BugsMama Posted December 30, 2012 Share Posted December 30, 2012 My child reads fluently. Yet, if I hand him any book, he doesn't want to read it. He hates it. He cries. He'll read one chapter and not want to read any more. Any book- to include "twaddle". He'll read picture books effortlessly, he'll read magazines, and my papers, and emails over my shoulder. (no tears for these things) We tested him with a DORA test, and he scored a 9th grade level for decoding and vocab, and 4th for all other reading/spelling categories. Some of the books he has read lately (and hated) include Stone Fox, Wayside School, My Father's Dragon, and Captain Underpants. No struggles in actually reading them (sometimes he'll read next to me outloud), he just hates it. The books are "boring". Magic Tree House is "babyish". What do I do with him? He can't just NOT read. Do I just let him keep going with picture books? How do I help him transition, and when should I expect him to? (He's 6.5, second grade) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BugsMama Posted December 30, 2012 Author Share Posted December 30, 2012 The kicker is, sometimes he'll laugh out loud, or want to talk about the story- but when the book is finished, he still "hates" it, and will cry at the thought of another book the next day when I ask him to pick something from the book basket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted December 30, 2012 Share Posted December 30, 2012 It might be print size-have you tried using a kindle or other e-reader? My DD went through a phase when she was about 4-5 when she COULD read almost anything, but didn't want to, until I discovered the "read-aloud" version of children's books on the Barnes and Noble discount aisle. She LOVED them-little tiny kid with giant books, so I started bringing home the large print version of various chapter books/early novels from our local library. It got her over the hump and about age 6 she was fine with regular sized books again and preferred ones she could carry around. I assume it was simply that even though her reading skills were ahead of her age, her eyes weren't, and they were at a level where she could handle the large print of children's picture books, but not much that was smaller, so she needed books that provided the higher level depth, but with big print until her eyes caught up. I've since read where people have found a Kindle or similar device a good fit at this point in a child's development because it can give large print without having to give the child a book that probably weighs half their body weight-which I expect was the case for my DD with some of those large print versions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BugsMama Posted December 30, 2012 Author Share Posted December 30, 2012 Oh! What a good idea! I hadn't thought of that being the problem. I'll give it a try! :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TracyP Posted December 30, 2012 Share Posted December 30, 2012 I will second trying a larger font. My ds needed reading glasses last year. The optometrist said she thought he would outgrow them and he has, although he will still pull them out for really small font. My 9yo and 7yo still read picture books, so I would keep going with those since he enjoys them. Have you tried non-fiction books written about subjects he is interested in? My 7yo is finally reading fiction, but he pretty much read only non-fiction and picture books last year. Do you do read alouds? This is one of the things that got my son into fiction. He wanted to reread books that I read and he really enjoyed. Overall, don't sweat it. He is young and you don't want to turn him off to reading. Give it time and it will come. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwg Posted December 30, 2012 Share Posted December 30, 2012 When my ds was that age, I chose picture books for him. Honestly, I think some picture books are a lot harder to read than simple chapter books like magic tree house because they are written for an adult to read to a child so there is no stilted vocabulary. The Story of Holly and Ivy is an example of what I mean. Beatrix Potter books and Winnie the Pooh were favorites. To transition him to chapter books, I tried A to Z mysteries (he hated MTH). We each read some for a while then I got busy and he wanted to know how it finished. He also liked the Andrew Lost series and Encyclopedia Brown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BugsMama Posted December 30, 2012 Author Share Posted December 30, 2012 I've had audio books going (I don't read aloud well- I know, bad mama- I read a lot, but not out loud) and he loves them. He doesn't complain at all with them. Its only when asked to go read books. Non-Fiction is a good idea, I think he would like some of the national geographic readers. He loves to flip through the animal encyclopedia we have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted December 30, 2012 Share Posted December 30, 2012 My oldest didn't like fiction at that age either. Nonfiction went much better! Now he likes some fiction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenmama2 Posted December 30, 2012 Share Posted December 30, 2012 My 6.5 year old is similar. Tests way in high school or higher in terms of decoding etc but has hated to read...until I gave in to Harry Potter. We tandem read aloud (a page each) and have just started the third one after a few weeks. I'm reluctant to continue since I know they get darker, but I'm also reluctant to bypass her willingness to actually read for once. She