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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

Encourage my dd to read but not being pushy

41 replies

Louw1988 · 10/07/2016 17:44

Hi all,

So my daughter has had a tough time in reception and year 1 with her eyesight. She now has glasses and has been having eye drops to improve her lazy eye so her eyes have been blurry for over a year but hopefully at the end of this month she can come off them and start being able to see abit better

As she has had all this going on she has been a bit behind in her reading and writing and hates it with a passion! I have brought so many book sets to get her wanting to read but with little success - I think due to her struggling.

I have set up a laptop for her but she wants to just type letters not words and she has an iPad which she can send me and daddy messages on but again it's mainly emojis or random letters with the odd sentences

I've just brought her a set of Enid blyton books so they are a bit more grown up and hope that as the summer holidays come and her eyes are better we can really get her fluently reading
My thoughts are, every book she completes (with my help) she can get a star and when she has 5 she can get a treat
Any suggestions or ideas or do you think my plan is a good one?

OP posts:

DetestableHerytike · 10/07/2016 17:49

What book band is she on? My second child could've managed Enid Blyton at her age, my first couldn't have done so. To finish five chapter books would've taken even the second weeks.

What does she like? Non fiction about any interests could be helpful.

DetestableHerytike · 10/07/2016 17:50

What about little postcard to grab, especially if grab will write back? One or two sentences should be enough for DD to write.

Jaimx86 · 10/07/2016 17:52

Does she regularly see you, or another role model, reading?

DetestableHerytike · 10/07/2016 17:53

Gran! Not grab.

CodyKing · 10/07/2016 17:53

Some lovely books on there

poppygolightly · 10/07/2016 17:57

The best way you could encourage her to read is start small and forget about books for the moment as you may scare her off. Have a look on line for a list of cvc words ( like cat, dog, pin) etc and use them in games or treasure hunts. Then move on to more complex words. Find out what phonics scheme they use at school ( letters and sounds or read write inc) usually then look on line for resources. When your out and about have a go at reading signs together, but most of all make it fun. Perhaps go to the library and let her choose what books to wear.

poppygolightly · 10/07/2016 17:57

Read nor wear lol

JennyOnAPlate · 10/07/2016 17:59

I think if she's not reading fluently then presenting her with an Enid blyton book will be daunting and massively off putting. You need to start smaller imo.

Have a look at some early reader books on the book people website. My dds both loved the rainbow magic ones.

yomellamoHelly · 10/07/2016 18:03

I used to take my kids out to hang out in bookshops. We'd read whatever they fancied while there (would stay a while) and they could have a new book of their choice to take home. Dd hasn't been so good at choosing her own books in that she's tired of most of them quickly. But she did get into it in the end. She still wouldn't choose to read Enid Blyton though (prefers Roald Dahl and David Walliams).

Witchend · 10/07/2016 18:26

I would start with a treat each time she finishes a book-even if you think it's beneath her ability. If you want to encourage her then more prizes for less or she'll get discouraged.

For writing you could offer a reward for a diary over the holiday (can be mostly pictures) or postcards to granny etc.

Original poster

Louw1988 · 10/07/2016 18:52

She has the Oxford phonics books and the sounds write phonics collections which she can read if she puts her mind to it - sorry should have been clearer she is only just behind her peers so can manage a book on her own but its her not wanting to and doing more then one page at a time I am trying to encourage, to try and get her to enjoy it more once she's off her eye drops
She types letters to the queen and has a diary where she writes letters to me and daddy but most of the time she will only write the same things over again and then gives up and writes random letters or draws she sees us reading a fair bit but we don't read stories so she's not interested lol

When I said read one book and get a star I do mean with my help so I'll read quite a bit to start with and hope that she will soon pick up on the story and want to read by herself when I'm busy to see how it ends etc.. I know she can read very well when her eyes are not tired and she wants too!
Stubborn little minx at times - in her school report the teacher has said 'uses delaying tactics to avoid finishing her work when writing is concerned :-/

OP posts:

AdultingIsNotWhatIExpected · 10/07/2016 18:54

Reading eggs is great, takes them right through KS1 (maths seeds also)

and see if your local library is doing any summer reading projects, they're quite good, they can get stickers and prizes for completing x amt of books of their choice

AdultingIsNotWhatIExpected · 10/07/2016 18:56

oh, something I do that REALLY makes them want to read (bit sneaky)

at bedtime, they have 2 choices: light off, or light on & read quietly… so since that makes reading a sleep delaying method they always chose to read! AND think it was their choice/idea

christinarossetti · 10/07/2016 18:57

I would back right off with trying to 'get her to read' until her eyesight is sorted out (just a few weeks, from your OP). In the meantime, read to her, get audiobooks etc.

I imagine that she's using 'delaying tactics' to avoid doing something painful/uncomfortable/difficult, which is fair enough!

