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Original poster

Any advice to help improve my daughter's reading

15 replies

StripeyKnickersSpottySocks · 27/04/2007 20:11

She's 6 and isn't struggling as such, but I suppose I was hoping she could read better by now than what she can. She's on Stage 3 of the Oxford Reading Tree and can do these no problem (is in Year 1). Her teacher isn't bothered and she isn't one of the kids in her class who get extra support with reading.

But by her age I was reading Enid Blyton books by myself and I know there are at least 3 others in her class who can do this (I know I shouldn't compare).

I don't make a big thing of it but do try and encourage her. I bought the Glen Doman pack when she was 2 and did the flashcards with her. Then progressed onto Peter and Jane, but we only do these once or twice a week as she seems to get fed up with it and I don't want to turn her off books.

I read to her every night and she loves her bedtime story. I'm such a bookworm myself I think I'm worried she won't have the passion for reading I have. Am I expecting too much. Is there anything else I should/could be doing or should I just leave it and hope she will get it by herself or just accept the fact she may never love reading?

tia.

OP posts:

MaloryTowers · 27/04/2007 20:12

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Hassled · 27/04/2007 20:13

She's only in Year 1 - give her a chance! If you read and there are books around at home, then she'll get to it when she's good and ready. At Year 1 I think learning social skills is way more important, tbh.

SherlockLGJ · 27/04/2007 20:13

We bought the ORT books for DS just as he was finishing reception.

The deal was he read one to us, then we read a book of his choice to him.

His reading soared after this.

HTH

helbel3 · 27/04/2007 20:14

just keep sharing books with her. How about going to the library and getting some simple free readers, even if she cant read it all you can share them together.

perhaps casually ask her during different points in the day she would she like to snuggle up on the sofa and enjoy a nice story with you.

SherlockLGJ · 27/04/2007 20:15

We caught him the other day reading DH's golf magazine on the toilet.

When asked why ?? he replied there was nothing else to read.

shalom · 27/04/2007 20:26

My daughter wasn't really finding it difficult to read, i just felt she was not reading enough in order to improve herself. She lovesd to watch programmes like 'thats so raven' and High School Musical' on Disney Channel, so i got books based on these programmes. She finished one of them in about 2 days and she took it everywhere she went until she finished it. It certainly opened her desire to read ans when she goes to the library getting out 2 books a t a time is not enough . at one stage she had to get out 8 so that it would last her until the next visit.
So if possible try and get books based around what she likes to watch.
We also invented a library day every week.

sammac · 27/04/2007 20:26

I have this with ds, who is also on stage 3 more stories, in p1 which I think is the equivelent of reception. Over the Easter holidays we did homework every day- reading the home pack of ort stories(the book people for a tenner) and a range of workbooks which I bought at Borders. We did this for about half an hour each day, and varied what we did. There was also some number work. It was made into fun as his big sis did some work and I had to do reading(no hardship there!!!) Easter egg piece after- they couldn't wait to do it. Well lo and behold today ds got a super gold certificate at assembley, complete with music and big claps for huge improvement in reading.

I think he has made the breakthrough and it has all just clicked. He is one of the youngest in the class, and last August when he started some of the kids were the age he is now iyswim. I think he's just needed a bit more time.

Don't know if any of that's useful to you, but i really do understand what you're going through.

slowreader · 27/04/2007 21:11

Involve her laterally in what she is reading. It is hard to explain but it works. My kids always like to eat the food in books-( once had to make roast pheasant and bread sauce as in Danny Champion of the world). Famous Five have turned them into ginger beer addicts.
I spent this morning working with very poor readers (well they were- they are coming on) ages 5-9. In this one day we have;
Looked up frogspawn and worked out how to build a pond.
Chosen a car for Kiera Knightly (Astin Martin Vanquish - 2003 model) Hope she likes it.
Worked out how to escape being keel hauled by pirates (saw through the ropes with sharp barnacles).
Made a cushion den and been baby lions inside because we wanted our mums. But we cheered ourselves up by reading stories to monkeys.

