What do you do when they hate reading?

[mydaftlass]

DD is now in y2. As soon as she got home readers in reception she protested about reading them. It was a real battle to get her to look at them. I spoke to her teacher who suggested we left off the readers rather than make her pressured. So we did and she made no reading progress in reception.

In Y1 it was much the same story - huge tantrums at the mere suggestion of reading. Her class teacher said she was fine reading in school and didn't really have suggestions for how to handle reading at home or offer more support in school. She made some but slow progress in Y1 - one band maybe two?

In y2 I started reward charts with very appealing rewards which worked for a while and she moved up another couple of bands. I hoped that she had turned a corner but things came to a head just before Christmas. A friend kindly gave her a present which looked like a book wrapped up. DD was in hysterical tears all the way home at the thought someone could have been cruel enough to give her a book! When pressed she said she was upset as she thought if it was easy enough I might make her try to read it.

I don't really know what to do next. I will try to speak to her teacher obviously. We read to her every night (which she loves), offer trips to the library (refused as it is full of horrid books), tried reading eggs and other games (she'd rather do maths, science etc). If she suspects there is any reading involved in anything she won't do it. It has become a battlefield and I don't know how to break it. I haven't asked her to read at all over Christmas but don't know what I'll do when term starts again. Can anyone help with what to do with a resistant reader?

Don't know the answer from a teacher's point of view, but as a parent, I wonder whether you could find something that she actually wants to read (on top of school reading which I think she should stick at too).

Even books without words - where's wally, maze books etc. Or science books (usborne do loads). Just leave them in her room, or on the breakfast table.

My youngest started with the cbeebies comic, then where's wally, then the Beano. I think it helps with confidence and also shows them that reading can be pleasurable without an adult listening.

Can I ask what sort of level she is reading at currently? My daughter has problems with the contrast on the page and the letters don't appear in the right order. she CAN read and she can actually read very well but she finds it uncomfortable without tinted glasses and she prefers bigger print, less dense text etc. Do you think it could be something like that? If the letters move when they look at a page it can actually make you feel sick or dizzy.

Hard to answer, as my DDs both love reading.

She sounds like the thought of having to read is stressful and makes her anxious.

Does she struggle with it? If she made no progress in Reception and little in y1 and now is still resistant in y2, she must be falling behind.

I'd suggest having lots of times that she sees people at home enjoying reading (while no pressure being made for her to read yet). And going to the library (not offering a trip that she can refuse, but making it a routine thing - we go most Saturday mornings. Half of the time my DD came home with a CD to watch or an audio book to listen to, but it means she loves the library.) Lots of books on cd where she can start to read along if/when she shows an interest are a good idea.

Keep up with the reading, obviously, and yes to talking to the teacher about it. Cynically, I'd send a note in asking for an appt and say that it's about reading. That way the teacher can make sure they've paid attention to this issue before you come in and can speak more knowledgeably.

How many times a week is your DD listened to reading at school? If it isn't at least a few times a week, push for them to listen to her more as she may do it without al the fuss that she makes at home (as is the case with several of the children in my class regarding their homework, for example.)

When she has to read at home, start by alternating a page each, so she does the reading, but has some help.

Thanks. We have lots of books of all types around - science books, atlas, puzzles, story box magazine subscription, newspapers, nonfiction etc. she never picks up any of them. She does quite like the Usborne things to spot books though so Where's Wally is a good suggestion, thanks!

Yes - you have to find something that they want to read. That could be something non-traditional like comics rather than books, or even word puzzles, magazines, or stories that she's interested in. Recipes or "how to make" books. Rainbow Fairies is popular (even though they are mind numbing for adults!) or something like Animal Ark. A story she's really interested in and wants to see what happens next. Help her out or do it in turns - she reads the first sentence and you read the rest of the page for example.

Most school readers are dull and boring, and if she's been stressed out because she finds it hard, then she probably associates the idea of reading with something that gives no pleasure or reward at all and hence what is the point? You have to show her the point and then she will want to do it more.

Nonickname - she has just moved to orange, so not behind enough to concern school. I do wonder if there is some issue too. How do you find out? I don't want to ask her with leading questions!

2kids - yes, stressful and sometimes difficult. I don't know how often they listen to her. Not often, I don't think. More reading in school was what I was hoping for in Y1 as she is utterly well behaved there and wouldn't squeak at all about it!

