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Instilling reading confidence?

3 replies

JennyPen · 03/03/2010 11:49

DD is nearly 6 and in P1.

She reads her school books well once she brings them home, they are pretty well prepped though, its read to them, they listen to the story on tape etc.

At home, I am trying to get her to branch away from biff and chip however its sometimes like she hits a wall with other reading material, takes one look, is unconfident, decides it doesn't look familiar and doesn't want to even try it. However, if i gently encourage her she will start to read, sound out words and do really well but she has to be in the 'zone'and at times she will completely refuse saying, i can't do it, its too tricky etc.

So, how do you go about increasing a childs confidence and slightly stretching a child, or is it best not too. She only reads one book a week at school and i find the progress incredibly slow and i really want to give her a wider variety of books to enjoy at home. She loves fairy tales and loves being read to also. i expect some children will charge on and attempt pretty tricky books and just go for it but dd definately needs to be in her comfort zone, but surely to progress she has to go outwith it slightly??

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redskyatnight · 03/03/2010 12:19

DS (same age) is reluctant to branch away from the reading schemes as well. I think they do get a certain security from them as they are forumlaic and "all" at the right level.

With DS I encouraged him to try to read "real" books which are well below his ability level. There is a series called Red Nose Readers which is good- they are funny stories and pitched at different levels - the easiest ones just have simple words or phrases but he felt like he was reading a "real" book IYSWIM? Then we've built up to more complex books - we started I'd just let him read the really simple stuff and I'd do the rest and built up. He also likes reading his well loved home books - he knows the stories so well the reading isn't such a challenge.

Also, as well as books encourage reading in other ways - I get DS to read signs or tell DD (younger) what the instructions are on her computer game

FernieB · 03/03/2010 13:00

I would encourage her to read books well within her comfort zone at first. Your real aim is to get her reading and enjoying it. As she progresses she'll choose harder books herself. Also keep reading to her - my kids were reluctant to read themselves fro a while because they thought I would stop reading to them if they did it themselves. They're now 9 and I still read to them at night for a bit.

Jux · 03/03/2010 13:47

I hesitate to mention these books, but they really got dd sorted at a very young age: Daisy Meadow Fairy Books.

I would read one page and then help her read the other; turn over, do the same. We did that every night for about a week and then I found her reading the 'next' one on her own as she wanted to find out what happened so much.

I did live to wish I had never heard of the bloody things though.

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