Improving reading for a five year old

[bapplebanana]

My son is six in September, he's just finished reception year at school. Before school he couldn't read, but has done phonics this year and can now sound and blend words together, and recognises some simple words without blending.

Biff and Chip books are the right sort of level for him in terms of difficulty. We read too him every night, all sorts of different books, come picture and some chapter books that he enjoys. I've got some first reader type books out of the library and I'm trying to encourage him to read one a day to me.

Is there anything else I ought to be doing to improve his reading fluency? My mum can't remember teaching me to read but I used to love picture dictionaries (lol) and by my son's age I was reading Roald Dahl type books myself. I wonder what age my own son will be able to do this and how I can best help him.

Thanks

I don't have any real advice , just what has worked for me with keeping my eldest interested in reading and am hoping his younger brother follows on.

1. Have books available all over the house, on the dining table so they can look while eating, in the car so they can read while you drive as nothing else to do, where there toys are, you get the idea.

1. Encourage them to read things while out and about, signs, leaflets, menu that kind of thing.

1. Take them to the library regularly so they can choose their own books.

1. Let them listen to audio books. It encourages a love of stories.

5: try non fiction books to suit their interests. At that age my son was only bothered about history books. It's only recently his love of fiction has overtaken.

1. Try to encourage him not to see reading as a chore. Show interest in the story he is reading. Get him to guess what will happen next.

1. Ask him to tell you stories that he has made up.

You may be doing all those things but just some ideas.

Which phonics system is the school following? If you are happy you can follow the school phonic system and are confident in your phonics sounds I would practise them. Get him to read for 5 to 10 mins every day.

Use the collins high frequency flash cards.

Buy some books that are right for his stage. Biff and Chip cover a number of levels. Do you know which colour/scheme he was on in reception?

Lots and lots of books. Dr Seuss for fun poems and stories the rhyming helps

Just lots of books, both him reading and you reading. My daughter was at the same stage at the end of reception. After first term of year 1, everything seemed to just click and she jumped quite a few book bands. Then ended up exceeding expectations at end of year 1

Flash cards first 100 high frequency words.

Do a few every day, mine loved them. Fast fun... And once they have these reading basics become easier.

We also joined reading chest during covid. It was brilliant.

You can get books from your school scheme or same level from different.

Definitely follow the same programme they use at school. Some will have supplementary books to purchase or in other cases a third party might have produced coordinating books.

Something like Teach Your Monster to Read might be enjoyable for him.

He’s 5, I wouldn’t be making him do anything beyond what you’re doing tbh. Maybe you could do the summer reading challenge if your local libraries doing it. Get a mix of simple books he can read and one you can read to him. Doing too much might turn him off it all together.

dd2 was an average reader in primary, average SATs results and didn’t finish a book all through primary school, never read for pleasure. Fast forward to 15 and she’s gifted at English lit, reads all the time, predicted a 9 at GCSE and has been chosen to do an advanced A level group along side GCSEs.

He will get there. let him enjoy his summer.

Do you have a local library? They may be doing the Summer reading challenge.

DD1 is 6 and loves it. They basically choose 6 books they want to read over the summer holidays and for every book they read they get a sticker from the library to add to their reward chart. Letting DD choose her own books has really helped. They wouldn't always be what I'd choose for her (she got out a non fiction book from the library on different animal poo this week 🤣) but it's important they enjoy reading rather than seeing it as a chore so do let them choose.

Then as PPs have said, just lots of exposure to books. Reading to you, you reading to them, making up stories together etc. It'll definitely click.

Reading eggs is also really good, DD is the same age and has lost interest but it gave her a really great start.

Look up five minute mum on Instagram

Just read lots of books to him and with him and focus on enjoying the stories and information. It sounds as though he is on track for his age group though - reading Roald Dahl books at 6 is definitely not the norm; ability levels or the content!

I’m a mother of an adult DC who excelled in school and I’ve been a teacher since the early 90s. Look at academically excellent countries such as Finland where there is no formal curriculum until age 7.

My DC was bored by the Biff and Chip books (as was I) but we had plenty of books in the house. Use the local library and charity shops, read to your son, let him choose books he’s interested in even if you need to read them to him, There are some great books in Home Bargains that I used successfully for tutoring 6-year-olds after Covid. Don’t overdo the phonics over the summer. Remember the books you enjoyed at that age - Dr Seuss was a favourite in our house - and enjoy reading them again with him.

Children learn to love books in their own time; try not to worry.

Summer Reading Challenge and he gets to pick the books. Doesn't matter what you think of them, let him choose. The best readers are kids who read what they enjoy to begin with. What he should be reading can come once his enthusiasm for reading has been established. Have subtitles on the TV too.

Do as above but if you don’t see a lot of immediate progress, don’t be discouraged. I found improvements went in stages. I could really see when the next connection in the brain happened and huge development happened overnight. So, carry on and be patient for each, next growth step.

Don’t do anything he does at school or any formal schemes, Get clean secondhand books where you can- car boot, jumble sales, village fetes.
But books for a treat sometimes- I used to buy mine a book for Christmas or birthday. The children I taught secondary English to were horrified!

Mine loved books about nature and animals. You are doing everything you need to do.

Take him to the library once a week and let him choose his own books and read them to him at bedtime.

This. He is five and he should be reading/looking at/being read books for enjoyment. Please don't use flash cards on him, or add in extra lessons. It is bad enough that children go to formal education at such a young age, he doesn't need it at home too. If you want him to love reading then let him pick his books, go the library at least once per week, have books in his room, play area, living room. We read two poems a day to our toddlers (one at breakfast and one at dinner), as well one classic fable or fairy tale, a short story about nature (while outside to help them observe what is around them) and then we have stacks of books around that they will either sit and look through themselves or they will bring us books throughout the day to read to them.

I also rotate our books to keep them interested, I changed the books that are out based on season or holiday and that keeps them interested too.