I cannot encourage my dd1 to do her 10 mins reading or practice her times tables with me so I have decided to stop asking her to do it

[PoorOldEnid]

as I am absolutely sick of badgering her to read (the school asks that they read aloud for 10 mins every day). She hates it. And she fusses every time I remind her to practice her times tables. She is almost 9, in year 4

so I have given up and told her that I have given up, I have said if she wants me to listen or help I will, but from now on I am not going to remind her.

Is that sensible or crap and defeatist?

Yes, am 100x.

DS2 has no understanding of numbers as far as I can make out. Neither do I, so we just do blinking at each other and chat about something else when he has maths homework. He's in Y4.

And you know what, somehow, I can't be bothered to take up good home time with going over times tables ad nauseam. ESPECIALLY not in the holidays.

And they do work all day at school.

Would something like "read factual/other books this half term but next half term read school books" work? (Next half term being closer to the great Christmas bribe...)

If you search the Darign Book for Gilrs on Amazon, it also bring up a few similar books in the "Other people also looked at these" section.

At her age I was v keen on the Chalet School books and desparately wanted adventures in the Alps - might they attract her?

Try Flat Stanley books or the ones DS1 loves are the Magic Treehouse.

Short easy to read books with black and white pictures.

I would lay off the boring school books if she hates them though.

And every time she reads without whinging she gets a sweet or stickers.

End of the month a bigger treat.

Does she see the rest of the family reading for pleasure, btw? (Bet she does, but maybe you are too busy when the kids are around?) Agree with taking the pressure off, but let her see it is possible to enjoy books.

Cappucino - you are hilarious! I love your posts!

I go with MT on the bribery front - I bribe all the time and I don't care. It works for me!

Last night ds1 didn't want to read so I told him I'd cancel his football training - that worked.

I dunno - it's difficult. Everyone elses suggestions are great.

I'm just evil and say I'll take away stuff (PS, nintendo, football training, Star Wars DVD depending on which child I'm coaxing!).

And DON'T nag about the books beside her bed.

Ignore it.

Shuddup about it.

Go through the farce of saying 'are you ready to change your books? I thought we'd go to the library'

And then let the next set sit there for a couple of weeks. At some point, when nobody is looking, and because the pictures are good and because she chose it, she'll pick one up.

I had this with ds and school very supportive re not getting stressed about it.

Majeika's scenario would definitely not play out like that in our house.

Ds would yell "I'm not doing it and I don't even want to watch extreme dinosaurs".

"I don't even want to" being phrase of the moment

Asterix?

hundredtimes is right, lay off the pressure and just let the books be available if she chooses to look at them.

do you read enid
when i am lying on my bed reading mid afternoon or whatever dd1 will lie beside me and i say "im reading - go and get your book and you can lie beside me and read too"
i then pretend to read but im really watching her
shes only 5 though

DS1 and DS2 now 17 and 15 both refused to read as younger kids. We tried everything, but it just seemed to turn them off reading. They both could read well, they just wouldn't practice.
We stuck with the reading by osmosis system. We have lots of books in the house and lots of newspapers and magazines lying around.
Both boys now spend their own money on books and read them. A great treat in our house is going to Bristol and spending money on books.
Take the pressure off for a bit. Just leave lots of interesting reading material about the house and see what happens.
Another trick we tried was reviewing a book. i told the youngest I was thinking of buying his cousin a particular book for his birthday. Could he read it for me and let me know if he thought it was suitable? That worked.
Or telling her you need to find something out, could she help you by finding the information out.

I read ALL THE TIME

my children have more books than the library

she has flat stanley
magic treehouse (which she refuses to lend to dd2 despite not wanting to read them hserelf )

malory those books look great but I cannot make the basket work

also recently she told me to stop buying her books

I also have a 9 year old who hates homework, so I feel your pain. FWIW I think you are right to take the pressure off (hopefully) temporarily. DD1 doesn't work well if I order her to do something - she'll do it, but she won't enjoy it and surely that's the point. I have found that she's been doing her homework so far this term because she has a new teacher who doesn't take any nonsense. Also the day she overheard me telling DD2 that her work was so good that she'd be catching up with DD1 soon was the day she started making more effort.

Honestly, I think it wouldn't do any harm to leave it for a few weeks.

thank you catmandu

I wonder if I COULD have her properly tested for dyslexia

do I just call the dyslexia action centre place?

Yeah, I thought you'd be a book-lover but just thought I'd check in case. Must be doubly depressing then. I really feel for you.

Did the dyslexia link sound at all like dd? (Took a long time but my book-hating dyslexic sister does now read for pleasure.)

Otherwise, agree with hundred, would just lay off all pressure and leave books, magazines, factual stuff lying around.

the sequencing definitely does

she cannot tell the time (at 8 not sure whether they are supposed to), she would have to ask me to knwo what day it was, she doesnt have any concept of whta month follows what

Started reading this thread then at about the point you started talking about non-fiction i needed to post (so haven't read all the messages since then!).

DS is also Y4 - a young Y4 at that. He loves non-fiction books, will dip in and out to his hearts content. THis helped tremendously with his love of history - WW2 last year, Tudors this. He also has an incredible general knowledge - far far better than mine at that age, and knows all sorts of random and not so random things.

Last year, in Y3 his teacher wrote in his reading record "This non-fiction reading is ok but please read fiction now". It totally turned him off reading.

He's back on track because we REFUSED to push the fiction reading - he is reading so what does it matter, fiction or non-fiction? I am sure that there will come a time when he doesn't put a book down (which has happened maybe 3 times with fiction books over the last 6 months but they have all been "short" books).

Let DD read what she is interested in and enjoys.

some info here about how to get help for dyslexia

I think at 8 you'd expect them to have at least the rudiments of o'clock and half past. I think.

I reckon the sequencing stuff is hard for her too - hence difficulty in following the story, trying to remember what she needs to know. Maybe her eyes have difficulty with tracking - hence the headaches. Does she say if the letters move about.

Also you say she can learn spellings for a test - but when she's writing is her spelling okay?

waterstones books for dyslexic readers

this is interesting - when I looked att he sugggested reading age i would say she was comfortable with books aimed at no more than 7 years 6 months (she is 8 years and 9 months)

trouble is dd2 also has a comparable reading age at 5 so dd1 thinks a lot of those books are babyish

is ti just the times tables? does she like other maths stuff?

thanks edam

100 I know you have given me this info before but can you give the contact details for that optometrist that picked up tracking probs?

she likes maths when it is a pattern iyswim