Reluctant reader- aibu to be worried?

[Kiddiewinks2008]

DS is 8.5 and a reluctant reader- school have been useless with helping me help him.
He likes me reading to him & we are currently reading secret 7 books by enid blyton. He reads a page & then I read a page & help him with tricky words- we do this every day.
I think what has made me worried is someone else was really surprised when I said he wasnt self reading as their ds of same age had read all these books by themselves a year ago at age 7.
I know kids develop at different stages but the school dont seem to be able to tell me if DS is progressing and keeping up- what is normal for an 8 year old reading wise?

If you want to encourage more independent reading try things like comics, Horrid Henry books, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, joke books etc where the text is more broken up and less daunting to tackle. Keep on reading with him as well and encouraging him to apply his phonic knowledge/build comprehension. Sounds like he's doing great. Reading Secret Seven at age 7 is above what is considered typical - especially for boy

I think kids all develop at different ages, and have different interests. I was a ferocious reader, and had read Lord of the Rings by 9.

My brother hated reading, but ended up getting a first in English Literature at uni (despite still not really enjoying reading!).

My husband has never liked reading fiction, but is a top class programmer.

My mate was really behind on reading at primary school, and had to do remedial classes with younger children - it wasn't until he got into high school when a teacher took an interest in giving him books he'd really enjoy that it suddenly clicked, and he became an avid reader and now writes screenplays.

Ask the school about his progress, see if they have any concerns, etc. You're doing great though helping him, especially if the school are being a bit useless - I think sometimes they're so under pressure and forced to stick to pretty rigid teaching methods that don't work for some kids, that sometimes pupils slip between the cracks (it happened to me at primary school with certain areas of maths).

Not everyone likes reading books. I don't think my brother has ever voluntarily read a single fiction book and he got a first class honours degree, PhD, MBA. Youngest DD (age 13) doesn't enjoy reading fiction much and she is very academic although much prefers maths to literature.

Let him read anything at all just to get his interest in reading. Magazines, fiction books, non fiction, instructions for something. I've taught a few boys who have been hooked on reading after finding that by reading instructions for example they could build something etc

I know kids develop at different stages but the school dont seem to be able to tell me if DS is progressing and keeping up- what is normal for an 8 year old reading wise?

They should be able to tell you, they are assessed at the end of year 2. Some boys are slow to develop a love for reading. Let him read anything, comics or online text. Do you have a Kindle? Sometimes the gadget appeals more than a book.

Can you arrange a meeting with the school and ask them for more information? My son's school have been great, they are moving him onto a word processor for his language work because of his difficulties. This matches up with the results of the assessment I had done. The assessment says he needs to move to a laptop asap. He has dyslexia and dysgraphia. His previous school kept telling me everything was fine. I knew it wasn't so moved him to another school.

It seems that there are lots of reluctant readers out there who end up doing well. But I think it is really important that the school and yourself work together if he is needing extra support with this. My ds is making amazing progress now but he still doesn't read much at home.

We have just finished playing a game of monopoly and he managed to read the cards and board. It is definitely good to find reading in places other than books.

I also agree with what others have said about reading easier books. That is the advice I have been given by a doctor, that ds should read books he finds easy. Also to use eBooks and apps on the ipad.

Both me & DP are big readers and I studied literature at Uni so we are a bookish household. I was self reading at a young age, as was DP so we are trying really hard to instill a love of reading in DS but obviously on the flip side, dont want to over-egg it and put him off!!

My son was also a very reluctant reader and writer but the we found Captain Underpants books which has lots of things boys like and that was it he was reading to himself every Day and have never looked back

There's a difference between being able to read at the expected level for his age and wanting to read independently.

My dd was an early reader, reads above her age level and loves reading. Ds is more challenging, he can read above his age level but doesn't read independently much at all.

It sounds like your ds is perfectly able to read at his age level or above but prefers to be read to. Keep reading with him the way you are as he enjoys it but don't force him to read alone.

Not everyone loves reading and as long as my dcs are able to read at the expected level for their age then I'm happy. Obviously I'd love it if they were all avid readers like I am but as long as they're able to read I'm not going to push it and turn them off books altogether.

My ds is 7 and has discovered the Beast Quest series of books, it's the first time he's asked me to buy him a book so I got him a few to see how he goes.

DSS had no trouble learning to read, but no intrest in reading books himself for pleasure. Liked audio books at bedtime or being read to, but not to read himself.

Suddenly age 10 he got into reading for pleasure on his own because one of his friends was a big fan of some book series about magical knights. When DSS slept over there his friend wanted to read his book, DSS reluctantly agreed to try the first one in the series for lack of anything else to do, but he loved it and now is deep into the series and has also got into Percy Jackson. It's so nice to see him absorbed in a book! I had him pegged as a non-reader, but I was wrong!

I was always an advanced reader but was reading alone by age 6. I think it makes the difference when you find something that really pulls them in. School reading books are boring. I don't remember a single one I liked until secondary school when we did Of Mice and Men. You'll find that his spelling and vocabulary improves dramatically with very little work if you can get him into books. The more you see correct spellings, the more you remember them. I've always found it's more effective than actually trying to work on spelling because it takes out the frustration with it and the feeling that it is "work." He sounds like he has the ability but just hasn't found anything he WANTS to read yet.

