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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

DS disheartened with reading 'it's too difficult' - Reception

31 replies

TrueBlue · 04/01/2008 20:53

My son started Reception in September and has been quite keen for the first few months, reading the books he brought home every evening (some of them mostly pictures, and some words) as well as just reading for fun with me.

I felt really worried and sad this evening, after his first day back after the Xmas holidays when he said he did not want to do any reading as 'it was too difficult' and he could not do it. He was so disheartened about the fact that the books get increasingly difficult and that the teacher 'forces' him to read. He said I like being read to but I don't want to read myself as it is too hard...

I just don't know what to think but feel quite sad that at 5 years old he is already feeling the pressure and that he feels like just opting out as 'he can't do it anyway'...

Until Christmas he was fine, he wrote Christmas cards to all his classmates himself (obviously with me writing all their names for him to copy) and he managed to read 'cat', 'dog', 'mum', 'dad', 'I' and the names of everybody in the family and he started being able to work words out based on the sounds....

Would like to hear from anybody else's experience with Literacy in Reception. What can you do if your child gets completely disheartened with it all?

OP posts:

foxinsocks · 04/01/2008 20:55

I think this is quite common after a break though. He's probably had a lovely time over Christmas and now has to go back and sit in a classroom and it all feels a bit bleak.

foxinsocks · 04/01/2008 20:57

I think now is the time to be praise and be overly positive about every little piece of reading he does - in the shops, reading signs, reading the name on a cereal box...everything.

dinny · 04/01/2008 20:57

same thing happened with dd (who is Year 1 now) - afraid I have no advice really except to say that things have moved on a lot in a year and she is gaining confidence with her reading all the time - but definitely still does compare herself to others in class who are reading chapter books etc. when's his birthday, is he a younger one?

dd did ELS (Early Literaccy Support) extra lessons last term - initially I was a bit concerned about it, but they have realy really helped her confidence a lot in literacy.

hope he has a better week next week - just keep reading him lots of his fave stories at home and slacken off till he shows some interest again.

mollythetortoise · 04/01/2008 20:57

it sounds like he is doing really well. My dd is 4 but also reception year(5 in August) and they haven't even started teaching her any reading yet as she does not recognise enough of her sounds yet. I'm not an expert but am not worried about this (yet!). But can understand why you are worried as he is getting disheartened. How are his friends doing?

scattyspice · 04/01/2008 20:58

What a shame. My DS also started in Sept and can only just read his name. He hasn't progressed beyond the easiest books.

I should have a word with his teacher. They are pushing him too much IMO.

foxinsocks · 04/01/2008 20:58

yes, I agree with taking the pressure off. If he likes being read to, concentrate on that for the time being and if he happens to recognise any words, then that's an added bonus.

Twiglett · 04/01/2008 20:59

don't make him do it at home I think that's counter-productive if he's setting up issues

continue to read to him and have nice times doing so, maybe he'll help you with the odd word

it's a phase

it will pass

oh and speak to teacher and ask how he's coping in class, and tell her what's happening at home and how you plan on dealing with it .. ie no pressure route

southeastastra · 04/01/2008 21:05

he's only in reception!

Original poster

TrueBlue · 04/01/2008 21:13

Thanks everybody for the posts. Feel a bit more relaxed about the whole thing. I will have a chat with his teacher on Monday and just forget about the whole reading thing for the weekend and just see when he shows some interest again.

Dinny - what are these ELS lessons? Were they organised at the school? Haven't heard of them at our school.... May be a good idea if this does turn into a chronic problem.

OP posts:

hippipotami · 04/01/2008 21:16

Mention it to the teacher - at this age reading should be fun, so if the books are getting increasingly harder and are putting him off reading, then they are moving him on too quickly.

At dd's school (she is also in reception) they have boxes of colour coded books. Only if a child is confident with the books at this level will the teacher move them onto the next level.

Don't force him to read at home, but play word games with him, dd loves I spy as it makes her think about what letter sound words start with, and snap using cards with simple words on.

It will eventually 'click', with my ds (now age 8 and a good reader) it took until Y1 for reading to 'click', and once it did there was no stopping him!

Original poster

TrueBlue · 04/01/2008 21:17

Mollythetortoise - in response to your post: he is getting quite frustrated by the fact that some of his friends are on 'level 8' books and he is 'only level 3' whatever that means... and he said he is getting tired as every time he moves up a level 'the books just get harder'... I know he is getting a bit of a lesson here in 'not always being the best at everything' which is fine, but I am a bit concerned about the level of competition in the class and how the teacher handles that as I agree 'it is only reception' and not an awful lot of formal literacy and numeracy teaching should be going on....

