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Primary education

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Original poster

My Reception child refuses to read at home

32 replies

mumof32015 · 19/12/2020 23:59

My DS who has just turned 5, point blank refuses to read at home. He knows all his letter sounds really well. If we ask him can you point to something that starts with this letter or that letter he can easily tell you. However when it comes to sitting down and blending phonics together he just refuses to do it, goes stiff and then tells me he doesn't know the words. He then refuses to even tell us the letters in the word. I am finding it really frustrating, and it worries me he's going to start falling behind at school.
Does anyone have any suggestions about how I can make learning to read fun?

OP posts:
Whatamess666 · 20/12/2020 00:04

It's a stage. I've p1s who were the same and honestly it suddenly clicks. That doesn't mean they develop a love of reading instantly but initial sounds to blending is a huge step and for some it takes a while! Keep sounding out the words for your dc and they'll get it eventually! For some they just can't hear it blend as easily as others and takes a wee bit longer. Make it fun and no pressure. If there's a problem I'm sure the teacher will let you know.

june2007 · 20/12/2020 00:06

The teachers generally say as long as they are reADING SOMETHING. sO READ EVERY NIGHT TOGETHER IT DOESN,T HAVE TO BE THEIR READing book. (Sorry pressed caps lock.)

EnglishRose1320 · 20/12/2020 00:08

I would stop trying with his actual reading books for a bit, take the pressure off. Learn to read in other ways, you reading to him, playing games like word snap/ word bingo etc. Labelling things around the house with simple cvc words.

Neolara · 20/12/2020 00:09

I just wouldn't do it. The more you force it, the bigger the battle. I'd completely back off and just read him lots of stories so he gets to associate books with fun and not being cross.

rollinggreenhills · 20/12/2020 00:11

Just read stories to him. The funnier and more entertaining the better.

Ploughingthrough · 20/12/2020 00:12

One of mine was like this. I got him going by getting him to read the last word of a sentence, especially effective in rhyming books.

Umbridge34 · 20/12/2020 00:14

Mines the same. The only book he will tolerate is one he knows every single word to we've read it that many times.
His teacher said he's doing well in class and that he will get it eventually. We do a lot of sounding out the phonemes when we talk (please pass me the c u p, time for b e d... that sort of thing). To be honest I've given up worrying about it. He's summer born so obviously won't be as advanced as some of the other children but its hard not to compare. We also both work full time so dont have a huge amount of time after school to do the phonics, the reading and the focus activities they put on class dojo.
Unless his teacher tells us there's something to be concern about then I will keep trying but not push it too much.

HeddaGarbled · 20/12/2020 00:16

I would read the book to him, read slowly and point at the words so that he gets the chance to look at each word before you say it, encourage him to read along with you if he can, but don’t push it if he isn’t ready yet. Make sure that his teacher knows exactly what’s happening.

Don’t worry yet. He’s just getting started and blending doesn’t come to all children straight away.

alexdgr8 · 20/12/2020 00:27

he's only 5.
i think far too much is expected of children at an early age, in terms of formal learning, while in other ways they are overly supervised/controlled.
just leave it. don't pressurise him or you will put him off. let him be a child. i couldn't read until i was 7, first year of junior school, and then it was through hymns at assembly, when no one was noticing and i got the hang of it by the rhythm and olders behind me. thank god for the english hymnal, hit the spot where janet and john had failed in infant school.
be led by him. all shall be well.

SauvignonGrower · 20/12/2020 00:35

My boy was like this. Just refused to try to read at home. We let it go and waited. By age 7 he was one of the best readers in the class. Not sure where it came from, but not reading at home during reception and a lot of year 1 had no long term consequences.

Rainbowqueeen · 20/12/2020 00:47

I agree with the PPs who say don’t push it and just read other books to him Reading is so much more than knowing the sounds etc If you read to him you can focus on the comprehension part of reading and giving him a love of books that will serve him well in the future.

