DD (5) seems to be regressing with reading and writing

[sandyballs]

Around xmas time I really thought it had all "clicked" with her - she was reading quite a few of the "key" words for reception, quite interested in reading her books with me, and her writing was coming along well.

The last month or so this has all changed - she is not interested in reading, won't even try unless bribed, and then just guesses it. She couldn't even read the word "the" or "and" to me yesterday. Her writing has changed as well - for example her "d" is like a "b", and several other letters and numbers are mixed up.

I wouldn't mind so much if she had always been like that and just needed more time but I find it frustrating that she did used to read and write but doesn't now. I wondered if it was an attention thing, but I think she gets plenty of that. Her teacher hasn't said much about it, just told her that she would get a sticker if she tried hard.

Just wondered if anyone else had this problem - other than this she is a very happy laid-back girl. Maybe too laid back - perhaps thats the problem.

[LIZS]

When you say she was reading the key words was she just recognising them as a whole or sounding the phonetic components and blending. I just wonder if they have been working mroe specifically recently on the individual sounds within words and breaking it down for spelling and writing whereas previously she wasn't required to. Letter reversals are very common at this age too.

[maverick]

You mention 'key words' so it sounds as though your daughter is in a 'mixed methods' class where she is taught to learn many words as whole shapes and read story books using a mixture of strategies i.e. guessing from first letter/ consonant cluster, context and picture clues.

These strategies, along with the whole-word memorising, can get many children a long way so they appear for a while to be really reading. Unfortunately, eventually their memories reach overload and they haven't been taught any other way to decode words. IMO she needs synthetic phonics teaching, and fast!

Do have a look at www.dyslexics.org.uk
and www.syntheticphonics.com

[sandyballs]

Thanks - they are using Jolly Phonics at her school, so she should really be breaking down the word and sounding each letter, but she seems to find this very difficult.

I just worry she is going to get further behind, particularly as Year 1 is only a few months away.

[LIZS]

I doubt she is "behind" at all. dd, also in Reception, still needs a lot of prompting to do so and she is pretty much in the middle of her class and apparently reading well.

[maverick]

I'd like to add a friendly warning here -just because a school is using Jolly Phonics it does not necessarily mean that they are doing 'synthetic phonics'.

If the school is using Jolly Phonics alongside the National Literacy Strategy (which includes learning key words, 'searchlights' and real books) then it is no longer a synthetic phonic programme.

[singersgirl]

My sons' school uses JP alongside the NLS and they are still doing 'look and guess' (not DS2, coz I cornered him with synthetic phonics beforehand).

But, Jolly Phonics or not, when children are tired, or a bit fed up, or not really concentrating they often get things wrong. My DS seemed to have forgotten what number came after 99 today, when I know he has known this for ages. DS1, when tired recently, read a sentence in his jungle adventure book about a "dangerously hanging bride", which he though was v. funny afterwards (supposed to be 'bridge').

They are very young still.

[foxinsocks]

would also say re the writing, not to get too concerned. I was worried about dd's writing last year (reception) - now she's at the end of yr 1 and suddenly (finally!), her fine motor skills seemed to have clicked and she has only just started to write properly.

All along the teachers have told us not to worry! I think they sometimes seem to master one skill at a time - so they 'get' writing, then concentrate on reading and their writing goes to pot etc. They are still v little in reception.

[Jodiesmum]

Hi sandy, I could have written the exact same post as you - amazing. Made me feel much better to hear someone else is in the same boat, though would love to know whether there is anything I could or should be doing to help get dd on track. The main thing that's worrying me is her attitude - increasingly unwilling to try - and the fact she's gone off school, whereas she was thrilled to be there for the first term or so. Dd's 3 best friends, all the same age, are able to read and write like anything now and dd is horribly aware of this and is starting to say she's stupid. She's actually a very bright girl who learnt to speak really young and can communicate at a level well beyond her years when it comes to talking. It worries me that her reading and writing are so massively out of step with the rest of her development - makes me think something is wrong.