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Primary education

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Original poster

How can I help her learn to read better?

58 replies

lyssie29 · 11/02/2020 20:15

My dd is almost 7 and I'm really struggling to get her to read. She brings her school reading books home but she still spells each word out before reading it and then says a completely different word. It takes a long time to read a page with 4 or 5 lines. She has come on well but will not read anything herself and will ask me what things say even if they are words she's read before. When she does read to me she gets distracted very easily and wriggles around continuously until I get annoyed and tell her to sit still. What can I do? I know you can't compare but her friends are reading independently now and bigger books. I'm not sure if she's just unwilling to read it or if she really doesn't know how to. I'm going to speak to the teacher on parents evening but how can I help her now? I was thinking of getting a note book and writing a word on each page and getting her to read the word and then write it out as it would help with spelling and handwriting as well as learning how to read the word do you think that would help? I have always read to her and she loves being read to but not reading herself.

OP posts:
Justajot · 13/02/2020 08:57

I wouldn't wait until parents evening. Go and see her teacher and also the school's phonics lead. Get their strategies and work alongside them.

Purpledragon40 · 13/02/2020 09:19

This sounds a lot like Dyslexia, just going do more phonics or sight words isn't going to work for someone who can't read really quite simple words and gets frustrated with reading.

gran75 · 13/02/2020 10:06

Purpledragon40 - That's why I suggested taking a close look at the words OP's dd struggles with. Many children cope brilliantly with regular, basic phonics, and score highly in the screening test, but have more trouble than most with the trickier words.
eatanazurecrayon - I completely agree that having to start literacy teaching as early as is usual in the UK is awful and bad for many children. But the Rose Review of 2006 led to lowering the starting age from 5 to around 4 in the hope of reducing persistent literacy failure, to give our children more time to cover ground that speakers of other languages don't have to cover. All other countries with Latin-based writing systems, like Finland, Denmark and the Netherlands, are more relaxed about learning to read, and can afford to be, because they know that for their children it's not a problem. Finnish pupils learn to read fluently in about 3 weeks, because their spellings have totally regular 1 to 1 links between sounds and letters. In English the average is 3 - 4 years, with 1 in 6 pupils still struggling by the end of primary.
The time children need to become literate in different countries, and how much help they need for it from teachers and parents, depends mainly on the soundness of their writing systems literacyproblems.blogspot.com

Februaryfervour · 15/02/2020 23:03

Op from experience, please don't rely on the school or teacher for help.

Research lots of different ways yourself. Some great ideas on this thread.
Also try Peter and Jane books. My dd lacked confidence and was bored, someone on mn suggested Peter and Jane so I got the first set..
It really helped her building up again and turning pages and reading a whole book really boosted her confidence eg 'here is Peter... Next page.
Here is Jane.

Here is Peter and here is Jane... The dog.

Here is the dog.

Here is Peter and Jane and the dog...

Also high frequency word flashcards.

Story cd in-car... Never force...

Explore Al ways and avenues.

jenthehen · 15/02/2020 23:19

When my daughter was the same age she was very similar, she just wasn’t interested in learning to read (she’d much rather be outside or playing with Lego). I had to find something which sparked her interest and that was baking. She loved to bake with me and I’d gradually build up her reading skills with more complex recipes and more independence. I’d get her to read eggs, butter, spoon, vanilla etc but without ever mentioning ‘reading’ and then progress on to simple method instructions. It also helped her with her maths, with simple weighing and then doubling or halving recipes. By the time she was 10 she was making 100 cupcakes for a friend’s wedding! She’s now at secondary and in top sets. Sometimes I think it’s really best not to force it. Let them enjoy reading experiences with you. (I’m a primary school teacher and obviously also use traditional phonic methods at work but for some children I think the ‘bigger picture’ of enjoying reading for a purpose really helps).

GreenTulips · 15/02/2020 23:23

phonics doesn’t work for every childishly reading can help some children.

It can build confidence and allows them to look for patterns themselves

Patchworksack · 16/02/2020 07:45

I'd be questioning the level of books she has. If she is sounding out every word then getting through several sentences is very laborious and no wonder she gets bored!

