and continue reading to him as you are doing. That's GREAT that he loves being read to!!! Time and patience will transfer that love to reading the books himself. Right now, it's hard work to read, and 5 year olds don't typically like to work. ;)

 

I found with my oldest that the more I pushed, the more resistance I got. When I backed off completely and didn't worry about it, he took off in the reading department. :)

:iagree: Just keep doing what your doing and eventually it'll come. :001_smile:

[dovrar]

As you're reading to him you may want to ask him if he'd like to read a word or sentence here or there that you know he can tackle. If he likes being read to, he may like getting to help a bit if it's not high pressure.

[nertsmommy]

Thank you all so much! I'm going to try not to stress about it. I am going to go ahead and begin with DD as much as she wants and maybe that will encourage him, but I won't be pushing him. I also really liked the idea of seeing if he'll help me read a book. They both love to have me read to them all the time, even the baby.

[momtoamiracle]

Thank you all so much! I'm going to try not to stress about it. I am going to go ahead and begin with DD as much as she wants and maybe that will encourage him, but I won't be pushing him. I also really liked the idea of seeing if he'll help me read a book. They both love to have me read to them all the time, even the baby.

 

 

I do that with my son - he'll read a whole sentence and realize he's reading to me and then wants me to go back to reading. It's kind of funny.

[Maus]

Something that can be a factor with some boys: Does he see reading modeled by the important adult males in his life?

 

I'd heard, anecdotally, of this being an issue, and gently asked DH, who is dyslexic and doesn't read for pleasure much, to make sure he took turns reading to the kids. He's awesome, and he even decided to take on ” The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,” and spent a week or so reading that aloud for bedtime reading.

[nertsmommy]

Something that can be a factor with some boys: Does he see reading modeled by the important adult males in his life?

 

I'd heard, anecdotally, of this being an issue, and gently asked DH, who is dyslexic and doesn't read for pleasure much, to make sure he took turns reading to the kids. He's awesome, and he even decided to take on †The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,†and spent a week or so reading that aloud for bedtime reading.

 

DH and I discussed this way back when DS was just a baby. I read an article about it. DH, who I'd never seen read anything, decided he'd do bedtime stories. However, DH has been working late and weekends to get caught up on bills so he hasn't been able to do that much lately. With the time change I can let the kids sleep in and stay up late to see him and get their story now.

 

I do think that is very important, but I don't know IRL any other father who reads to their children. Sad.

[Nart]

I will be the dissenting voice and say to keep working whether he likes it or not. My son disliked reading lessons because it was hard for him. He had some speech issues from having fluid in his ears (he is on his third set of ear tubes), so he was at a high risk of having a learning disability. We bribed him by making a sticker chart and giving him a small prize after every ten lessons. We also gave him the choice to do reading and watch a 24 minute semi-educational show (Mighty Machines on netflix) or not to watch a show at all that day. He always chose to watch the show. Then after each 10 lessons he was so proud of earning his prize. After around 4 months, he came and asked for reading lessons sometimes twice a day because he realized he could do it and it wasn't so hard anymore. I think some kids need a gentle push to overcome resistance.