Think of it this way - if she was having physiotherapy for a broken ankle, you wouldn't be trying to persuade her to run the 400m until it was healed properly, and even then would ease her in gently. Take the same approach to reading and writing.

KindDogsTail · 10/07/2016 19:10

It sounds like the poor little thing has has a hard time with her eyes. Do you think for now you could just go the library and book shop and let her chose books herself, hold them look at them and you read them to her? She has had a set back with her eyes so just let it be as though she is younger for a while.

In Germany they do not even properly do reading till seven then make very fast progress once they do. So all you need to do is pave the way for her.

It sounds a little as though it could be worth not letting any fear or obstructiveness build up. While reading to her you could point to show her some particular words only one or two a day and sound them out. For example find and wherever it is on a page (those words like and, the, of which are not objects are somehow harder then one or too other words of nouns). But never actually test her/ask her about a word. School can do that, and you can be the one she is calm with.

Enid Blyton should be fun and exciting.

When she relaxes and is enjoying even being around a book more, at a later stage, do you have a dog or could you borrow a neighbour's friendly dog? Children are more relaxed then and, without the anxiety, manage better.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-26577565

Original poster

Louw1988 · 10/07/2016 20:03

Thank you ladies, the books are a present for after she finishes the drops as a well done for preserving with them and making her eye better by letting me put them in for so long. I feel for her I really do it breaks my heart to see her not being able to do anything. She literally can not see at all without her glasses so she falls asleep in them, wakes up crying in the night because she can't see to go loo and can't take them off for swimming or bathing etc.. It has been real tough on her.
Reading is not forced but at the same time it's been made very clear to me at school that she needs to read more at home which means I have to have the rows with her!

She hasn't had her drops yet today so her eye is 'normal' and she just read the whole book she brought home from school 'the dragon dance' and read all the words perfectly. She was so proud so I'm sure when the drops stop completly she is going to start to get a real buzz from reading which will help her lots

OP posts:

sirfredfredgeorge · 10/07/2016 20:23

I really don't think it sounds like she needs to read more, read with her, talk to her about the stories, work on all the vocabulary and comprehension skills which don't actually need the technical skills of reading when she's struggling to even see. She'll catch up those bits when her eyes are better.

I also think the "rewards" for reading, are not really good motivation, you're actually saying that reading a good story is not a reward in itself, but something of a chore that you need to be "paid" to do.

Original poster

Louw1988 · 10/07/2016 20:30

sirfredfredgeorge I didn't see it like that so thank you. I think I'm going to give her the books as a treat for having the drops as I said and just leave her to it and see if she makes the effort - obviously reading them to her as I would anyway. Hopefully she will build her confidence after the drops and want to start reading herself

OP posts:

DetestableHerytike · 10/07/2016 20:32

Congrats on your knighthood, sirFFG!

DetestableHerytike · 10/07/2016 20:33

Op, are her eyes strong enough to work with the laptop/iPad?

Original poster

Louw1988 · 10/07/2016 20:37

DetestableHerytike She actually works better on a laptop and iPad but it is very enlarged for her so I think that's why

OP posts:

Ditsy4 · 10/07/2016 20:42

There are some lovely interactive books online, many are free. The Dr Seuss one is vocal too. I have used these with reluctant readers on an iPad. I found spending about 1/2 hr a night reading to my children the most beneficial. They soon want to read bits for themselves. Comics are also good. They don't see it as a reading chore because it isn't a book. If you are out for the day give her a map. Shopping give her a simple list. She can find those items.
Enid Blyton will be way too difficult but by all means enjoy reading them to her. Talk about the story together. Oxford Reading Tree are popular but don't over face her. Large print books should be available at the library and they usually have activities in school holidays which she might enjoy.
Poor little soul it must have been hard for her. Practise her phonics and rely more on her hearing as that may be more successful at the moment and is a great skill when meeting new words.

Freshprincess · 10/07/2016 20:46

Could you try getting her some comics or magazines about something she's interested in? getting herr used to the idea that reading can be fun and interesting rather than just more schoolwork.

shouldwestayorshouldwego · 10/07/2016 20:55

I would also recommend the summer reading challenge at the library. At that age I got one which they read and one for me to read. I would aim to get a book which if possible is slightly too easy for her to read so that she gains confidence.

Original poster

Louw1988 · 10/07/2016 20:57

Ditsy4
She does quite a lot of reading when it comes to shopping lists, typing in toys she wants into Amazon etc lol I suppose I may be expecting too much to want her to sit and read a book because she wants too lol
I don't want to be a pushy mum lol
She was born 2 months premature and at 2.5 her language was assessed at 3.5 years, she is very articulate and clever and I just feel like her eye sight has taken away her confidence a lot in the last year, reading seems to be the schools focus especially with the phonics screening test being a washout for her :-(

OP posts:

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