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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Are tutors worth it?

64 replies

Suziee37 · 02/10/2020 18:09

Really debating whether to get a tutor for DD. She’s 6 years old but very weak in reading. I’m having a meeting with class teacher next week so going to ask her opinion too. What’s your thoughts shall I get a tutor or order those workbooks I’ve seen in shops for her year group and maybe try to do a little reading every night with her?

I feel if I take some time out and actually sit with her she could improve. But I’m also tempted with tutoring. I’ve never had one and never considered one for DD as she’s so young. Opinions please I’m so confused

OP posts:

Leaannb · 02/10/2020 18:11

You should definitely be reading with her and working with the books are a great idea. Whether or not if a tutor is worth it is quite subjective. It will depend on who the tutor is and if they get the desired results

paastumho · 02/10/2020 18:12

only if you can't read yourself. why would you pay someone just to sit with her and hear her read?

MergeDragons · 02/10/2020 18:14

I agree very subjective but a tutor might be worth it as kids are often very resistant to doing extra school work with their parents but will happily do it with a tutor. I would try to have her read to you for maybe ten minutes a day and make sure that you read to her as well.

Jellycatspyjamas · 02/10/2020 18:17

It depends, it’s very worth it for my DD but she has additional support needs and the tutor is a specialist in her field. For me the benefit is partly having someone work 1:1 with her and partly having someone teach me how to help her learn in a way that works for her.

If your daughter has no learning difficulties and you can read with her, I’d do that and see how she gets on. If she’s still struggling and you suspect there’s something else at play a tutor can be a good investment.

onemouseplace · 02/10/2020 18:18

You should really be reading with her every day anyway - even 5 mins is better than nothing (unless she's resistant to reading with you of course!).

I'd try that for a couple of months and then see where she is before getting a tutor or extra workbooks.

Lockheart · 02/10/2020 18:18

How much reading do you do with her? Does she have access to a good number of age appropriate books?

I wouldn't bother paying for a tutor when she could improve lots by regularly reading at home.

willowsmumsy · 02/10/2020 18:19

I did it for my 10 year old as she was very resistant to doing anything with me. By the time I'd helped my two teens I didn't have the mental capacity to deal with a reluctant pre teen!!

MaryLennoxsScowl · 02/10/2020 18:19

I’d try reading to her myself first before paying for a tutor. But don’t get workbooks - reading should be fun! At that age, get a lot of adventure stories/fairy tales/comics/whatever she likes at the level she’s at, and some things that are a bit higher. Ask her to read you the easy things and you read her the harder books. As you go, ask her things about the books, such as why do you think this person did that? Can you remember who X is? What does this word mean? At the end, ask her to tell you what happened in the book/chapter. Do you feel confident reading to her? If you’d like any tips, take a look at Scottish Book Trust’s website for ideas on how to read with children.

Terrace58 · 02/10/2020 18:21

A tutor would need to be in addition to daily reading. At least 20 minutes a day.

If you do get a tutor, I would want a reading specialist. They are trained to diagnose the specific barriers a child is facing and to get past those problems.

mbosnz · 02/10/2020 18:23

I think you reading with her, making it a special time, and thus something to look forward to, and enjoy, would be far more beneficial than a tutor. Reading a book together, taking turns to read the sentences, doing funny voices, and expressions, talking about the book 'what do you think will happen next? gosh, do you think they should have done that? what else could they have done?' is going to make reading interesting and fun. That's what makes kids read voluntarily. Giving them a love of reading.

FlowFlow7722 · 02/10/2020 18:23

We had a tutor when Dd was in year2 and really struggling to “get reading” we read loads as a family, eldest Dd could read in reception and it just wouldn’t click with dd2. We were really worried about her going into year 3 being unable to read. She a new to the school teacher who was struggling with a “lively”’class.

Tutor came once a week really just started from the beginning again and within a few months the improvement was fantastic. Really really rated the whole experience.

Dd now doing a levels and getting on fine.

