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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

My Year 1 ds is not progressing in reading - should I panic?

27 replies

ipanemagirl · 09/01/2007 10:27

My ds (almost 6) is prog very slowly in reading. His class has a spelling test every week. When he agreed to practice those words he used to get about 5 out of ten. He seems really irritated by having done badly a few times and now won't practice them unless we have a huge fight - which I know is only going to create a block.
But he is a very bright boy but just doesn't seem to have the basics yet. Still mixes up 'b' and 'd', often writes letters the wrong way round.
I know that I should chill out, but I come from a family who read very young and had no problems so my expectations are high, plus as a SAHM I feel that I have let him down by not giving him the basics earilier.
He's about to get extra help in a small group every day which I'm pleased about but I just don't know whether this is a developmental stage, or whether he has a learning diffiiculty, or whether he has a mental block. It's so hard to work on the basics without his cooperation!
Some of the kids in his class are reading brilliantly - and he's easily as bright as them verbally, I worry that if he's behind now it will hold him back permanently in some way. Anyone else baffled about what to do with their child's reading? Advice would be gratefully received!

OP posts:

Budababe · 09/01/2007 10:32

How old is he? My DS is an August b'day and also in Year 1. I know he is "behind" others in his class with reading but he is progressing at his own pace so I am not worried.

Ours will apparently start spellings this term but the teacher did say at the beginning of the year that it would only be for those who she thought were ready - she said she didn't want to knock the confidence of those who are not ready.

They are all different and all progress at their own pace. Have you spoken to the teacher? What is her view?

Oh - mine also mixes up "b" and "d" and writes certain letters backwards.

LIZS · 09/01/2007 10:32

dd is one of the youngest in her Yr 1 class (August), reads well (apparently) but still reverses b and d in writing, can do well in learning spellings but often doesn't in class tests and a month ago we discovered she has glue ear and probably doesn't always hear well. I hear reading in class once a week and there is a huge variation amongst them, more so the boys, and tbh your ds sounds perfectly normal. It will come in time.

Budababe · 09/01/2007 10:33

Oh - sorry - just re-read and noticed you said he's is almost 6!

There is one boy in DS's class who was only 5 mid-Sept but he is way ahead of everyone else! They are all different.

Original poster

ipanemagirl · 09/01/2007 10:39

Thanks Budababe and LIZS, I do hope it will come in time and I worry that these tests are knocking his confidence.

OP posts:

Wordsmith · 09/01/2007 10:39

ipanemagirl, your ds sounds just like mine. he's probably a year on from yours (he'll be 7 in March) and has only in the last 4 or 5 months started to read 'properly', ie not from memory but working out word for himself. At almost 6 yrs old he was next to hopeless, although he could manage basic spellings - but these were 'learned' words which we practised for a week before the test, which tbh I dodn't think really teaches spelling at all! He's recently realised that if he learns to read then he can look through his Star Wars Annual himself, when his little brother is asleep, and he's in top bunk with his reading light on! BIG incentive. I still have to prise him away from the TV/computer to practise spellings or read school books though...

Boys are notoriously slower to read (and everything) than girls, and I seriously wouldn't start to worry about it until he's in year 2 or 3. Bet you any money you'll see a dramatic improvement in the next 12 months.

Comparing kids with their classmates is the road to misery, I believe...

Bozza · 09/01/2007 10:41

DS (similar age - 6 on 20 Feb) can read quite well, manages words like "disgusting" and "nervous" and "finally" (all in his reading book last night) but still gets b and d mixed up which then means he is struggling on much simpler words like "band" for instance. I find the b and d thing deeply frustrating and have contemplated starting a thread on it.

Is there anything you can do with him that will be fun? DS is far happier reading other things like signs and shampoo bottles etc than books. Or the other day we read one of his picture books, and he read the first paragraph and I read the rest of the page. He thought this was great fun for some odd 5yo reason.

breadgirl · 09/01/2007 10:42

ipanemagirl, i used to be in a very similar situation when my dd1 was in yr1 although she never refused to do her homework or revision .. but it was such a struggle helping her with her reading and writing .. she could barely string 3 words together, and i also compared it to when i was in infants .. i knew all my words, spellings, 10x table and even was told to go juniors library for my reading books .. so i didn't understand.
Dd1 was put in an extra literacy sessions group and i helped her with it every night .. and it paid off .. and i saw a huge improvement in her reading and writing. This makes me very happy .. she is now just above average now
Hope it works for your ds too .. keep on helping and i'm sure your hard work will pay off

foxinsocks · 09/01/2007 10:42

Those small groups they do in year 1 (they do them at dd and ds's school as well) are really very good. Do you know who is taking them? A few of the readers in dd's class had little extra classes and it really boosted their confidence and helped them along.

foxinsocks · 09/01/2007 10:43

sorry, I meant the additional small group work they do for those who need a bit of extra help

Bozza · 09/01/2007 10:43

wordsmith's post mentions what I was trying to get across. I think sometimes with boys they need to realise that there is something in it for themselves. Like the star wars annual in bed. DS got some top trumps cards for Christmas and he has been obsessed with playing them which involves some basic reading.

Wordsmith · 09/01/2007 10:46

bozza - snap with the Top Trumps! I never thought I would be grateful to the dreaded Star Wars for anything!

breadgirl · 09/01/2007 10:48

Also, it's important to help with homework and get it done. I spoke to another mum who's ds was having problems (worse than my dd at the time from what she told me)
I told her to keep at it, but she said she couldn't be bothered as it made her so angry he hadn't handed in any homework for weeks .. which is not helping her ds nor setting the right example!