I was going to say perhaps it might be good to go for something which is really well graded like the Songbirds scheme. Each book has only the sounds which have been covered with some "tricky words" at the beginning, no more than 3 or 5 for each story. I'm going through these with DS and he loves them because they aren't too hard. At the start of each story it tells you the sounds that it covers and he goes through each sound first. With the "tricky words" I just read them for him - he'll be able to decode them himself later.

But then seeing your point about how she was so upset about the book because if it was easy enough you might make her read it :( Maybe it's best just to be hands off about it and accept that she might be behind for a bit, and try not to worry about it. They DO all catch up in the end.

I think it was at orange that we started to realise there was really a problem, the text seemed to get smaller suddenly, a paragraph on a page rather than a couple of sentences. We actually found out by accident as her complaints were about brightness rather than anything else and it was when we got the glasses to deal with that that we suddenly noticed a drastic improvement in reading, less fatigue, less eye rubbing, more sitting still, more willingness and less fuss.

Hard to know without asking her some level of leading questions and of course what she sees will be normal to her. You could try and find a vision therapy department near you, that is what we did. I asked the school SENCO for some advice because we knew it was making her uncomfortable but didn't know what was wrong and optician said all was fine. The SENCO suggested a particular place for us to try and they gave her a test for £35 or £45 which for her showed up a really obvious problem. You want to read up on Irlen Syndrome/Eye Stress/Scotopic Sensitivity. It might not be of any relevance to her but it might be and if it is then it could change things quite dramatically for her. She may settle with a coloured overlay which is about £10 or the school can sometimes supply them but the colour is specific to her not just a 'red will help' as for some people red makes things worse but yellow is perfect, for someone else it could be green and so on. We got the glasses because for DD her issues were throughout the school day in the classroom (artificial light, white board, computers etc) and they cost us about £130 I think, can't quite remember but definitely under £150. Not cheap but we think it was worth it for her and she has had them nearly a year now. Feel free to PM me if you want to ask anything else.

Good time of year to try it - if you've got some quality street wrappers you could play a game putting them over different words to see if any are easier to read, or just print stuff out on coloured paper.

Thanks nonickname I will get her eyes checked again and then mention this to her teacher too.

This really rang a bell in your post: "we suddenly noticed a drastic improvement in reading, less fatigue, less eye rubbing, more sitting still, more willingness and less fuss". She fidgets about unbelievably when reading. It is the only time she fidgets.

Bertie - guess what I'm tucking in to right now!

it is definitely worth looking into then, it could explain why she will do anything to avoid having to read. some websites will let you change the background so you can see which is more comfortable for your eyes to get some idea of how different it can be.

DD1 used to do a really odd thing of swinging closer to the page, then back again, then right up to it again, then back, a lot of time spent looking round the room, sliding on to the floor to avoid looking at the page etc Once she got her glasses she just sat still.

A bit of a cheat for an overlay are those coloured plastic pockets that you can buy. They are a good size to cut up and make a large sheet to go over a page.

Or this isn't too bad a price, compared to some.

www.amazon.co.uk/10-pack-A4-coloured-overlays/dp/B004LJ86Y8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1388441336&sr=8-2&keywords=overlay

It's good that she enjoys being read to. Could trips to the library involve choosing stories that are read to her?

I also think there are many really lovely picture books, which could be borrowed.

If books aren't about making progress, levels etc - but about the pleasure of looking at images, with the words being less central - that might bring back some of the fun.

Most libraries also have stories on CD. So perhaps if it's more based around building up a love of stories, and making sure attractive books are just lying around the pace...

Hmmmmmmmm.

Either she is a sensitive soul who has somehow picked up a hang up about reading from you/other parent/family member/school/some other adult who meant well but used a bad choice of words at some point about your DD's reading...

OR..........................
she has a problem with her eyes/processing ability with words.........

or....................................she doesn't like reading.............can you have a more levelled conversation with her about it? DS (also Y2) we can talk to a bit more maturely (sometimes) about things that worry him/he finds difficult. Have you talked to her about why she feels so strongly?

I would be inclined to have a reading holiday (say 2 weeks) and then set a new routine involving her reading things she chooses- let her have control, would that work?