Ohyesiam · 16/02/2020 08:41

My son had a really of learning style. It would seem like absolutely nothing was going in for months and months ( with reading sounded out like your dd , then say a completely different word), then did a massive leap forward.
He’s now 13 and reads daily. Comes off his xbox to read!

It’s just practice, and try not to be irritated by her wriggling. She’s only wriggling because reading is a struggle.
Really good idea to get help from the teacher though.

drspouse · 17/02/2020 12:32

gran75 is a troll trying to sell her own ideas which are not related to actual research on how children learn to read.

If you are in England, did she pass her Y1 phonics screening?
If not, she should be getting extra help at school.
If she did, well, I'm surprised.
I recommend the Teach your Monster to Read app for reinforcing the basics of phonics. My two have loved it.
My DD is 5 and in Y1 and slightly lower in terms of the rest of the class and she still sounds out most words but then reinforces the whole word by repeating a short phrase in whole words
e.g. she'll say
Sid had a camera
S-i-d Sid h-a-d had a c-a-m-er-a camera
Sid had a camera
This helps her to remember that they are whole words in their own right and should make sense together, as well as the mechanics of sounding them out.

simonisnotme · 18/02/2020 18:07

just a minor rant
why is it that whenever someones child is struggling at school someone else pipes up and spouts that other countries dont do 'this that ot tother' till whatever age. that means bugger all ! this is our system in our country and we have to put up with it. children in other countries do stuff differently but im sure they have their education issues as our kids do

drspouse · 18/02/2020 19:30

And children in other countries don't have to learn English!

GreenTulips · 18/02/2020 22:03

children in other countries do stuff differently but im sure they have their education issues as our kids do

All children have different learning styles. Change the way you teach, you just change the kids who struggle.

Iggly · 18/02/2020 22:05

I wouldn’t wait until parents evening. Raise your concerns with the teacher ASAP. Email or phone to ask for a meeting with the teacher.

OnlyToWin · 18/02/2020 22:11

Her reading behaviours seem to show she is switched off to reading and does not enjoy it.

I would try some easier books to build confidence so reading becomes less laborious. Sometimes children are taken too quickly through a reading schemes and they become turned off by reading as there is too much sounding out and blending - this is decoding - not reading. She needs easier books to be able to read for enjoyment and meaning.

I wonder how much she reads to her teacher at school? Is her teacher picking up her reading behaviours? If she is then she should be either taking her back a little to build confidence and develop fluency or discussing this with you.

SparkleClub · 18/02/2020 22:16

Have a look at the series of books called DogMan they helped DD aged 10 to read.

OnlyToWin · 18/02/2020 22:17

I ask re the teacher hearing her read, as with the extra time pressures on teachers children often read to other adults rather than the teacher and these behaviours/difficulties don’t get picked up.

OnlyToWin · 18/02/2020 22:21

Phonics screen can be passed by children who are good at deciding; this does not mean they are fluent readers.

OnlyToWin · 18/02/2020 22:22

Deciding should say decoding!

Hamsterriffic · 18/02/2020 22:25

Do you know what phonics system the school use? Read Write Inc have videos on YouTube...

Norestformrz · 19/02/2020 15:33

"Phonics screen can be passed by children who are good at deciding; this does not mean they are fluent readers." No but it means they can become fluent readers because they have the most effective strategy for reading every word.

Norestformrz · 19/02/2020 15:35

"All children have different learning styles." I'm afraid the myth of learning styles has been well and truly discredited by science it's simply nonsense.

OnlyToWin · 19/02/2020 15:36

I don’t disagree.

OnlyToWin · 19/02/2020 15:37

Sorry - cross post.
I was saying I don’t disagree that phonics allows children to become fluent readers.

gran75 · 19/02/2020 18:54

OnlyToWin - Most children need more than just phonics to become fluent readers. Lots of practice for one. Children also differ greatly in how easily, or not, they cope with phonics. When it comes to reading words in which some letters have more than one pronunciation (one bone, comes home) they differ even more.

GreenTulips · 19/02/2020 19:11

One is a tricky word
Bone is altered from Bon by the E
Come is also a tricky word Home is altered by the E

See letters and sound phonics