MayDayHelp · 02/10/2020 18:27

I think some kids just don’t get on with the way reading is taught in schools. Is your dd quite a visual learner? My dd could literally only read her own name when she was 6. She’s not dyslexic but the phonics thing just made no sense to her. I signed up to an online programme called Easyread. It wasn’t cheap but dd engaged with it really well, and in 3 months went from not being able to read at all to literally being the top reader in her class. She has devoured books ever since. Really can’t recommend it highly enough, I think there is a free trial lesson online. The lessons are just 10 minutes a day online, but they really progress fast. At that age their concentration isn’t brilliant, so getting a tutor for an hour (usually the minimum to make it worth the tutor’s while) would seem like a very long slog for a 6 year old.

chomalungma · 02/10/2020 18:28

Reading anything with her would be great thing to do. You can hear her read, read to her, use the pictures etc to help gain her level of understanding and try and encourage her with some of the words she gets stuck on.

Parents need to be engaged in hearing their child read.

MissConductUS · 02/10/2020 18:29

My DS was language delayed. As his speech was delayed this set his reading back. DH and I both read with him, but his reading tutor, who was a qualified reading teacher, was invaluable in getting him caught up. She accomplished much more with him than we could because of her training and experience.

Go for it.

LaPoesieEstDansLaRue · 02/10/2020 18:33

I'm not totally against tutors but I think 6 is very young for her to be doing extra academic work in addition to dealing with school. I'd worry about putting too much pressure on her. I would speak to her teacher and try to support her reading yourself, as pp have suggested, first. All dc develop at a different rate and she still has lots of time to catch up and improve.

TheoneandObi · 02/10/2020 18:34

Do bedtime stories and stories at any other time with your children. Please avoid tutoring at such a young age. I'm surprised school haven't impressed the importance of reading to your child. It's the best investment (of time) you can make in their future. And it's such a snuggly lovely thing to do.

Thelovelyflower · 02/10/2020 18:42

Try Nessy Learning or something similar? Might help if she learns better visually.

smilingthroughgrittedteeth · 02/10/2020 18:44

My 5yr old yr1 son has a tutor and she is worth every penny but he has just been refered to paeds as potentially having asd and sensory processing disorder and has speech and language intervention so needs extra help and really benefits from the 121.

Lockdownseperation · 02/10/2020 18:46

Do school not already recommend that she reads to you for 10 minutes a day anyway? Plus you reading to her every night too. I thought that was standard

fishywaters · 02/10/2020 18:50

I think it is too young especially given that with reading you need to practise little and often and build confidence. You really should read with your child every day, perhaps even twice. Maybe try something like reading eggs online free trial.

Duanphen · 02/10/2020 19:04

If the problem is solvable, it's solvable by reading with her and seeing where her problem areas are. There's no point hurling money at some random person to sit and read with her and see where the problems are. You can do that. Why aren't you already reading with her? It's like the most basic thing people do when they have a baby. They feed it, and they read to it.

If the problem isn't solvable, then she'd need more intervention than a tutor can provide.

It'll only create stress.

She's young and probably just not that into reading yet - one of my kids wasn't, because she couldn't be bothered trying at home and hated the school's rubbish Biff and Chip books. She got into it properly more like 8, when the books got interesting.

AutumnleavesturntoGold · 02/10/2020 19:10

I'm a huge fan of good tutors to plug gaps the schools can't, help dc catch up, or stay afloat or improve. Especially at an early age, so they don't fall behind.

But as others said, why? What do you mean... Take time out... You don't need to read much at all with her, starting with 5 or 10 mins a day p?

What reading level is she on? Stage...

2bazookas · 02/10/2020 19:11

You would be best to spend 15 minutes every bed time reading her a story so that she associates reading with pleasure and fun.

Does she see family adults reading for pleasure?

randomer · 02/10/2020 19:12

Reading is not just books?

Jellycatspyjamas · 02/10/2020 19:26

If the problem isn't solvable, then she'd need more intervention than a tutor can provide.

Not necessarily - a specialist tutor has helped my DD no end, if you have someone qualified to assess and support early reading it can make a real difference to kids who don’t get on with phonics or who need additional input. At that age it’s not “academic”, it’s very play based learning which can be fabulous for younger children.

I’d still start by reading to/with her, but a tutor can work wonders if that isn’t making a difference.

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