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Original poster

Help - how to get 8 year old to read

55 replies

ReadingRefusnik · 04/05/2016 22:05

DS has always been something of a reading refusnik (hence user name). He won't read more than a couple of pages without complaining that he's utterly exhausted (and frankly, after a day at school, I think he often genuinely is exhausted). There's nothing to suggested an underlying cause like dyslexia - when he reads aloud, he can clearly do it okay, he just really, really doesn't like doing it. He loves being read to (we've just finished all of the Harry Potter books), and asks what to me at any rate seem like very interesting questions about the books as we go along (and even critiques the author's style and plotting!). His written English is also fine - his teacher showed me one of his stories recently because she was so pleased with how inventive it was. He just won't read.

I really thought we'd turned a corner at Christmas though, when he started reading Roald Dahl for pleasure and actually asked for them for his birthday. But now his school have introduced the "Accelerated Reader" scheme, and we're right back to square one - he absolutely hates the books (his example tonight of why they were so bad was that they seemed to him to be really badly written with one of his pet hates, "'I'm Bob,' said Bob" and similarly redundant pieces of padding, featuring in the prose). As well as that, being required to do online comprehension tests for everything he reads seems to be completely sucking the fun out of it for him. He's terrified the teacher, head teacher and deputy head will get cross with him for not doing it, and is terrified of being put onto the bottom table (which to be honest might be the best thing if it got him books that were short enough that they didn't scare him - except that they're likely to be even more boring than the ones he's got at the moment).

He's frankly terrified of the current one - 200 pages long, we've had it since Easter, he's made next to no progress, and just seems utterly overwhelmed. I don't know what to do. I'm going to see the teacher tomorrow, but I'm not sure how much that will achieve as his regular teacher (who is lovely) is on long term sick leave, and this is a supply teacher who doesn't really seem up to the job (going both off what my son tells me and what other parents have said - she simply can't control the class).

Does anyone have any suggestions?

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Comiconce · 05/05/2016 12:55

I've got a nearly 9 yr old dd and it's quite a recent thing that she will pick up a book and read for pleasure. I tried the lot and finally struck gold with Enid Blyton' mystery books. Who knew she'd like detective stories and following clues! At the weekend she read late with a torch under her duvet. I was so pleased I couldn't even tell her off Grin. A friend's ds of the same age has really got into Asterix comics. I guess the trick is to find something that gets and holds his attention.

As for the tracking thing, I got yellow reading overlays for my younger dc as they are all over the page when reading. It really helped to focus them on the line/paragraph.

ExtremelyConfidential · 05/05/2016 13:05

Look at :

the week junior
Aquila
Whizz pop bang

We get all of these for DS who's 8. Bit exxy but we ask for them as subscription gifts from relatives.

All are magazine types with fun, interesting articles and games that take 2 - 10 mins to go through. This limited attention requirement makes reading much more accessible and fun if there's any resistance. All deliver internationally if required.

My biggest gripe is bedtimes now fraught with DS begging to read one more page Grin

DubiousCredentials · 05/05/2016 13:39

Thanks for this thead Flowers

Just ordered a selection of the titles mentioned from eBay for my 9yr old reluctant reader.

Flowers
Original poster
ReadingRefusnik · 05/05/2016 13:45

Oooh, yellow overlays - there's an idea. And good suggestions for books, magazines, comics - I love the idea of stuff that is short and self contained.

Been walking around in the sunshine over my lunch break planning my short term strategy with the school. Think I will go in and suggest they just give him much easier, shorter books to start with even if they're worth less points. Then talk to DS about a "snuggle on the couch and read time" - no strings attached, no requirement to write it up, answer comprehension questions, no tasks of any sort attached to it. He gets to choose the book. He gets to choose what he wants to do with it - silent reading, or alternate pages with me, or whatever. We just cuddle for 10 to 15 minutes and try to treat it as fun. So the wretched accelerated reader stuff will, unfortunately, remain a chore, but I try to encourage DS to see it as a distinct activity from "real reading".

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Original poster
ReadingRefusnik · 05/05/2016 13:47

Oh and Flowers all round - both for everyone making really helpful suggestions, and to my fellow parents of reluctant readers!

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Ferguson · 05/05/2016 20:50

I don't have time to absorb all this at the moment, but I'll come back in a day or two with additional suggestions.

lljkk · 06/05/2016 06:49

The Beano, honestly. Saves our bacon. Means DS reads something.

Our school has a reading challenge contest going, & TG 8yo DS has bought into it. 20 minutes/night. He'll only read Astrosaurs at the moment, but we only have 6 of those volumes, so will have to branch out before he gets to the 1000 minute target.

Original poster
ReadingRefusnik · 06/05/2016 12:07

Managed 10 minutes of The Fantastic Mr Fox last night :-) We started off alternate pages, but in the end he read 5 pages to my one. The teacher (supply) has said she'll get him to swap his long book for something shorter (so all we have to tackle is that age old problem with children at this stage of reading - the easy books are too boring, and the interesting books are too hard!)

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Cressandra · 06/05/2016 15:57

Well done Reading! Thanks for the updates.

MadSprocker · 06/05/2016 18:31

One thing worked for my reluctant reader, but I wouldn't recommend it, he broke his arm twice last year, and couldn't do much else!

PettsWoodParadise · 06/05/2016 21:59

Have you tried non-fiction? DD is a great reader but she has a cousin who isn't and he picked up one of DD's 'Truth or Busted' fact books and before you knew it he was hooked. They are bite sized bits of fact so don't feel like a weighty tome.

I also second the magazines like The Week Junior.

Original poster
ReadingRefusnik · 06/05/2016 22:29

More progress - the school have also given him a green overlay to use, and he says it makes everything much, much easier. He's just read about 10 pages of the replacement (shorter, more appropriate level) book to me to show how well it works. Phew! I am feeling much more hopeful now.

