Anyone turned a reluctant reader around?

[longestlurkerever]

Dd1 is in reception. She's an August birthday. Her teachers say she's very capable and intelligent but she's so reluctant to practise anything and my patience is frayed.

We're supposed to do 15 mins reading practice a day but also wait till they want to. Well, she never wants to and when I make/encourage /force it's such a battle that neither of us enjoy. For example, tonight, we were reading a book that she has read before (by sounding out/blending) but she was just refusing to engage - getting the letters wrong etc (she's known her letters since 2yo). Her teacher suggested a reward chart but we've got so many of those on the go now it's getting ridiculous and anyway shouldn't reading be a pleasure rather than a task to be rewarded for?

I was a bookworm as a child and a people pleaser to boot - every teacher's dream. How did I produce such a reluctant student and is there any hope that she'll grow to love reading?

[daisydalrymple]

Fantastic! What a relief for you.

[sportinguista]

DS was a reluctant reader, August too as well. What worked for him was a game online 'Teach yourMonster to Read' it is recommended by the Guardian and is free and can be got for iPad. It really helped DS because he didn't see it as reading, more as a game. It did take time but it helped him understand phonics and blending. He's now year 2 and progressing well. We still have to make sure we buy reading matter he likes and has a good interest in but it's flowing naturally now. My advice is as well don't let them see any anxiety about it from yourself, it will happen and it seems to almost click overnight.

Reading Eggs are good too for some, but we just did bits of free trials!

[MissRabbitHasTooManyJobs]

I was also recommended "teach your monster to read " on a recent thread and it's fantastic and puts the child in control.
I'm a complete and utter bookworm and was reading from 3 according to my dad. Whizzed through school and was expecting dd to be the same as she's very very bright. Just not that interested in reading!!
School have sent her home now with 50 odd pink level books and are reluctant to move her up a level ( she's in reception ) as she acts completely uninterested during 1-1 reading but can read quite well. It's so frustrating.
I second the monster app it's excellent.

[DanceQueen]

I'm a bit late to jump in on this conversation, but I would agree with the two comments above. It is definitely worth getting your child's sight tested if they are very reluctant to read. I work for an optician called DW Roberts in Stony Stratford (North Bucks) that offers a private, specialist service called SchoolVision which is mainly aimed at children between the ages of 5 and 14 who are having difficulties with learning and reading at school. SchoolVision is a programme developed to help correct early sight problems that may not be picked up in a standard sight test and we have treated more than 400 children over the time we have been carrying out the tests. Indications that your child's sight might be an issue contributing to their reluctance to read might be headaches, signs of tension or stress when reading, following the text with their finger, reading letters incorrectly or omitting letters, holding their head in compensatory position while reading or if your child tells you the words appear to jump of move about on the page.

This isn't a magical cure for dyslexia but, it can work out whether sight problems are the root cause of the child's reluctance to read, or their disruptive behaviour at school, the results can make such a difference to the child's confidence and ability at school.

We have some information about SchoolVision on our own website //www.dwroberts.co.uk or feel free to contact one of our practices - there is also a SchoolVision website if you are far away from us where you can find out which other opticians carry out these tests.

Hope this is helpful.

[tobysmum77]

I think mrz is absolutely right. When you first start reading it isn't much fun in reality it is hard work. The enjoyment is at the stage where you read easily by sight and get lost in the book.

My daughter is in year 2 and in reception told me regularly that she hated reading. Now she can read easily and fluently I am starting to find her with her light on an hour after bedtime

[coco1810]

DS (now in YR7) was a reluctant reader. Blood, sweat and tears up until YR3. His YR3 teacher told him: "I don't care what you read, a comic, the Argos catalogue or the back of a cereal book just have a go!". We started with the Beano and never looked back!