OP posts:

Sexonlegs · 04/01/2008 21:22

Hi there. Our dd1 is a bit like this, but I think it is just a phase. We just back off a bit, and let her take the reigns when it comes to reading at home.

She gets frustrated and says she can't do it, but then next day, she is pretty happy.

We also have different level books, and the teacher advises on what is appropriate for dd and her class mates. I am sure your ds is doing just fine.

dinny · 04/01/2008 21:32

True Blue, am sure someone more knowledgeable than me will post but, so far as I understood it, ELS is a nationwide scheme implemented by the school...

dd loved it, actually

hippipotami · 04/01/2008 21:44

DS was offered ELS when he performed rather badly at his Y2 literacy SAT.

I don't think it will be offered for reluctance to read initially, but if your ds ends up struggling with other aspects of literacy (my ds had trouble with vocabulary and structuring complete sentences) then it may be something the school may wish to look into.

Twiglett · 04/01/2008 21:48

you need IMHO to tell him that reading is a trick .. like jumping .. some people can do it earlier than others but that it will click into place whenever he's ready and there's no prizes

level 3 is the average for year 1 not reception .. he is doing very well

www.oup.com/oxed/pdf/ORTReadingAges.pdf

if it helps DS couldn't read at all till year 1 and then zoomed in 6 weeks

it's like they learn a trick then plateau then learn again

dinny · 04/01/2008 21:48

our school offered ELS to a group of 6 this last term (inc dd) and next term another 6 are doing it. so maybe school can implement it kind of how and when they wish...? not sure how it works....

dinny · 04/01/2008 21:51

level 3 is average for Year 1, Twiglett? really? am v interested as dd is on 4 and I was given the impression she is, if anything, below average in her class of Y1s

but am heartened to read your post,I really am.

hippipotami · 04/01/2008 21:52

Ds's school offered it to 15 pupils, 3 groups of 5. One group only needed 3 terms (all of Y3), one group needed 4 terms (all of Y3 and one term Y4) and one group will not finish till Easter, (so doing 5 terms)

Ds was in the middle group, and finished just before Christmas. He said it consisted of a TA taking him and 5 others out of the class during literacy hour and going to the library for 15 - 20 minutes to do word-games, word puzzles, reading challenges etc.
He rather enjoyed this special time.

Twiglett · 04/01/2008 21:53

look at the pdf dinny

ChasingSquirrels · 04/01/2008 21:57

8 would be very advanced for reception, I can't believe they have many 8's - assuming we are talking ORT...

dinny · 04/01/2008 22:00

according to dd, a large proportion have finished ORT and have moved to library books (Year 1)

Twiglett · 04/01/2008 22:49

yes it is easy to spot the kids who are fluent readers and think they're all like that

but there's no point really

by the time they're 8 or 9 they all equalise

and as long as they enjoy the journey it's all that counts

although the competitive gene raises its ugly head and you start thinking all the other kids are better .. it's bollox though

jennifersofia · 04/01/2008 22:58

ELS programme in our school is implemented in Y1 and is an extra daily support session with a trained TA working with a group of 6 children. It is aimed at children who just need that extra bit to help it 'click' for them. It is quite successful, and is mainly aimed at reading, though there is some writing involved.

I would definitely have a word with the teacher, as sometimes it isn't always apparent that the child is (emotionally) finding it hard.

Reallytired · 04/01/2008 23:44

Are the children who are reading stage 8 ORT in reception REALLY reading or barking at print? What kind of school is it? This time last year my son did not have any reading books, he just had a sounds book.

My son is in year 1 and only on stage 6. His decoding is perfect, but he needs work on comprehension. If a book has too much new vocabulary or a complex plot it can put him off.

I try and get my son to read library books at bedtime with me. I am a bad mummy in that he only reads his school books once and we get one school book a week.

samanthar · 05/01/2008 15:53

in our reception class the 4 and half year olds and you ger havent had books yet and will start next. my two are april born so they did satrt the scheme at october half term..but it is VERY slow...fine for dstwin though he finds ORT difficult and thats only level 1. DDtwin in racing ahead and the ginnbooks are much too easy for her and she should be on ORT level 3 but there really is no pressure form the school which is great as they want them to enjoy it and emphasise the little a day (10 mins) of simple reading. Reception is all fun for my two and it is only in year one that they start to up the pace. I would explain to the teacher about how he is feeling and ask whether he really needs to be on level 3 yet..if it is the ORT then it bears no relation to waht theya re learning in phonics and doesnt relate well to the key words either. As said it certainly doesnt suit my ds whereas for dd it would be ideal whereas she and I find the Ginn scheme killing

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