If he can do it at school there’s obviously not a problem and he will get over whatever barrier makes him not want to read at home at some point.

peboh · 20/12/2020 00:49

Not every child enjoys reading, and especially books that they are forced to read. Take the pressure off a little, ask if there's a book he'd like to read with you. Make it funny, engaging, entertainer. Do funny voices and funny faces, and hopefully he'll start to entertain reading just a little more.

peboh · 20/12/2020 00:51

Also to add as a young child I HATED reading, absolutely hated it. By about 8/9 I started to read more independently and books of my own choosing and I found a love of literature, and am an avid reader now. So he may develop that in time.

PastMyBestBeforeDate · 20/12/2020 01:09

Ds was able to coast in YR but hadn't put in the effort in Y1 so he fell behind. We read every other word, every other sentence, found Captain Underpants, read every other page until he took the book to bed and read the whole thing. He rapidly became a reader who exceeds expectations.

Original poster
mumof32015 · 20/12/2020 10:37

Thank you for the comments. He really enjoys to be read to and he likes a good variety of books and he always asks for a story every night. I think what has got to me, was in the lockdown he had started to write and he was on the verge of reading. However since starting school he has gone backwards his writing has gone down and so has his desire to read. We had a very negative parents evening this term, where his teacher told us about how quiet and reserved he is, and how he doesn't seem to grasp simple tasks. I know he can do a lot better than what his teacher is sayin, and I just don't know what to think.

OP posts:
InTheLongGrass · 20/12/2020 10:54

If he's not enjoying them, ditch the school reading scheme.
What is he interested in? Fact books often interest kids who arent keen on reading. Football, pokemon, dinosaurs? Get some books with stuff he wants to know about.
Cooking - reading the recipie, board games with words, not so great on covid times but finding stuff in the supermarket. It's all reading.

TwoZeroTwoZero · 20/12/2020 11:02

Read to him then and occasionally model blending when you get to a longer word. Every now and again read a word wrong and see if he corrects you. So long as he's reading something it really doesn't matter.

mummax3 · 20/12/2020 12:17

Hey, my daughter was exactly like this. Maybe try some snap games with picture cards or puzzles with matching words? We also used Reading unlocked just 10 or so mins a day, my girl loves the funny poem at the end which we read together. Keep reading the books he loves to him too. All the best :) xx

IHateCoronavirus · 21/12/2020 18:10

Does he like playing computer games? Teach your monster how to read is a lovely app that lets your child ‘teach their monster how to read’ by playing a series of games. He’ll be reading/practicing his phonics without bother. The skill level builds gradually too.

Tiquismiquis · 21/12/2020 22:45

My reception aged daughter liked teach your monster to read. It seemed to build up some confidence with repetition. We made a lot of progress when I bought the Julia Donaldson songbirds books. We were both finding the crappy reading scheme books so dull. She was much more enthusiastic when we got off the level 1a books. She also found it tricky that there were so many random words that she wouldn’t normally use like bop, nat and lots of 3 letter names. She enjoys things that have more of an actual story.

simonisnotme · 22/12/2020 15:05

try any books he fancies , comics , shopping lists, recipes , little and often

orangeblosssom · 29/12/2020 09:33

Try watching 'alphablocks'on tv and there is a great app called 'Reading eggs'.

ByersRd · 29/12/2020 11:14

Don't worry about it and ease the pressure.

Flash card letters to 'find'; treasure hunts for letters; hopping from letter to letter to make words on the floor. At school we pinned letters on the fence for children to squirt each one with a washing up bottle of water and shout the word made!

Boys mostly active and physical.

calamityjam · 29/12/2020 11:21

Ds1 was exactly like this. In fact he could barely read until age 8. He then picked it up and flew with it. He is now 24 and the youngest person by far to be accepted into the academy of financial planning with he applied to. He has got a very lucrative career ahead of him. Please don't be worried and don't push boys who generally struggle to be interested in books at young ages. I had 2 more boys who followed the same pattern

OverTheRainbow88 · 29/12/2020 11:25

I wouldn’t worry, don’t make it into a big deal, get
Some books on topics he loves, like my DS is obsessed with Thomas so anything train related is often a hit.

Can you play games together which involve reading without realising?

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