If I'd had them at home we'd have made a spaghetti monster but difficult in a school library.

mumeeee · 28/04/2007 23:39

Her teacher isn't concerned so just try to be relaxed about her reading and don't push her. Let her see you reading books and magazines and read to her at bedtime.
She is doing fine for a 6 year old.

Pollyanna · 28/04/2007 23:45

It does just click one day. I remember being worried about ds's reading - like you I was a good reader as a child - but now in year 3 he is one of the best in class, and more importantly, loves reading and reads voraciously.

I am trying to remember this now with my dd1 who is 6 but isn't a fluent reader yet (she is about on level 7 of ORT I think, but there are others on chapter books in her class).

Ellbell · 28/04/2007 23:46

I second all the advice on here, and would add that, IME, these things do sometimes just 'suddenly click'. Dd1 is nearly 7 and only started reading to herself after Christmas, in response to a phase of not being able to get to sleep. She had read 'OK' at school up till then, and like your dd the teacher wasn't at all worried, but she showed no inclination to read by herself. But when she was having trouble sleeping, I told her that she had to stay in bed, but could put on a little light and read to herself for a while (dd2 sleeps in the same room and is always sparkers by 7.31 - having gone to bed at 7.30!). Dd started with those awful poxy Rainbow Fairy books which stink (IMHO) but which are easy to read, because they all have fundamentally the same plot! She was soon reading one of those a day, and in 4 months she has progressed to Dick King-Smith and Roald Dahl and Enid Blyton and co. Basically, if the story interests her now she'll give most things a try. I'm sure that when your dd is ready she'll do it... the main thing is to make books available and fun!

frances5 · 30/04/2007 10:33

Does it suddently "click" with all children? 20% of children who leave primary school can't read. Such children are demoralised and have low self esteem. I think it is a myth thinking that it will all click.

It is better that a child is given extra help at six before their confidence is smashed to pieces.

I suggest that you test your daughter to see what knowledge of phonics she has. This website has some simple reading tests and phonics assessments.

www.rrf.org.uk/

If there is a problem then your daughter would benefit by you buying the jolly phonics handbook from amazon and going through with her during the summer holidays. If she can blend letter sounds into words then she will find reading easier.

A lot of the words in the Oxford Reading Tree are not easily decodable. Decodable books like \link{http://www.jellyandbean.co.uk/jelly and bean} or the Jolly Readers which you can get from Amazon are much easier to read.

The following websites also have some free resources.

www.syntheticphonics.com/

www.dyslexics.org.uk/

Ellbell · 30/04/2007 10:55

Hi Frances

No, of course there are some children for whom it doesn't just 'click'. However, the OP's dd hasn't been identified as having a problem with reading, teacher is happy with progress, and she's only in Year 1, so still very young. The OP was just comparing her dd's reading with what she was doing at a similar age. (I can sympathise with this, as I could read - not fluently, but had the basics - at 4, whereas my dds definitely couldn't. I think this is because my parents 'hot-housed' me though, and I'm glad I didn't go down that route with my own dds, tbh.)

I would say that it's fine to be chilled for a little bit longer, to be encouraging (rather than looking for problems) and to see what happens. Then maybe at the end of the school year have a word with the teacher and see whether she/he thinks that it might be worth doing something more structured to work on Stripey's dd's reading.

lexcat · 30/04/2007 11:17

I think the best thing you can do is to enjoy books with her. I believe becoming a book worm you have to able to understand the enjoyment books can bring. From what you were saying she does enjoy sharing books, which I believe to be the best foundation you can give them.
It will suddenly go click for her and she will take off. In the mean time don't push her too much as you don't what her to be put off reading. Encouage her to have a go and it will come.
I help with reading a dd school with R/Y1/Y2 and I have notice some learn to read very fast other it's slower but their comes a point mostly by mid y2 it goes click and they just take off.
In y1 their are only 3 freereader but about 1/3 are only just getting going. By end of year 2 about 2/3 will be freereaders.

KathG · 30/04/2007 13:31

lexcat that is a really helpful post, reassures me that dd is somewhere in the middle - she has started asking to read in the evening which I take as a very positive sign.

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