Just a suggestion... but go on the british dyslexia website and look at the signs for dyslexia in this age group. 2 out of my 3 are dyslexic and what you describe is really familiar. Now that the 2 of them are older they can verbalise the stress that reading causes them. The improvements have only happened after they were formally assessed in school and learning strategies appropriate to them put in place.

Dont expect the school to offer this or raise it as a possibilty. It will be down to you to instigate it unfortunately.

Ds3 is not dyslexic and the difference in his attitude to reading is amazing. He cant get enough of books. Same upbringing though.

The thing that made DS enjoy reading was not being "forced" to read something that was hard. The best thing that ever happened to him was moving schools, and being moved down to a lower reading level. Suddenly he found reading "easy" and he started to like doing it, rather than always finding it something that was very hard work. Then he naturally started reading moved onto slightly harder and harder.

Do you think it's the type of books that are a problem?

What books do you get from school?

You could always try the Oxford owl website and see if reading online works (as a novelty iyswim). Personally I think reading scheme books are dull as dish water, I know my yr1 DD fidgets and sighs a lot when she reads one so we don't bother with the school books anymore and just let her read whatever she wants.

Yeah, but that's trickier before you can read fluently. Sounds like she's not that far off though, and once she gets there = a lot more choice and fun .

Thanks everyone for great suggestions.

She doesn't really have any of the other dyslexia traits other than poor spelling. I'll keep it in mind though.

Freetrait - she is sensitive and you may be right about her picking up on something, especially as the problem only manifests at home not school. I will have another chat with her too. I told her I wouldn't ask her to read over Christmas after the present incident so she's having a 2 week break.

I don't thing the issue is what she has to read - there is practically every type of printed stuff at home. At school she gets a range of readers so isn't stuck on one scheme. She doesn't seem to find them boring, just stressful. She sometimes reads books on oxford owl, which she prefers for the novelty (and the fact you can turn the sound on!). She will only ever read graded readers even given a choice as I think there is a degree of security there.

I've just remembered that a month or so ago she read a book to DC2 so she could get another story read to her so I might try that more often.

When ds comes home with books he hates we don't read them. He just reads something else he likes instead and I record that in his reading diary.

OP - whilst there could be many other reasons as to why your DD is reluctant to read. I would definitely take DD to the opticians as there could be an underlying reason, a few of which have already been mentioned.

My DD is also Year 2 - she is a very fluent reader (reads brown KS2 books somewhere around 3B/A level) and has been reading chapter books at home since reception.

Around November, she started to complain of headaches and tired eyes when she was reading or concentrating. She would start to move around and shuffle as she was reading; bringing the book closer, or moving it further away, tilting her head etc. She would do this regardless of whether she was reading aloud or silently.

We took her to the opticians a couple of weeks ago. She had been previously diagnosed as long sighted and with an astigmatism in her left eye, in June. We were told that whilst she didn't need a prescription for glasses at that time, she may in the future if it continues to bother her. She has now been referred to the hospital ophthalmology dept. as the optician has given an initial diagnosis of convergence insufficiency - basically her eyes do not maintain binocular vision when doing close-up work, hence the headaches and tired eyes. I was quite surprised as she has had regular (yearly) optician appointments since the age of 4 and this was the first time that any issue like that was suggested.

Having read up on convergence insufficiency, she also displays other typical symptoms - clumsiness is one, for want of a better word. We are awaiting the hospital appointment and the optician said that hopefully her vision can be corrected with exercises and/or glasses. I am glad it has been diagnosed now, rather than a few years further down the line.

Good luck, OP.

OP, my dd1 found reading to be a major chore in Y2 (even though she was classed as a good reader), and never ever read by choice. She did have processing issues, I think, as 'words jumped' and 'gave her headaches'. She tested positive for Irlen Syndrome, and was given a green transparency to read through - she refused to use it though

A year later, she was finding it easier. In Y4, she was the top reader in her class, and now in Y5 probably still is - or one of them.

I would stay out of battlefields as much as possible, ask her in a non-battle moment if reading ever feels difficult because of 'jumpy letters' or 'muddly letters' etc, give her comics to read, or science books with exciting experiments she has to decipher, etc. Play to her strengths, give her confidence.

And reassure yourself that there is still time, and - finally - reading may never be her favourite thing. That can still be very much ok!

in think some people just don't like reading.My DB has never read a book for pleasure in his life.He is an Oxford chemistry graduate and in a prestigious job
My mum says he couldn't even read until he was about 7.5