Has he tried the Ranger's Apprentice series? Written by a dad who wanted to encourage his own reluctant reader. I believe the son was aged 9.

Shivers books? I used to love Shivers at his age, my mum used to buy me one every weekend in the discount store.

What about Harry Potter? You'll have to help him with some of the big words but it's a good read and has the added pro of being "grown up" enough that he doesn't feel so frustrated being stuck with the baby books.

Often you just have to push them ahead of their level and help out with the big words and concepts. Otherwise you get stuck in a vicious circle of him not being able to progress because he is bored with the baby books but not being able to move on from them because he hasn't progressed.

My friend is dyslexic and I managed to help her start liking books by just handing her something I thought she would like that was age appropriate (I am well known for piling my friends arms up with books I can't help but recommend every time they dare to enter a library with me) and she started reading it in lunch breaks at college. (her reading level was around the age of a 10 year old. Her actual age was 17) At first she was constantly asking what words said or meant but that eventually stopped. Then she was as bad as me and we were constantly late back because of queues in the library.

Wow I waffle a lot, don't I? Ah well, hopefully something in that lot was helpful to you.

My DD doesn't really like reading to herself, she's just turned 9. She has processing issues and finds it hard to imagine what she reads herself. She reads out loud to me daily, but I read to her at bedtime with books that are above her 'level' IYSWIM, I think that's been really beneficial. Being read to is important long after a child can read to themselves, IME.

For my reluctant reader at a similar age, I switched off books for a bit and changed to comics (Beano and Phoenix Comics were winners here). I also bought 'First News' for him every week, to see if he was more a Non fiction kind of boy.

Have a look at www.lovereading4kids.co.uk/genre/dys/Dyslexia-friendly.html. not because I'm suggesting dyslexia in any way, but because they indicate books not only by physical age for interest subject but reading age. It mean I could choose age appropriate but a simpler reading layout. Diary of a Wimpy Kid was an early favourite and is his comfort read even now, but gradually he levelled himself up.

Graphic Novels were another winner - tinyurl.com/ze3yud4 - The Hobbit in comic style

He and his English teacher have agreed they'll both read War and Peace over the summer after he said it's what he wants to read next !! He's gone from struggling in Yr2 to taking on Tolstoy in Yr7. Will he read it over the summer ? I don't know but for me it just shows how far his love of literature has come, thanks to our bit by bit approach and his persistence

Remember, school won't move them on until they not just are able to read the words but understand it and be able to answer questions on the text.Lots of children read fluently but take nothing in. Would rather he could read simpler books and be able to talk about them.

You might try some easier books, with nice large print and very short paragraphs, preferably with pictures thrown in. Pages of dense print can be off putting at this stage. If you can, ask at your local library what is popular with boys of that age. For reluctant readers it is much better to go with something easier, so don't be afraid of something that may look a little too young. The Horrid Henry series, The 100 mile an hour Dog, and Flat Sam are some that spring to mind.

And don't forget non fiction. I used to work in a library with a v good children's section, and a lot of reluctant boy readers were much keener on e.g. books about dinosaurs or space, sharks or creepy crawlies, than fiction - as long as they had plenty of pictures alongside the print, so that it seemed like less of a chore. We had masses like this, on all sorts of topics. Finding something they are really interested in can be the key. The Horrid History series are often popular with more reluctant boy readers, too.

At this age, reading is "work" rather than pleasure. Keep up the work meanwhile looking for something that matches his interests. With my DS1 we had a deal - finish 3 'serious' books, then you can have a magazine of your choice. He doesn't enjoy fiction much still, but happily reads factual books -- animals, history, cars.

I think what you are doing is fine, we're doing it with DD2 who is a year younger and not a very confident reader (she reads perfectly well, she just doesn't have much faith in herself). FWIW DD1 is 8.5 and a fantastic reader, top reading group at school etc etc still loves me reading to her (as well as doing tons of self reading but the boy in her reading group doesn't do any self reading of novels yet according to his Mum). We've just finished reading The Island of Adventure. Admittedly I had to read the last 2 chapters by myself because she'd already taken the book to bed and finished it because she couldn't wait for the next instalment the next evening.

And actually this is why reading together for pleasure is so good, when she was in the interminable Rainbow Fairies stage I insisted I read her a chapter a night of something more 'improving'. If she enjoyed it then I'd be told 'Sorry Mum, you have to jump 3 chapters because I read them last night', some books I got to read the whole thing but if she really didn't enjoy it we'd stop reading and move onto something else. So keep reading books he enjoys and eventually he'll not be able to wait for the next chapter.

My DS showed no interest in reading books but he would read on a kindle. In fact he reads so much on the kindle I have had to subscribe to kindle unlimited

Diary of a wimpy kid, Bear Grylls books are great for a 7-10 year old, How to train a dragon series even some Terry Pratchet books are great. Its trial and error really.