Recommendations to encourage short attention span 6yo to read themselves

[KronkeyCroc]

DD loves to be read to and can read quite well but struggles to concentrate (questioning ADHD due to lots of other reasons as well as this). So she’s still on a low level with school as she comes across as not being competent due to her attention span. She also gets overwhelmed at longer passages of text on the page.

If I sit with her patiently and work at it she actually reads well. But I understand they don’t have the time to dedicate to her at school.

Anyone recommend any books that will encourage her to read and increase her stamina? Ideally it would be engaging but shorter stories. Finding it hard to get ones that don’t have too much text but aren’t too simple.

The Elephant and Piggie books are easy to read alone, and quite funny - she won’t learn a great deal in terms of vocabulary but they could do a lot for confidence in her own ability to finish a book and be independent.

The Treehouse books are good for this (13 storey treehouse etc.) - they look chunky but most of the page is illustration, so reluctant readers enjoy the smaller bits of text but it’s still a proper book. Also funny as well.

My six year old loves Wrigglesbottom primary books but it depends how advanced reading is may be better to stick to picture books with a few lines in for now. Or you can get read to yourself books from library which have different levels depending on capability,

Fact books are a big hit here for both my son with ASD and my 6 yo who gets bored with repeating his school books.

What are your dd's interests?

Also, isnit worth moving this thread to SEN in the education board or SEN chat? There are some very knowledgeable posters in there who may be able to suggest strategies

My 7 year old would just have upped a reading level and most recommendations here would be a step too far for him. I work in a book shop and recommend Dogman and cat kid all over the place as my older kids adore them but it's a lot for a new reader. Same with Roald Dahl and 13 storey treehouse. I think the biff and chip books are great and the early levels do the job. Also check out your local library, a lot of the younger books dont have enough everyday words as they're trying to make it engaging but you'll find a bigger selection of books that are in between in both size and content. Best of luck op

Ps I mean dogman, Roald Dahl and 13 story imo would be for kids older than 7 although I know kids vary in reading level

Fairytales with a twist are great.
Also the Race Ahead with Reading series has some good ones in the higher bands, that don’t feeling like learn-to-read books.

My DD is a reluctant reader although capable. She has some 'early reader' books- horrid Henry, animal magic, my little pony and rainbow magic. They are shortish with lots of pictures but she likes that they are 'proper' books and not babyish. We also have some Usborne books that are similar (stories of unicorns is a favourite- there's a YouTube of it being read if you want to look if it's suitable).she probably wouldn't pick up a book without my encouragement though except for her joke books, and the mixed up fairy tales book (split pages to create random combinations of stories- again look on youtube). She has a wicked sense of humour! Both books are also good to dip in and out of without feeling overwhelmed about getting through an entire book.
My older DD loved fact books- we had a lot of Steve backshall books about sharks, predators etc.

I would just go to the library and see what the child chooses. The difference between my children at that age was enormous and I coul not choose for them because it was to the outside observer quite random what they wanted to pick.

The main thing is not to limit them in their choices.

But I agree that six is pretty young, especially with a diagnosis, so be careful you are not expecting too much as that does more harm than good.

However joke books never hurt. Just remember to at the right time!

Isadora moon - these are lovely to look at with illustrations, not too much text on a page, they are little chapter books but not long ones that seem daunting.

Audio books are popular with one of mine. She gets Google home to tell her stories every day and we've just started borrowing them from library. She's an excellent reader but this is often her preferred format so I go with it. She's just starting to read to herself occasionally. Much prefers me reading and will do the odd page.

My eldest reads to himself now, but he used to refuse to read anything that wasn't his school book. He would listen to me read for hours but point blank refused to try himself. Then his teacher asked them to do a book review when he was about 7 and it flipped a switch! He reads most days before bed now.

Both my boys were once reluctant readers and we found the Beano great for them to make reading more exciting. It is all written in capitals but they loved the stories

DD liked the Daisy books at that age, plus the “Sophie” set by Dick King Smith

The Phoenix comic - definitely recommend. Once your daughter is familiar with the characters, there are book collections of the comic strips too.

