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?

Hi mydaftlass:

I haven't read everyone's answers but with DD1 who also was a slow starter (left Y2 with NC L1 at KS1 SATs in reading) - I know that she hated reading out loud (has a problem with pronouncing letter 'r').

Our solution was stumbled upon.

DH decided to lay down the law because DD2 was seeing Harry Potter films before reading the books (DD2 was basically reading as well as DD1 by Y2). So we introduced the no movie until you've read the book law. Worked very well.

We also made a point of reading ourselves. So bedtime reading became a swap between girls reading to us (now really 1 or 2 x a week - DDs Y6/ Y4 now) and us reading to them, from new favourites (Lemony Snicket Series) and old Favourites (Narnia chronicles, The Hobbit, A Christmas Carol, Charlotte's Web, etc....).

We allowed DD1 to buy comic books and read them. This has resulted in some interesting new vocabulary - i.e. DD1 came home to announce "You won't believe who Mrs. X has me sitting with on starting table - it's my arch nemesis...." - Thank you Pokemon!

There are a ton of Children's TV show related magazines - with all sorts of great reading/ brain teasers/ math games/ etc... These really appealed to DD1 when Biff & Chip didn't.

I also stumbled upon the alternation trick - read a chapter of your school's reading book tonight and you can read what you like tomorrow or I'll read to you - so we broke it up a bit.

Finally - I would sneak in school reading at odd waiting times - so when we were waiting to pick up DD2 at ballet - DD1 and I could go and read quietly in a little waiting area and actually we weren't the only ones.

For DD1 getting her hooked on reading has taken a really long time and help from the school (a TA runs an accelerated reading programme and did some great things with her in Y4 which really made a huge difference) - but we got there in the end. So my main advice is keep believing they can do it. They will get there in the end.

HTH

Do check out eye sight / irlen's / dyslexia.

If all is fine with sight and processing then maybe she is someone who doesn't and may never read for pleasure.

My ex housemate was in this category until I introduced him to David Eddings at age 28. He now has his own kindle but throughout schooland uni only ever read what he needed to to pass.

But there is some good news. People who don't read for pleasure often do read to acquire information. How is she with instructions? Textbooks?

Try things where reading is a means to an end, so cooking or gardening or anything she is interested in.

Also don't limit reading to books, nothing wrong with comics and even cereal packets.

While the suggestions about physical difficulties which might be affecting her reading are excellent I would want to know a bit more about how she was actually taught to read. It is entirely possible that she still finds reading difficult because she does not have a secure base of phonic knowledge and skills.

How was she taught; phonics or mixed methods? (A clue might be in her early reading scheme books - old ORT or decodables?)

Oh forgot to say.gave my reluctant-reader Y4 a kindle for xmas and so far this seems to have helped a bit.I notice she has been reading it in bed most nights.Not much-but a bit!

I'm taking her to the opticians for a check tomorrow.

MaizieD - her readers were a mix of things including ORT. What's old ORT?
I think you are right about her grasp of phonics as she rarely sounds out unfamiliar words - she tends to read the first letter or so and then guesses.

No wonder she doesn't like reading then, she barely knows how to do it

By 'old' ORT I mean the ORT books which have been around for years and years which were written for 'look & say' whole word teaching and so have lots of quite 'difficult' words right from the start and offer no chance for children to get enough practice in decoding and blending (sounding out) words. Oxford University Press have brought out phonics based decodable books in the last few years, suing the same characters, which is a bit confusing. But they do have 'phonics' somewhere in the title!

I suggest that you have a look at www.dyslexics.org.uk particularly the pages explaining the main teaching methods. Then think about whether you could fill the gaps in your dd's phonic knowledge at home or if you might need to see if you can find a tutor for her. I promise that she will read much more readily (though she may never 'love' it) if she gets a good grounding in the phonic knowledge she is lacking at present.

It is very hard to imagine what it must be like to be unable to read very well. I got an inkling the first time I encountered 16th century handwriting But it is really difficult and disheartening for the struggling reader.

'suing' I mean 'using'

She's Y2, do not despair. Maizie is right though. I would want to check her phonics knowledge in a systematic, non-judgemental way. Then if it is wanting start building it. You need phonics to read. End of.

My DS loved being read to but hating reading at first. I think it was because the enormous effort for an extremely dull story didn't feel like much if a trade off.

TBH we didn't push it - onky made him read once a week and carried on reading to him every night. When he could read more fluently and more interesting things he suddenly enjoyed it more.

He was sent to his room in disgrace this morning and in an hour read most of a Beast Quest book, which he loved. Not sure it worked as a punishment, but I was chuffed to see it!

Sounds like some phonics revision is in order, thanks. I'm not sure she would do it with me but I at least feel better prepared to speak with her teacher about our problems. She is keen to please at school so hopefully they can help.

Little sibling is just starting phonics too so I might get Dd to help me do phonics with them

That is a brilliant idea! If you need ideas have a look at the Phonics International website. It is full of advice and resources.

www.phonicsinternational.com

She might be a bit old for them to appeal now but the songbirds books by Julia Donaldson are really well put together in terms of phonics grading. I found that the buff, chip and kipper phonics books weren't actually very phonic at all. With songbirds it outlines the sounds that book practises on the inside cover and any "tricky" words are placed there in advance as well.

Although thinking about it there is such a variety of stories in the scheme - some cartoony, some more serious or even factual, some rhyming and repetitive, others with new and made up words, some with a comic strip type layout, etc. She might find some she likes. They're fairly cheap on amazon as you get the whole set in one book to use at home or your library may have them. I'd start one lower than orange.

Finding an author they like has been the real take off point for both my DC

DD (who has mild dyslexia) found Lauren Child and loved the Clarice Bean books, then went on to the slightly alternative Lemoney Snicket series. Asked for the latest for Christmas

And DS, as well as enjoying lots of non-fiction - joke books & light hearted how to understand adults! - has now discovered The Diary of a Wimpey Kid - we bought the final 3 books in the series over Christmas hols.

Good luck to you and your dd, OP
There must be a book and an author for her out there somewhere

Oh, I see MNHQ have taken down their Christmas decs today

Google Irlens Meares and dyslexia and see if any of it applies x

My Yr 2 DD(7) is a struggling reader so have read this with interest. She has found it non-straightforward all the way through. Found it hard to blend initially. She hates reading to me, sometimes misses out words and it's all been quite frustrating. However she loves being read to and is currently enjoying the Junie B Jones series.

maizieD I have been googling your links and they're very interesting. I am beginning to think it explains a lot. So thank you for posting them.

BTW My dd now at 14 is an avid reader and doing very well in all subjects including English, in spite of having dyslexia - which meant there were concerns about reading progress in early primary years.
But we've always valued reading and stories and I think osmosis does a lot of good - that is she saw everyone around her reading for pleasure and purpose.
I do think we start formal education very early in the UK - and not always to every child's benefit.