hated Magic Treehouse, she outgrew Rainbow Fairy kind of twaddle a few years ago. It's been so hard to find something she actually wants to read. ETA one reason for the tandem reading is so I can monitor her reaction to the scarier parts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alwayslearning Posted December 30, 2012 Share Posted December 30, 2012 My guess is that it is overwhelming to hold a chapter book and know you have to go through the whole thing. I bet it is visual, as the others mentioned. It's like when I look at my messy kitchen and don't know where to start. :) I tend to believe that reading is reading... and you hate to further the hatred of reading books. Maybe you can do a "real" book less frequently, and together; and let him read whatever he wants the rest of the time. When you read your big book together, tell him what page you are going to read to. If there is an end, maybe he wont feel so overwhelmed? Then again - he is so little still. Maybe just keep reading fun. As the previous poster mentioned, the language in pictures books can be tougher than some chapter books. If you are concerned about reading level, just choose picture books with a big vocabulary. Examine your objective, and go from there. What is more important: reading a chapter book (to build endurance, reading level, comprehension of a novel), or to build fluency, vocabulary, love of reading, etc? Good luck!!! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MinivanMom Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 The best thing I have done for ds7 is to always let him choose what he reads. We have a daily quiet time where he is expected to read, but he chooses what he does during that time. Sometimes he stares at the ceiling. A couple days this past week he read a "book" he got for Christmas filled with Star Wars paper airplanes to fold. I was a little surprised when he claimed that he was reading the paper airplane book for 2 hours, because it's nothing but random facts and specs about each spaceship . . . yet . . . that is really what he read. Then lo and behold, he spent two hours yesterday afternoon reading Harry Potter, so there you go. I think boys are really just different in terms of reading preferences. Reading nonfiction (even nonfiction that consists of random non-related facts) is in fact reading. Often, that is what he prefers. The only one having a problem is me. I second the suggestion to let him read nonfiction and to get some books with larger print. I would also suggest giving him as much space and control as possible over what he reads. It also would never hurt to get his eyesight checked if that's something you haven't done already. We have found some problems that we never even suspected through routine eye exams. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blondeviolin Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 My 6.5yo was a bit put off by chapter books because it was intimidating. As a perfectionist, she felt like she had to finish the whole thing in one sitting. The kindle helped tremendously for this because she couldn't see how thick it was. I just would hand her the reader and tell her she could read until she was tired. You can also adjust the font size on ereaders. (As a bonus, reading on the kindle is sort of a treat at this house.). I also just placed a book I knew she would like on her bed. Our rule is that you don't have to sleep, just be in bed at bedtime. I bribed her to read the first chapter and she did. And then she didn't pick the book up for a long while. But when she did a couple of weeks later, she had decided she didn't really have to do the whole thing. Roald Dahl is good with usually short chapters and a quick jump into the story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 You say he reads picture books and magazines. So, I'd let him read picture books and magazines. He might also simply be not interested in fiction books, but, like many boys, prefer non-fiction books, collections of facts, encyclopedias. Does he like being read to? What about audiobooks? For my son, who initially was a reluctant (but capable) reader, they provided a great way to increase vocabulary and get familiar with stories which he then afterwards chose to read on his own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serendipitous journey Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 You say he reads picture books and magazines. So, I'd let him read picture books and magazines. He might also simply be not interested in fiction books, but, like many boys, prefer non-fiction books, collections of facts, encyclopedias. Does he like being read to? What about audiobooks? For my son, who initially was a reluctant (but capable) reader, they provided a great way to increase vocabulary and get familiar with stories which he then afterwards chose to read on his own. I agree -- and second the Holly & Ivy idea above; Toot & Puddle worked well for us during that phase. It is _very_ normal, esp. for such a young child, to be resistant to chapter books; and there's no reason not to stay in picture books a while longer. I've heard children's reading experts fret that parents move children away from picture books much too soon these days -- the best picture books (award-winners &c) have richer vocabulary, more complex sentence structure, and subtler plots -- often relying on cues from the images -- than accessible chapter books, because they are written largely for adults to read to children. You can give him a very rich reading education on picture books, including history & science -- I know the board would have tons of suggestions for this. and, hugs! It's never fun to fret. