How do you encourage a reluctant reader?

[ZucchiniPie]

DD is 5 and a quarter and has just started in Year 1. In Reception she learned her phonics fine but was pretty reluctant to do any reading. Now she's back at school she seems to have forgotten everything (understandable after a six week break - we didn't practice during the holidays) but is really anti the whole idea of reading. She fidgets constantly and looks everywhere but the page. I can't work out whether she is just grumpy about having to do it (we often go days without taking her reading book out of her book-bag so we're certainly not drilling her) or whether she finds it really hard and is avoiding something she finds uncomfortable.

I'm terrified of turning her off the idea of reading even more by pushing her too hard but on the other hand, perhaps she needs a bit of a shove to take it more seriously. Her other verbal skills are excellent and, although I have considered it, I don't think she's dyslexic as she writes quite fluently (albeit phonetically still). Or is 5 and a quarter still really young and I should just let it come naturally - after all she wouldn't have even started reading yet if we lived in Scandinavia :-)

Any good suggestions to encourage positivity without resorting to downright bribery?

I have a fidgetter too. We did 5 minutes a day (unless DS wanted to do more) through reception and now he's really loving it. As in refusing to put his book down and go to bed. I think it's one of those things that is a lot more fun once you're good at it, so yes it may help to (gently) enforce practice for a bit. While making it fun and chatting around the books she's reading of course.

I don't know about bribery but if DS is stalling about something he has to do then having something good lined up to do next helps. As in "right, when you've done your reading we can go and play in the garden/I can read your story/etc".

And I do find enforcing something every day much much easier than enforcing it once or twice a week. It just gets built in.

Mydelilah, like you, like you it's been a bit of a surprise as I was reading properly by the time I started primary school. My mum (who didn't work) taught me and I was always an incredibly, perhaps overly, conscientious child. In many ways I admire DD's independence on this issue - I was always terrified of getting into trouble, whereas she's completely her own person

When my dd2 was a very reluctant reader in yr and y1. I bought a couple of nursery rhyme books and used to read and sing with her every night. By following the songs and storis she began to be able to associate the words. Also have you tried to put the subtitle on when watching TV.

Alas Zucchini, I totally sympathise with you on the working mum guilt (I have it in spades, as work full time in a full-on job, including a few days away per month for international travel) and also on the strong-willed DD front!

Letting DD choose her own books at the library seems to be helping with the independence/need to control that my DD has. Also, although it's an 'obligation' to practice, still trying to make it as fun as possible as Catnip says. I also note that DD is starting to get some satisfaction from reading - I think it does get more enjoyable for them, the better they are at it, as Catnip says. -I also think the dreadful Chip and Biff books did not help at all last year-

DH or I get home at 6.30pm at the earliest. For the daily reading (and from Y1 there is spelling and number work on top, eek!) whichever of us is home first starts with DD straight away. If we are both late (it happens occasionally) then our Aupair does the honours (she is brilliant and always happy to do this task).

I too have been thinking about trying to build it in in the morning (can I direct you to the thread entitled 'how do I become a morning person?' Sorry I'm on mobile so can't link). I've been following the techniques on that to try and get rid of the crazy morning rush, with mixed results so far, but I keep trying!

I need that thread!

I'm also glad to say that I'd never even heard of Chip and Biff until I started this conversation - obviously dodged a bullet there

Regarding the time for reading - DD reads on the toilet.

Last year, to battle her chronic constipation, the doctor prescriped longer toilet times, 2x 5minutes a day at least.

This was utterly useless for a fidget 6 year old so we allowed her to take books with her. In no time she had a book in each toilet and bathroom, sometimes magazines and we now have to tell her to stop reading.

Also, if she is in bed early and not too tired she can read a bit, the same at the weekend when she wakes up early.

I think your instincts are right and leave her do not push, she enjoys books and has exposure to them thats brilliant.

A book that might, in due course, encourage her to take more interest in reading and writing, in an easy and enjoyable way, is reviewed in the MN Book Reviews, "Children's educational books and courses" section. The Oxford Phonics Spelling Dictionary is colourful, easy to use, and features characters from the ORT series of books, so she may be familiar with them. There is a link to view sample pages from the book, and you can purchase if you wish to.

I worked in primary schools for over twenty years, and as others have suggested, it is best not to 'push too hard', and let her discover reading and the pleasure books can bring, in her own time.

Thanks, I'll take a look at that!

• read every day at the same time to stop arguments.

• Build in a small reward - screen time after?

• read books she's interested in (probably avoiding biff and chip)

• with the story books you read normally, ask her to read the last sentence in every paragraph.

Is my DS the only one that adores Biff and Chip books? Advantages of having a young for age 5 yr old maybe!

It's probably more to do with interests rather then age maybe?

My little one likes books to have humour and quirkiness. Biff and chip don't inspire sadly but since reading other books, we have started to really enjoy reading time.

Sorry, had a busy couple of days - but have now acquired the Julia Donaldson phonics set. They arrived in super-quick time. Thanks for the tip, nonickname!

We went to the library yesterday afternoon and she chose some reading books. No luck so far getting her to actually look at any of them!

Also had my first opportunity since the start of term to introduce myself to her new teacher and I mentioned the reluctance about reading. She agreed with what you've all said - build it in as an everyday thing, let her choose her reading material, relax about it as she's very young and it'll just suddenly happen.

Zucchini my DD has made immense progress this week

I'm certain it's the regular daily, 'no point in arguing so let's just get on with it' approach that's making a step-change. And the fact that the books are more interesting. I really wish I had started this approach earlier.

Today she loved the book she was given at school so much she read it to me, then DS, then DH and then phoned DM and read it to her over the phone