I definitely agree with fact based books on what interests her with loads of pictures. My eldest has always been an avid reader of factual books and we are awaiting assessment for ASD/ADHD. If he doesn't like something, he just won't engage with it at all. But if it is a topic he is interested in, he will happily read for hours. Anything like nature, space and dinosaurs has him engrossed. As well as Pokemon handbooks and minecraft guides.

Is she too far away from being able to read Horrid Henry?

Comics are great, but I'd hold off the Asterix for now OP. The text is tiny, and most of the jokes will go over her head at the moment (and she'll not understand the historical context if she hasn't learned about the Romans yet, which is KS2). As others have said, Dogman is a good age-appropriate series, but Read With Oxford also have comics aimed at specific reading levels, which my DDs have enjoyed.

I agree with most of Dahl being too hard and requiring more focus/stamina than your DC is currently capable of, but if The Enormous Crocodile is a hit, then try Revolting Rhymes and Dirty Beasts. You can move onto Esio Trot and The Magic Finger once ready for easier chapter books.

We also always try and read the school books at least twice (until they move off the scheme books). The second read cements any previously unfamiliar words, and allows them to work on pace and expression.

Have you tried poetry? Something like Don't Put Mustard In The Custard? Short and funny, and you can dip in and out easily.

She does read the books from school but only take one session, maybe two and then she’s not keen to read them again (I don’t blame her). So we have 5/6 days of reading to find as I try my best to do 5/10 minutes every day.

Tell the school you have this problem and ask them to provide a few more books to keep you going through the week. If she never reads books more than once, it will take her much longer to get the experience of reading fluently for herself and reading every time will be an effort. Reading at home shouldn’t be a huge challenge every time (in terms of actual reading I mean, not willingness).

So far my Dd's faves to have read to her and that she is just now starting to pick up herself (she is 7 in yr2) have been Kes Grey 'Daisy and the trouble with' series, 42 storey treehouse, little house on the prairie, Dick King Smith such as the hodgeheg and the sheep pig. BUT by starting to pick them up I do mean just that. And usborne young readers such as 'stories of witches'.

I agree with the suggestion to take her to the library and just let her browse.

Also look into paired reading (where you both read out loud).

My DD loved the Rainbow fairies at that age.

Mr Gum is what got her reading on her own though (but that wasn’t till age 8).

Chi’s sweet home is a very sweet and engaging Japanese comic strip series about a kitten that she might enjoy.

Visit your local library and see what is available. Alternatively you can find kid friendly books at your local bookshop or online too. You can also find books at garden centers and see if your local church has a book fair. Some house owners like to do a book swap.

Stoke Barrington publish dyslexia friendly books with clear fonts, spacing and a low text distribution. They adapt existing stories so you have the vocabulary and interest challenge of an older book in a more accessible format.

My very dyslexic (and autistic) DS1 quails at the sight of a wall of text on a page. He naturally goes for fact books with text in chunks rather than novels. When he was around 6-7 we had a breakthrough with DK and Ladybird easy readers themed around things like Star Wars which engaged him far more than Kipper and Floppy ever did.

DS2 doesn't have diagnoses other than reading stress (uses tinted glasses). I think he is dyslexic and suspect inattentive ADHD but haven't got the evidence to push at it yet. He struggles with reading stamina so we often take turns to read through a page/ paragraph at a time. He favours comic books like Dogman.

It's hard as I was a voracious reader who'd plough through book after book, and I'd love for my children to get that joy, but they're just wired very differently.
I still read to them a lot, or use audio books, and sit with them (8&11). They might not be keen readers in the way that I was, but it's still a comfort thing to them.

Along same lines of joke book - when he was 5 or 6 I got my DS a “would you rather…?” book which has been a fun discussion point at mealtimes. Hardly any text of course (each page is massive illustration and: would you rather x or y scenario) but it means he was reading without realising.
Also doing baking together from a kids cookbook and having him read out the next steps etc.