Bozza · 09/01/2007 10:48

A bit of a mixed blessing though. Or so I thought when I was trailing through Ikea on the Saturday after Christmas with DS and DD trying to find where he'd left them.... We are now on our second set of star wars top trumps and also some world soccer stars ones. Actually they are also good for basic maths. DS is starting to understand the concept of a decimal point.

Original poster

ipanemagirl · 09/01/2007 10:56

thanks for all this advice, it's much appreciated. Breadgirl I spend a lot of time sitting with him when he has maths homework or projects, we sit together while he does it and I encourage him etc. It's just practising the words for the test that he hates and the teachers have said not to get into a battle about writing..... negative programming etc. It's just working on this that feels impossible!

OP posts:

Original poster

ipanemagirl · 09/01/2007 13:00

bump

OP posts:

TheWillowTree · 09/01/2007 13:14

Rather than working on the words themsleves could you do some intensive worjk on phonics? If his phonics and sounds are fully secure he will be able to work out all the regular words, thus taking off the pressure so he only has to learn the few irregular ones / bits.

Jolly Grammar is great for this - I do it with my dd as she likes the grammar side of it, but it also focuses on spellings / phonics etc plus aplphabet etc. It works too as my dd only got two wrong out of 10 words a week all last term.

Original poster

ipanemagirl · 09/01/2007 13:35

Thanks Willowtree I've just ordered some jolly phonics books online!

OP posts:

Blu · 09/01/2007 13:37

DS is also in yr 1, (though v young in his year) I'm having the same dilemma over the fuss, and not having done not as well as he would have liked a few times has definitely enhanced the 'block' towards the whole thing.
At the w/e he burst into tears when I was trying to encourage him (nicely) to sit with me and write 'thank you' notes. He said he couldn't do it, and when I reminded him he had been named 'writer of the week' one week, he burst into tears and said he was the LAST person to be writer of the week (i.e the last of 6 in a 6 week half-term...). I have been at a loss as to whether to push forward despite the upset, to give Ds a sense of achivement that is possible if he does lear to 'feel the fear and do it anyway', or take it much slower with no pressure, and avoid undermining his enjoyment of books.

I am taking the latter course, because it is clear that pressure causes anxiety that coepletely blocks his ability.

His teacher has said he is 'a very bright child' so I am not assuming long term problems, or basic inability. This has given me the confidence to sit back a bit.

Pablothelittleredfox · 09/01/2007 13:39

Haven't got long to post but I read with year 1 children (ds is in year 1) and there are still a few who mix up 'b' and 'd' so it's not uncommon.

I know older children who were still struggling, if you like, at this stage but caught up in year 2 and are now speeding along with everyone else.

He is still only 5 so while I can understand your anxiety - he's not unusual.

Zofloyya · 09/01/2007 13:48

My dd is in year 1 (she will be 6 in June), and is in the same boat as many of the children described on here. It does bother me a bit, but I just remind myself that in many European countries, her reading and writing skills would be entirely undiscovered at this point. I have Danish nieces aged 11 and 13 who didn't start to learn to read till they were 7, and can now read and write very fluently in both English and Danish.

chipkid · 09/01/2007 13:53

my ds (july birthday) is also in year 1 and sounds identical. He gets his letters muddled, writes ok some of the time but mostly it is a mess. I also struggle with homework and getting him to read...I think it is because he genuinely feels that he has better things to do with his time! he really just wants to run around playing imaginary fighting games and reading and writing just get in the way!
His reading has suddenly improved-without warning and from nowhere. I am sure this is what happens.

On the b and d confusion I was advised to tell ds to think of the word bed with the sticks of the letter being the two bed ends.

If he was remotely ineterested in getting them round the right way I am sure it would work!

lostinfrance · 09/01/2007 14:00

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

cardy · 09/01/2007 14:12

This all sounds very familar to me - dd (6 in August), hasn't really got to grips since starting school and HATES reading her reading book. She doesn't mind writing but seems to lack confidence - i.e. she'll ask me how to spell something and I'll sound it out for her so she can at least try to get some of letters (teacher's suggestion) however if she gets it wrong she goes ballistic!

In terms of teaching, the school and therefore I do a mixture of phonics and memory, however she still can't recognize/remember 'ch' 'st' 'sp' etc..

By the way she loves maths!

I think the difficulty is how much to push them when it is clearly upsetting them to get things wrong.

OrmIrian · 09/01/2007 14:18

They are all different. My DS#1 didn't really get it until Yr2. He could more or less read before then but couldn't really be bothered. He had extra help. Something convinced him that reading was less hassle than having to have extra lessons and be nagged to read for mum/dad/teacher. I would also suggest that you read to him - things that he really likes, perhaps books that he couldn't read easily for himself. Make his know that books are worth investigating.

'b' and 'd' are often difficult. I helped mine by telling them how to spell 'bed'. 'b' makes the headboard and 'd' makes the footboard. Makes it clear which way round the letters go.

chipkid · 09/01/2007 14:22

incidentally my ds loves maths too-i think it is because he can do it easily! I jump with joy when his homework is number related as at least I don't have to chase him round the house to get him to do it!!!!!!!!

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