I have been told to stop reading at home with my 5 year old!

[manicmama]

I can't believe it. My 5 year old, who is in Reception, is currently learning how to read. He loves reading and a couple of months ago started to nag me for extra words to read. I spoke to his teacher and was told that she could not give him more words until it was "time" to do so.

Things then seemed to improve a bit but this has not lasted. My DS was getting so frustrated that I bought him the same books he does at school only a bit more advanced. He reads them at home with me (his choice, not mine). I have today been told by the teacher to stop reading these books with him because he will just learn to "memorise" them rather than read them !?

I am really angry about this. I am not pushing my DS - he is just keen and I think it should be encouraged.

Has anyone else had similar experiences?

[nappyaddict]

my cousin had the same problem with her ds. she ignored the teacher and continued reading with him. she also bought they key words for the next year and did those with him and bought those work books with the gold stars for him to do.

[manicmama]

I will definitely be continuing to read with my DS. This attitude of the teacher's seems misplaced and makes my blood boil!

[tortoiseSHELL]

manicmama, if I were you (and this is what I've done btw) I would get some similar standard but totally different books, so that his reading is being consolidated and challenged without treading on the teacher's toes.

[edam]

I'd just read books for fun at home. If he's not getting stretched in school, you need to address that with the teacher. But I think she may have a point about you 'doing' the books at home with him - she'll be wanting him to use the books in a particular way. And he's going to get really frustrated if you are always one term ahead of his lessons at home!

[manicmama]

True, I can and will read other books with my DS. The trouble is he wants to read the books that he can read himself. He is so proud that he is able to do this.

[tortoiseSHELL]

I've noticed in Yr1 that they sometimes use an easier book to work on something like using full stops, or punctuation, and I've wondered why such an easy book has been brought home, but in fact it's easy so that the 'reading' side is a given, and they can concentrate on the 'theme' for that book.

[tortoiseSHELL]

What is he using?

[manicmama]

The problem with finding other books is that my DS is reading a particular phonics course. It is definitely worth looking at other books but the ones I have seen encompass more sounds than he has learnt.

[manicmama]

He is doing the Read Write Inc - Ruth Miskin Literacy course

[Blandmum]

In general teachers can find it hard if parents use the same scheme at home as they do at school......kids can often get bored if they already done the reading once at home IYSWIM.

Most schools would prefer it if you simply read 'off' course. Either pick another reading scheme, or just pick 'ordinary' books. You will easily broaden out your son's vocabulary, without affecting the reading scheme in school.

In fact the more breadth your son gets in his reading material , the better IMHO

[hana]

I agree with the others who suggestsed reading other books, not the same scheme as the one your ds is using at school. Reading from a range of material only will increase and imprpove on the skills he already has. check out your local library, there are bound to be dozens of suitable books for your ds

[Blandmum]

Also, 'real' books are often more interesting than books in schemes

When ds was starting to read we used the Appletree farm books, they have a bit at the top that the kids can have a stab at, and a ,onger bit at the bottom. This makes the books far more interesting for all concerned.

[SherlockLGJ]

I can't remember what scheme DS was on in reception,but they definitely were not stretching him, so I bought a set of ORT and let him read those. Win/Win

[LizP]

Could you write him little books with the sounds in he knows plus other words he would recognise (family names etc). ds1 nursery teacher did this for him and he loved it.

[tortoiseSHELL]

I would definitely go with a mixture of books - mixing up Peter and Jane, ORT, All aboard, Ladybird easy readers, Gold stars has worked really well with my children.

If you wanted to do something really different, how about making some books with your ds, using photos from family outings/activities and writing captions. It combines so many skills - craft skills, reading skills etc, plus you get a lovely scrapbook at the end of it. And kids love reading them. And you can use some words that he will be able to read to help with the confidence, and introduce new ones as well. The amazing inspirational leader at dd's playgroup suggested that to me and it really does work well.

[nearlythree]

Another vote for Apple Tree Farm books - my dd1 is in Reception and had prgressed from reading the child's line to the parents' lines too - she reads them to dd2 for he rbedtime story!

[LunarSea]

If you can find them (they're out of print, but turn up quite often on Ebay) the Ladybird "Puddle Lane" series are another one with more complex text for the parent, and simpler text for the child, so they get the idea that they are "reading" more sophisticated stories than you get in the early levels of most reading schemes. ds loves these.

[Spidermama]

manicmama that's absolutely outrageous. The school have a duty to encourage and educate him which suitably challenging material. I would complain very loudly about this attitude to the school and the education authority.

[tortoiseSHELL]

I can kind of see the teacher's point - if he has memorised them then she won't be able to see how he approaches a book he hasn't seen before, and this in a way is one of the best ways to see how reading is going.

It sounds like you do need to speak to the teacher - maybe ask for more books from school, then she knows what you're doing at home.

[Hulababy]

I would go for using different books at the same or slightly higher level - broaden his reading rather than rishing along with the same books. Otherwise he will get bored doing the same thing at home and at school.

Try one of the other reading schemes maybe and choose that - ORT, Jolly Phonics, Ladybird Read it Yourself range, Red Nose Readers, etc.

Or choose other types of books and just read for fun.

[Aloha]

Red Nose Readers, very funny for beginning readers. Then just go to the library and choose books that appeal to him. I wouldn't buy the school's reading scheme but one stage on - that does seem odd to me, and I can see the teacher's point. And I am one of those evil, pushy parents who taught their child to read long before they went to school! (this week he is reading poetry, his French phrase book, bits of The BFG, and all his picture books)

[Chocolate1000]

Join the local library and let him pick his own books within reason - children usually love picking out their own books to read as long as you make sure there are some books to stretch him ie not too many what I call 'flap' books which are really designed for babies. My daughter has gone to the library on a regular basis since she was in nursery and her reading age has just been assessed at more than a year older than her age . It's free to borrow up to about eight books as well - so even better.

[TheodoresMummy]

A child should be educated according to their 'age, ability and aptitude' - this is clearly not happening for your DS. I would kick up a massive stink.