Mynyel Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 I am at my wits end. Every single time I want to teach my 6yo to read he bucks the system. Just this morning I told him we needed to either do a reading lesson in the book or he can play reading games. He didn't want to do either. He is almost 6 and a half. I despair of him not learning at all. I know I shouldn't compare but both my older kids were reading by 5. Any suggestions? Or encouragement? I don't like being frustrated with him. I know that doesn't help him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 I am at my wits' end. Every single time I want to teach my 6yo to read he bucks the system. Just this morning I told him we needed to either do a reading lesson in the book or he can play reading games. He didn't want to do either. He is almost 6 and a half. I despair of him not learning at all. I know I shouldn't compare but both my older kids were reading by 5. Any suggestions? Or encouragement? I don't like being frustrated with him. I know that doesn't help him. My advice: back off. :-) He is not your older dc. He is a different little person. So, yeah, you know you shouldn't compare him to his older siblings, so don't. :-) Most children are not reading by the time they are 5yo. What are you using to teach him to read? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wendyroo Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 My kids are all younger, so I really don't have a clue what I'm talking about :tongue_smilie: ... That being said, spending 15 minutes a day doing some type of reading instruction would be a non-negotiable for a 6 year old in this house. What I might do is write a list of five or six activities that would qualify as "reading instruction". I would have some of the activities be easier (put together an alphabet puzzle) and some of them be harder (a reading lesson from the book). Then each day I would have him choose one activity, complete it and cross it off the list. The next day he has to choose one of the remaining activities. Also, I cannot adequately express how much we LOVE the Leap Frog reading videos around here. Letter Factory teaches the letter sounds, Talking Words Factory teaches simple CVC blending and Word Caper teaches SH, CH, TH, silent E and some vowel teams. Wendy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 I tend to turn to bribery when my kids don't want to do something I really want them to do...is there something he could earn by doing a reading lesson? Something that would motivate him? Six is not old enough for me to feel stressed about a child not yet reading, I was a late reader (didn't read at all until age 8) but devoured books after that. My oldest started reading around age 5, my second closer to age six, my third (who is the most like me of my children) is nearly seven and just barely getting the hang of CVC words. FWIW we did a two week free trial of the headsprout program and that got her moving after almost no reading progress in a couple of years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 1. 6.5 is very different than a young five. While he may be reluctant, I understand why his lack of interest is bothersome. Does he have phenomic awareness? Can he segment sounds? I understand that he is not like your other kids.....but I'd be trying to sort out if there's more than just a lack of interest going on. 2. Refusing to do an activity is not ok here. One can not be happy about it, but a lack compliance is not ok. 3. Find some new active games. Try introducing those with a "I have something new for us today." Then give him the directions on what he needs to do. With some kids, asking is just opening a can of worms... Sending sight word cars down a race track or a pool noodle cut in half has been fun here. http://www.pinterest.com/pin/572520171351460990/ Flicking bottle lids has also been popular in our house. http://www.pinterest.com/pin/356769601702798123/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
73349 Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 Can sitting and looking at the words while you read aloud to him count (for you) as reading instruction? He might find that nice and non-threatening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mohini Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 Does he like writing/ drawing/ coloring? You can make some mini-books - even if he copies the words. Maybe he'll be more excited about reading his own writing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 If reading is challenging for him and he is forced he may develop a real hatred of it. Do you read to him, and let him listen to audio books on his own? Some kids really need to see purpose in reading to come to the table and want to try, especially if it is challenging. Keep exposing him to vocabulary and concepts and grammar by reading to him and letting him listen to audio books. He may need more time to be cognitively ready but at least he won't fall behind in exposure to reading material. And keep lessons short, when you are doing lessons. Keep them fun. Give him exposure to letter sounds, phonics based instruction, and incorporate fun reading games if you can. However, there very well may be underlying causes for his struggles and resistance. It may have nothing to do with just needing more developmental time or a bad attitude in general. You might read up on struggles with reading, just in case. Perhaps he needs some very targeted, small steps, like you would have with an Orton Gillingham based program. You might read this and see if anything there sounds familiar: http://www.bartonreading.com/dys.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hepatica Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 Where is he is the learning process? Does he have pre-reading skills? Know the alphabet and letter sounds? Know vowel sounds? etc... My DS is six and a half. He has been sounding out simple words very slowly for a while. We just do a very little bit about three days a week. He doesn't always want to begin, but the lessons are so short that it's not really a struggle or anything. I'll let him pick the order of what we do - i.e. if he wants a story first, or to do some math or science first, but we always try to get in a few minutes of reading practice. Of course he is the youngest, everyone else is "doing school" so it makes sense to him that that is what we do in the mornings. My oldest struggled with reading and didn't real gain any fluency until 8 1/2 (she is now diagnosed dyslexic), my middle child began to read with some fluency in first grade (6 1/2 or so). Looks like my youngest will be a bit slower. I learned my lesson with my oldest - some kids really do need to be taught to read, so I have been very proactive with my younger two. I think it is a bit harder when your oldest child learns to read easily and early. Then you start to think something is wrong with a six year old who is not yet reading. He is old enough to be doing reading lessons. Make them short and be very matter of fact about them (like brushing teeth), no big deal. Don't mention what anyone else is doing. He is fine just the way he is. There may be absolutely no reading difficulty at all, or he may have some reading struggles. Either way, reading lessons at this age are perfectly appropriate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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