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Education

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Original poster

Right, so I'm crap, DP is crap, so someone, please tell us...

21 replies

HuwEdwards · 02/09/2006 20:25

...how we encourage our DD (starting YR1 in next week) to enjoy learning?

I know from seeing other kids reading books that her reading is very average and so through the holidays, I went to the library and tried to encourage her to read. Not on a daily basis, but maybe twice a week. All DP and I get is whingeing, whining and wriggling, and protestations about reading being 'boring' ad infinitum. I'm so disappointed as I've been an avid reader all my life.

So, we went on hols, decided to forget reading and tried to teach the basics of time-telling - exactly the same reaction. She whinges, whines, protests, but with our perseverance (and lecturing and berating, if I'm honest) she finally does it.

But it's such a chore for all concerned - and I think it's probably our crap methods that totally uninspire her. How do the rest of you do it successfully?

OP posts:

MoreTeaAnyone · 02/09/2006 20:28

Get her on the computer. There are lots of websites to help with the basics. Google education sites or home schooling. Make it fun, if she's saying she doesn't want to don't force her, it'll put her off even more.

Cappuccino · 02/09/2006 20:29

I made dd (same age) a book with all her high frequency words in, with a story that involved her and her favourite storybook pictures

she says she's 'tired' whenever I get it out

leave it to the teachers. You have wine to drink. Honestly - I think that pushing it is the worst thing; and lecturing and berating are going to have the opposite effect. We are reading real books to her at night (Faraway Tree, Ruby Genie, Harry Potter) and she knows that books have magical things inside them, so she'll get the message eventually

one hopes

Original poster

HuwEdwards · 02/09/2006 20:30

MTA - we tried that....she whinges about that too - and knows how to get to her 'favourites' - Barbie etc....

We're doomed.

OP posts:

MoreTeaAnyone · 02/09/2006 20:32

Don't put too much pressure on yourselves. Ask at school, get their ideas, as Cappucino said. Get her Barbie magazines don't ask her what she's read just let her do her thing.

Oh and BTW your not doomed. She's still young and new to learning. Give her time.

MoreTeaAnyone · 02/09/2006 20:32

Don't put too much pressure on yourselves. Ask at school, get their ideas, as Cappucino said. Get her Barbie magazines don't ask her what she's read just let her do her thing.

Oh and BTW your not doomed. She's still young and new to learning. Give her time.

Original poster

HuwEdwards · 02/09/2006 20:33

Cappucino, I think we're out of the same mould (as I sit here galss of rose in hand ). That's exactly it, she adores Magic Faraway Tree and Wishing Chair Books when I read them to her - which I guess is why I though it would be easy to teach her to read.

You've made me feel better though!

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Sophiev73 · 02/09/2006 20:34

You are not doomed. I'm a teacher and previous message correct - we went into teaching to teach kids stuff - parenting is about so much more so relax and keep up what you're doing but please don't stress - you're doing a fine job and she'll love it when she's ready.

Original poster

HuwEdwards · 02/09/2006 20:34

MTA - yes, maybe you're right, let her do her own thing - her computer skills are v.good I guess!

OP posts:

23balloons · 02/09/2006 20:36

ds is the same. Will be going into Yr 1 next week. He hasn't read a word all Summer and I haven't tried to force him. I think there will be enough work to do when he is back at school so I have let him play for the whole of the holidays. I am worried he will have forgotten all the words he knew before the break though.

He won't even have bedtime stories now, he always wants to play trump cards or look at football cards instead or read a football book (which I find too boring to do).

MoreTeaAnyone · 02/09/2006 20:38

Great 23balloons he's reading. Even if it is football books/cards etc. It's a great place to start.

NotAnOtter · 02/09/2006 20:38

A silly thing but i always teach mine to read in my bed..all snuggled up with Mummy - the whole experience is cosy and homely i think it helps!

singersgirl · 02/09/2006 20:40

I think sometimes when children are learning to read they get worried that once they can their parents might not read to them anymore. It can also seem incredibly daunting - yes, they can read a bit, but the books their parents are reading have pages and pages of small words on them.

Often, IME, reading suddenly clicks and then it is no longer a chore, but just part of life.

DS1 was exactly like your DD at the same age/stage. Now, at just 8, he is an excellent reader, though, to my grief, not a keen reader of novels.

