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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Finding it hard to squeeze reading practice in for my reception child

98 replies

paepatto · 20/01/2025 20:06

My DD is in reception. She's at after school club until almost 6 pm and we don't get home until 6- 6:30 pm, depending on the day. I used to just practice reading with at weekends, but she's started refusing it entirely pretty much.

I never really tried practicing during the week, but 6:30 seems so late.

Does anyone have any ideas / tricks advice on how to get her to enjoy practicing ? Ideally I would want her to practice reading every day, for 15 minutes or so. I'm sure it's doable, but she flat out refused at the weekend and also this evening..

OP posts:

Lavender376 · 20/01/2025 20:07

Do you have any time in the mornings?

SJM1988 · 20/01/2025 20:08

I found evenings were never good as my ds was tired. I tended to stick to weekends and mornings ( he asked once and i kind of just kept it going)
He's now year 2 and in the top group so not reading every day didnt impact him that much

Didimum · 20/01/2025 20:09

I’ve always done it with their bedtime stories. Try reading a page and getting them to read a page, or even just a line or word or two on a page and then increase over time.

MarioLink · 20/01/2025 20:09

Can you find 15 minutes before school so it's done.

TeenToTwenties · 20/01/2025 20:09

Read in the mornings when more fresh.

Mandylovescandy · 20/01/2025 20:09

I wouldn't worry and just read to her lots. Never found time with my eldest as he wasn't keen to practice but is now the biggest bookworm. Youngest is keen so it's easy to fit it in, sometime in the morning, in car on way home, while waiting at an activity etc

TonTonMacoute · 20/01/2025 20:10

Is it a school book? They were bloody awful and I could never get DS to read them, they were so boring.

When I did reading with a book he liked we were fine.

Overthebow · 20/01/2025 20:10

Is she in after school club every day? If so then yes you might struggle, she’ll be exhausted in the mornings and at weekends. We do reading at breakfast time if dd os going to after school club, and when getting home after snack if she’s not.

Crazycatlady79 · 20/01/2025 20:11

If you can't do it until 18:30, then 5 mins is better than nothing.
15 mins can be too much for some children.
I have AuDHD twins and in Reception, she could sometimes only manage a couple of minutes.
Reading TO them at that age felt more important and we'd often play silly word games and read signs etc out and about.

Bbomb · 20/01/2025 20:11

Each to their own but I wouldn't stress too much. Even reading a bed time book to them is something.

It's a long day for them and you!

Dish19 · 20/01/2025 20:11

Can you do morning instead? I read with DD whilst doing her hair.

Depressedbarbie · 20/01/2025 20:11

Reception teacher - mornings. Over breakfast. Aim for one pave or 5 minutes per day. Jsut to get the regular practise in. You can up it if it works, but a fee.minites each day is better than 15 minutes both days at the weekend.

SnidelyWhiplash · 20/01/2025 20:13

That is such a long day for a child that age, but why not do it as part of her bedtime stories?

Tiredofitallagain · 20/01/2025 20:13

I was really worried about this a few months ago as I work full time and the evenings are impossible.
As a pp said bedtime reading and allowing them to pick the words they know helped us.
I also found a game called teach your monster to read and duo ABC (kids version of Duo lingo) which works too

UniversalTruth · 20/01/2025 20:14

We always did bedtime too. If she doesn't want to read then you can offer to take it in turns to read a word/sentence/page (depending on her level). Or read it together at the same but leave her to read a couple of important/easier words on her own. Every day for 5 min is better than 15min at the weekends I think.

Reception age reading is about getting into the routine, using pictures to predict the story, understanding how stories work imo.

BeaAndBen · 20/01/2025 20:14

You could just not do it. Forcing her to read when she doesn’t want to will put her off even more.

We push children to read too early in this country for some of them. In most parts of the world she wouldn’t even be in school yet.

Leave it a few months and try again. Or play games with her like word lotto etc. Pulling back from forcing the issue was the best thing I did for my reluctant reader.

takealettermsjones · 20/01/2025 20:15

It is so hard! We have similar issues, albeit not quite as late - after school club until 5:15 ish, and then tea and then baby gets put to bed. Then I try to read with the older ones - I do both at the same time, eldest (7yo) reads independently but asks if she gets stuck on a word, 4yo reads to me. I also try to incorporate it in daily life, e.g. "DC please will you read what that packet says to me?" "What does that sign say?" etc. But we definitely struggle for time. Weekend are taken up with all the other things I feel are also important - clubs, swimming, bike riding, seeing family, cooking. And then there's spellings, TTRS/Numbots, the odd homework/project for the eldest - there's just no time!!

GrandmotherStillLearning · 20/01/2025 20:15

paepatto · 20/01/2025 20:06

I never really tried practicing during the week, but 6:30 seems so late.

Please don't worry. That's too long a day for a child.
Just do a little with bed time story. You do a page I do a page type thing.

Vettrianofan · 20/01/2025 20:16

Morning. Ten minutes.

Temporaryname158 · 20/01/2025 20:17

Try mornings whilst you are making the breakfast, she can sit at the table and read to you.

offer praise and encouragement Like ‘I love to hear you read, you’re so good at it’ then When she finishes, even if only 1 page offer lots of praise again.

my daughter is dyslexic and so I always praise effort over success and read more when she’s less tired and less when she’s more tired. Make sure you read to her every night, again even if only for a short period of time. My kids go into reading not because they were good at it (neither excel in reading) but because they loved books and wanted to be able to read their own adventures

she’s having long days. Is there anything you can do about that to reduce how late she’s getting home? That 5 days a week is an awful lot for a young child when they are expected to learn all day at school.

christmascanfuckoff · 20/01/2025 20:17

Shock horror....my youngest is 13 I was in same boat as you. Managed only at weekends if honest- he's above average for reading and literacy. Same with oldest . Don't worry about it
I used to even listen in the car or test with things like food shopping or signs etc

SnidelyWhiplash · 20/01/2025 20:17

Why oh why do posters quote the OP? 🤯

WallaceinAnderland · 20/01/2025 20:17

You can't find ten minutes a day to spend with your child? Do you read her a bedtime story? If not, start doing this. She can read to you (and her teddies) then you read to her.

Shinyandnew1 · 20/01/2025 20:22

I would probably do it after dinner if you can't do it in the mornings. Even just five minutes a day helps and is far better than nothing all week and then a big battle at the weekend. I'd do a page each so that you move the story on and then go over any tricky/sight words if you've been given them as well. I used to do those before they got in/out of the bath as a bribe!

MayaPinion · 20/01/2025 20:22

I’ll get roasted for this, but I used to sit mine on the kitchen counter and bribe them with a square of posh fudge while I was cooking dinner.

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