Reluctant reader 8yr old - need some advice

[ggirl]

Ds is fine at reading but hasn't made great progress in yr 3.

The main problem is he doesn't really like reading for pleasure.

When he reads to us he often gets the little words wrong . He'll say 'in' instead of 'and' or similar .

It's almost like he's reading it too fast because when he slows down he's better.
My question is should I make him slow down and read it properly or just leet him get on with it.

No problems understanding what he reads

He does read to himself as well and I do realise that reading aloud is somewhat harder.

OMG! 'embarrassing' - two esses!

Why is it sad that I would suggest not pushing a child to do something if they're not enjoying it?-it could be counter productive.

sorry to hijack. DD is similar age and a good reader however she doesnt seem to want to read to herself. She wants to read to me all the time, which is nice sometimes but a bit time-consuming. How can I encourage her to read to herself?

Not all the time obviously as we love reading her bedtime stories. But, I know what a joy reading can be and I want her to love it too...

schroeder,

I just thought it was sad because you appeared to be dismissing reading aloud as being of no importance, or boring, once a child was a competent reader.

From what the OP has said I think that this child might still need some monitoring ( I wouldn't be happy about the word substitutions). Reading aloud is the only way to do it and it is possible to make it fun, rather than a chore.

To take the really long term view, good reading aloud is an excellent way to get your children interested in books and reading. If we can't teach a younger generation how to do it how are they going to enthuse their children?

sarahfreck His spelling is very good .But I will keep an eye out for the other things you mentioned. Thanks for the info.

If he can read and understands what he reads but dislikes reading aloud, why keep torturing him with?

Give that a rest and perhaps just talk to him about what he has been reading by himself? Or are u hoping that he'll become an actor or a teacher?

Perhaps he misses words in reading aloud as I often do when typing, as above,
why keep torturing him with that?

OP didn't actually say anything about her ds not liking reading aloud, masha.

She said he didn't like reading for pleasure.

He doesn't dislike reading aloud , he is reluctant to pick up a book and read to himself .

"He doesn't dislike reading aloud , he is reluctant to pick up a book and read to himself ."

If this is the case, I wouldn't worry too much. I'd just have plenty of shared reading experiences, where you take it in turns to read to each other, chat about the story, discuss why you think characters acted in a particular way, put on silly voices and generally have fun!

If he likes reading by himself, understands what he is reading, why torture him with reading aloud which he seems to dislike?

Perhaps u could just talk to him about the books he reads by himself?

Differentiate between reading alone and reading aloud. Reading alone to ourselves we all skip words, scan sentences etc, but reading aloud is more about communicating to others. So just explain that when reading aloud you have to be clearer, slower, more accurate. Dont endlessly correct him, if he's getting an understanding of the story dont break the flow. Correcting with cause more anxiety.
My 10 year old DD is currently loving Warrior Cats series by Erin Hunter.

masha the op has told you he doesn't dislike reading aloud but he doesn't like reading to himself for pleasure

thanks mrz

poshbaggirl-yes I think I'll cut down on the correcting and wait for him to correct himself more.

Could you take him to a book store/library and just spend time exploring options he might enjoy.
My daughter only reads biographies for pleasure whereas my son after a stuttering start of only liking instruction manuals loves fantasy thrillers.
He will read for enjoyment when he discovers what he enjoys.

will take him this afternoon-although I have avoided the library for myself for a few yrs cos I pay more in late fines than the books cost

Do you know the Book People catalogue - lots of cheap books and sets? Get a catalogue and give him the chance to choose something from it.

It's great that his dad still reads to him, if he's still getting enjoyment from that.

Things have changed a lot in libraries over the last few years.

You might find you can keep track of the books you have out and renew them (to avoid those pesky fines) on the internet.

I think the library's summer reading challenge has been a fantastic incentive for dd to read this summer. She is somewhat reluctant too and it has given her the umph to try more than she would have done otherwise.

Do you try to get him to read fiction or non fiction? My little boys aren't reading yet, they're 4 and 2 but DS1 shows a lot of interest in books about how things work, and I was thinking of trying to get him more non fiction books.

My son (now grown up with children of his own) was a reluctant reader until about 8 when he discovered Dr Who books. Then he took off and soon progressed to Lord of the Rings and various science books.

Taking children to a library and letting them browse is definitely worthwhile.