Rhubarb · 02/09/2006 20:40

Don't push, don't pressure! She's 4? My dd is 6 and just learning to read, she still can't tell the time. I was an avid reader too, I loved books, but she is not me, she is a person in her own right and I cannot fill her with my expectations, that is not fair on her.

Encourage a love of books. Read Roald Dahl to her, currently dd's favourite author. Read a bit to her every night. Don't push the reading thing at all. In France they don't expect children to read until 6, what they do is encourage a love of books so that children want to read, not because they are being pressured into it. The more pressure you put on her, the more rebellious she will become.

Make learning fun, do short spells only and have a treat afterwards. Get her attention first. Don't forget that she is an individual, she will not learn like the other kids because she is not like the other kids, she is her own special person and you have to respect that.

mousiemousie · 02/09/2006 20:43

I have had the same kind of experience as you...my dd starts Y2 soon and I now suspect she may have dyslexia to some degree

Original poster

HuwEdwards · 02/09/2006 20:46

Rhuby, she's six before the end of the year - and yes, I am worried that we're pressuring her and I guess from what you and others are saying that we are, so I think we will back off and leave her to it. On the plus side, she adores drawing and is very good at it, but both DP and I are quite driven work-wise and perhaps we don't recognise it as we should.

OP posts:

LIZS · 02/09/2006 20:47

We were told to let dd (same year group) just enjoy the break this holiday. Not done much structured stuff but she has still learnt things by exploring for herself and playing. She loves listening to story tapes and following along in the book, making up puppet shows with ds, for example. If learning becomes a chore noone will get much out of it. They will do things for teachers that they won't do for parents, so don't be so hard on yourselves and her.

mousiemousie · 02/09/2006 20:48

My dd is a good drawer too. We are working through "Toe by Toe" - a reading manual recommended by mumsnet - I would recommend it.

fussymummy · 02/09/2006 21:08

My daughter starts yr 1 on wed.

She enjoys reading, but only if she's confident with the book she has.

As soon as she gets one she doesn't like, she doesn't want to know.

We play games with her flash cards, and she enjoys making her own sentences.

I also got her some easy reader books for her age that i knew she'd like, and at bedtime she has to read to me, before i'll read to her.

I also have a son who starts yr4 on wed and he's a good confident reader, when he can be bothered, but it has to be an interesting book.

When he started yr1 he wasn't very good with his reading, but as he progressed in that year i was amazed at how well he was doing with his reading.

Try to be more relaxed and not too pushy and let your child pick the books.

tigermoth · 02/09/2006 21:20

Perhaps it will be the more practical things that will inspire her to read - and I am talking about life in a few months or years time, not now.

My sons really wanted to be able to read menus, instructions, prices of toys, and later on, game boy and computer games - after if you can read even the basic words like stop, start, exit, a whole new world opens up.

That's where they got a lot of reading motivation. It helped them be independent and have fun. I do think reading 'clicks' with some children suddenly. My ds2 was a slow reader in reception and also in year 1. Last summer holidays I paniced aboutit, worried about him catching up. He has improved so much in year 2 - he is now an average reader for his age - a real achievement considering how little he was reading just 12 months ago. His super teacher in year 2 worked this magic. I did read at home with him, but only the same as most others in the class - nothing extra. He will now enters year 3 a reasonable reader - I know lots of other children can read better than him, but he's showing that he will get there in the end. And all this holiday, he has had lots of fun reading signs, instructions, comics and writing notes to his friends - still not keen on proper books but considering how much he has progressed I am more than happy.

curlew · 03/09/2006 06:41

My ds goes back into year 1 on Wednesday - ha can't read more than a few words and he certainly can't tell the time - that's really hard! DS couldn't tell the time reliably until she was 8 - and she got 2 5and a near 5 in her year 5 SATS, so she's not a slow learner!
Just keep reading to her, leave the teaching to read to the school and she'll be there before you know it!

threebob · 03/09/2006 07:57

Huw - chill - Education isn't even compulsary here in NZ at your daughters age.

Time telling is a lot more interesting I find if you say "tell me when it's 10am, because you can have a biscuit then."

"look at this magazine and tell me what time your favourite programme is on so we don't miss it."

But the single most important thing you can do is read around her, you love reading and eventually she probably will do too.

Having seen the high frequency words I am not surprised that she thinks them boring! I challenge an author to come up with a good story using them. (I do realise that's not the point - but could be how she sees them too!)

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