Thank you everyone for all the support. I really was feeling very tearful the other night, and you all helped to calm me down and enable me to tackle it sensibly and rationally with the school. (Still think Accelerated Reader is not right for DS, but at least I have hope now that we'll negotiate our way through it without it destroying his interest in books).

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AYD2MITalkTalk · 06/05/2016 22:42

Obligatory disclaimer: I have no kids.

Can you really not just say "fuck it" and let him just not bother reading the bloody school books? I never read any reading scheme books as a kid and I can read just fine. Started school, they saw I could already read reasonably well, and they let me get on with it. Because I was reading stuff I enjoyed, I got good at it. I can't see any point in making kids read books they hate.

starry0ne · 06/05/2016 22:43

I had a thread on my DS struggling with thick books a month ago

This might be useful...He isn't a reluctant reader but co incidentally his teacher has moved him up to year 5 books which he is enjoying much more so he is reading more school books

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/2605084-Overwhelmed-by-thick-books-8-year-old-boy

Cressandra · 06/05/2016 23:33

Gosh I don't think my DS has ever read 10 pages out loud on the trot!

Along the broken arm idea, keeping car journeys screen-free creates a nice, non-pressurised slot for silent reading. Old favourites or a comic as PPs suggest, nothing too stressy.

Gremlinsateit · 08/05/2016 03:04

You know that he can read and that the AR scheme is making him cry. So, just do as PP said and say "fuck it". Give him a holiday from the AR books and get Wimpy Kid, Tom Gates and (a plug for an Australian series) the 13 Storey Treehouse. We also had a lot of success with sports-themed books like Diary of a Soccer Star after DS' year-long reading strike. Read him high quality books of your own choice. After a few weeks or months when he is feeling better, read the AR books to him so he can pass the ridiculous quizzes. He's sophisticated enough to spot poor writing, so he will also be sophisticated enough to enjoy a little conspiracy with you.

deedar · 09/05/2016 17:47

Just coming on to quickly recommend the 13th storey treehouse books. There are 3 in the series and they got my reluctant reader twins into reading non-stop. I've been giving them to anyone who mentions that their child (almost always boys for some reason) doesn't like to read. All have loved them. After those, they devoured the Tom gates' series and horrid Henry books. Now they'll read mostly anything they can find!

kesstrel · 09/05/2016 18:22

13-storey treehouse looks marvellous!

PatriciaHolm · 09/05/2016 18:22

Thirding the treehouse series! There are 6 of them now and they are some of the few fiction books DS (now 10) would read.

Tillyscoutsmum · 09/05/2016 18:26

I know this doesn't get past the demoralising tick box part of the comprehension but Accelerated Reader scheme has quizzes for most well known books so even if the selection your school has is small, your DS should still be able to read a Roald Dahl book (or similar) from home and do the comprehension test at school

Atthebottomofthegarden · 09/05/2016 22:02

YY to 13 storey treehouse + the rest in the series. My 8 year old DD loves them.

I find it incredible that they gave a 200 page book to an 8 yr old reluctant reader. DD is in the second to top group (and is on the same level as most of the top group) - her books are usually around 40-50 pages with a LOT of pictures still. A books usually takes us just over a week, probably across 6-8 sessions. If it takes much longer than that, she starts to lose interest. 200 pages would scare her shitless.

Original poster
ReadingRefusnik · 09/05/2016 22:11

Just catching up! There is good news to report - the coloured transparency is really working a treat. DS has read lots over the weekend.

In fairness to the teacher, it turns out DS had chosen the 200 page book (beyond his reading abililty) because his friends had said how good it was. It's the usual frustrating situation for a lot of children when they're still gaining confidence - their comprehension skills outstrip their reading ability, so the short books are often too simple and a bit boring, while the long books are too hard for their reading skills.

I will look out the 13 Storey Treehouse next time we're in the library.

And yes, I am stressing to him that I don't care how he does on the quizzes or whether he accumulates points (and he has the family bloody minded streak, now in its third generation at least, so doesn't do deferring to authority for its own sake... having said that, for that very reason I shan't be encouraging him to cheat, as he does have to get his head round the idea that sometimes for strategic reasons one has to pretend to plaly the game).

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neonrainbow · 09/05/2016 22:18

I haven't read the thread but dss who is a similar age is a reluctant reader. One school holiday he came home with a page of dinosaurs to colour in, one to be coloured when he had read for ten minutes. He loved that and did the whole page in 2 days. We put the timer on then encourage him to read after the timer has gone off - "just another page go on dss". Get short books so he can read them quickly and feel the achievement of finishing a book. Have you tried you reading a paragraph then him reading one?

DubiousCredentials · 13/05/2016 11:14

Huge success here with "Diary of A Wimpy Kid". Ds devoured the first and is halfway through the second! I am absolutely thrilled.

Thanks to all those who suggested it Flowers

Originalfoogirl · 13/05/2016 22:39

We're a little bit the other way round with this. Our daughter had only just properly discovered the joy of reading but our complaint is that the school reading books are far too easy. She mentioned it to her teacher and was to,d she could move up when the others caught up a bit. 🙄

So we pretty much don't bother reading the school reading book and let her loose in the library to choose books she wants to read.

When she was first starting to read but refusing, it turned out she was worried if she started being able to read, I would stop reading to her.

Glad you have found something which helps, but I do think if his comprehension is fine and his writing isn't showing any signs of suffering, it might be worth relaxing about it a little. Some children just aren't keen on reading. I love reading and love to share it with our daughter but I am always a little puzzled as to why it is always seen as so damned important that children read for pleasure. I did, my sister and brother didn't, but we're all pretty similar in our written language skills.