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 I am going to pass on the advice the advice I was given by my friend who was my only advisor when I started home ed -- I refused to follow it with dd my oldest but with ds I learned that for that child she was right. She kept telling me that even though they tested very well ability wise they were not ready because they were too young for books meant for older children. Her son's all read the simple stuff at 5 and moved up with a typical progression although gifted. I will swy that I know her dd read Black Beauty at 5 so she did not completely follow her views. With my son he loved the act of completing a book. We checked out stacks of early readers -- the ones that said I can read! He was prolific and happy. I read plenty of classics out loud. I want to add that when dd read something that caught his eye he would read it. Happily read Dragon Rider at six. He would finish things if I wasn't quick enough -- Harry Potter. The bigger print suggestion is great and may have been Ds problem but my friend may have been right too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawthorne44 Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 Why don't you let him pick out his own books at the library or used book store? Give him a basket. Let him picks out books he wants to read. Then you par down the books because of budget and suitability. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bakpak Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 These suggestions are all great. Also, what about taking a few weeks/month off from 'required reading' each day? Then leave out a bunch of different types of reading (maybe out of his basket? the basket may have some negative association now) and see what he's reading on his own without prompting. If he's reading that well, then pushing him now isn't helping foster a love a reading. Also, maybe move to audio books a couple levels above where he's been reading. The Mouse & the Motorcycle or Peter Pan or Charlotte's Web. Or maybe get an audio book for a more advanced-level book that he can just follow along with an actual book. This would expose him to the reading, but perhaps ease some of the word-by-word struggle he might be experiencing. My 3yo helps me read MTH & My Feather's Dragon, so I can imagine an advanced 6.5 yo reader is bored! The $$ suggestion that he go pick out some books/magazines and buy them himself would be a great way for him to help with this problem. Put him in charge and he might surprise you what he picks out after an hour or two or browsing in a big bookstore (as others, I suspect he'll go for nonfiction)! If you decide to do a 'reading break' for awhile, then the $$ suggestion might work best at the end of the break. Friends of mine have had great success in taking breaks and re-energizing their kids' interest in various topics at that age. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KAR120C Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 At that age DS could read Harry Potter (and did) but 99% of what he chose to read was Garfield and Calvin & Hobbes. I still read aloud to him, and he did occasionally pick up a chapter book, but he read tons and tons of comics too. No harm done... he picked up more chapter books as the years went on, and as a teenager reads some seriously challenging stuff.... but when he was six he happily buried himself in comics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BugsMama Posted January 1, 2013 Author Share Posted January 1, 2013 Thank you all so much! I love all the ideas, and am rethinking what I can do.... the last thing I want is to turn him off of reading. I am reading more infront of him instead of only reading after the kids are in bed (to model a love of reading), and I am not going to require him to pick out of the chapter book basket anymore, and let him just read anything for a while. I'll take him to the book store too. Today he picked up a boxcar children book and read it for a little while, so I remain baffled. Maybe it's an independence thing..... :toetap05: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawthorne44 Posted January 2, 2013 Share Posted January 2, 2013 I too suspect the independence thing, which was why I suggested the bookstore. It was this that made me think that: " Yet, if I hand him any book, he doesn't want to read it." In Elementary School, I was bored with school and I read some books that make adults groan with boredom. But, I picked them out, which made all the difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenbrdsly Posted January 2, 2013 Share Posted January 2, 2013 I have some ideas on my blog about helping kids transition from learning to read to reading to learn. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyforlatin Posted January 2, 2013 Share Posted January 2, 2013 I started buying large print books when DD was 4 to avoid eye strain. Those B and N books are great and at a fairly cheap price. Good thing now that we have a Kindle and that our library carries many popular e-books. The odd thing is that I actually think she picks up more words, phrases, and wit from audiobooks. I actually try to steer her away from too much reading and into more listening. Oh another thing is that some picture books are lengthier, such as ones by Bill Peet, so maybe go that route as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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