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Primary education

Finding time for reading

16 replies

SatsukiKusakabe · 09/09/2016 13:02

Ds is just starting year one. He had a shaky start with reading in Reception but is now reasonably happy to do it, is progressing nicely but still finds it hard and it is so much worse when he is tired. We have tended to do a bit before I read to him at bedtime, but he is often too tired to have a good run at it and if the evening runs on it's hard to squeeze in more than a page or so. I try to give him a night off at weekends, too.

He's got 3 books to read a couple of times over the week and is starting a couple of after school clubs this year and I'm wondering how other people put it in their routine? He does better when something is expected rather than sprung on him.

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dementedpixie · 09/09/2016 13:03

Homework gets done straight after school here so they can relax for the rest of the evening

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Gizlotsmum · 09/09/2016 13:05

We try to do reading before school, even if it is just 10 mins after breakfast

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wintersdawn · 09/09/2016 13:05

If you are lucky enough to have early starters like me try doing the reading before school. We quite often do it first thing in the morning cuddled in bed.

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SunnySomer · 09/09/2016 13:09

If you could fit it in in the morning - when his brain is fresh and he's less likely to make mistakes and feel deterred - that may be successful

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SatsukiKusakabe · 09/09/2016 13:19

Thanks all.

I do go through his word box with him after school, but also have a two year old who likes to interrupt with her own preferences so it's a bit haphazard.

I hadn't even considered the morning Blush it is such a rush around usually, but actually he would probably like having a bit of time with me then so might work well, esp with dh around for the toddler. I think it's going to be more a case of whether my brain is fresh then rather than his Grin

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TeenAndTween · 09/09/2016 13:31

We did reading before school from yR to y6, it worked really well and gave us a good calm start to the day.

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nonicknameseemsavailable · 09/09/2016 13:48

I would agree with before school if you can fit it in.

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Cuppaand2biscuits · 09/09/2016 13:51

We do after dinner before bath. That way she's had a chance to chill out after school and she's usually perked up.a bit after dinner. We do sometimes do it in the morning instead.

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Bumpsadaisie · 09/09/2016 14:16

We do it as part of bedtime story here.

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mrz · 09/09/2016 16:34

Word box? Confused

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mrz · 09/09/2016 16:35

In Y1 I wouldn't expect longer than 10 minutes ( as often as you can)

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IfartInYourGeneralDirection · 09/09/2016 16:47

We do ours on the morning. He sits at the table and reads while his crumpet is cooking.

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user789653241 · 09/09/2016 17:00

We do first thing when we got home, after ds had some snack. Sometimes while I am cooking dinner.
Whenever you decide to do, it will be easy if you make it a routine from early on.

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SatsukiKusakabe · 09/09/2016 17:26

Seems like morning it is!

Yes we only do a little bit at a time, whether that's a few words or a whole book, depending on how he's feeling. This year they have said they should read the same book a few times to increase 'fluency'; I don't know about this personally as IME (of only one child), he will remember it the second time and won't actually be reading it Confused

The word box was a little box of random words for them to sound out -for e.g box one was cat hat etc, when they finish one they can swap it for the next one, with the words increasing in length/using different sounds. Hidden were a couple of nonsense words and they had to see if they could spot them after sounding them out. He found that enjoyable as it was quite quick to do and it did seem to build his confidence with sounding things out in a book.

They also give words to learn by sight though which I am less sure about - I find it confuses him more than anything, but don't know how to get round it.

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smellyboot · 09/09/2016 21:12

We get one or two books a week and yes they read over again. They do remember it a bit, but helps them remember the harder words. We always did 10 mins at bed time before story. Worked for us as mornings too chaotic and mine always in breakfast club. We never did more than 10 mins a day and that's all. Our school is very high performing on reading. Little and often is what they recommend

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sirfredfredgeorge · 09/09/2016 22:46

The books we get are never worth reading again, we spend less than 10 minutes a week reading them, even padding it out and reading all the notes and stuff (e.g. the ideas at the back Collins Big Cat series), DD finds them very simple.

But outside the reading books, she reads all sorts, so I'd say we find time for reading by reading all the time, as opposed to trying to fit in specific times to read a school book, but skypes family and other tablet/computer text, read menus, song lyrics, other books when in bed etc. . DD has taken to reading extremely easily though, so it's likely that's a lot less effort for us to encourage reading.

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