Do children benefit from a reading challenge?

[ICantFindAGoodNickname]

Posts on here, from concerned parents who say their dcs reading level is not high enough - that their child is not getting enough of a challenge are non uncommon.

I have listened to the kids in my dc's (Y2) class read for two years and I have noticed something very alarming.

Increasingly the children who were very quick to pick up reading and were seemingly challenged in their reading material have turning off reading. Out of the top 8 readers in the class, 5 of them have told me they hate reading...their lack of expression and general disinterest seems to back this up. They read the words in a monotone, barely recognise when they've read words incorrectly. I ask them questions which they answer in a "Oh who cares" tone.

However the kids who have taken longer to master the skill and are still on the reading scheme are still engaged, still laughing at the pictures and jokes, still eager to talk about the books.

Is this a common problem - kids learn to read too quickly and too intensely, in an effort to become "free" readers and get completely put off?

The whole experience has given me a completely different perspective on challenging a child through mastering the skill of reading quickly - imo reading is an essential skill to learn but it is also important skill to enjoy doing.

my mum, who has worked in primary schools for years, calls it 'barking at the text' - being able to read technically but not understand what is being read - all the concentration is on the reading itself

What are they getting to read now? I think that might be where the problem comes from.

DS picked up reading early and quickly, and progressed quickly to "free reading". He has never been "put off" it, and is still a very keen reader (at 16). But the school always had a good supply of interesting books, plus of course loads from the library and at home, so it never became a chore to "have to" read things.

That's why I think maybe the books the school is progressing these children onto are maybe the problem.

They are reading books from a section in the library that is apparently suitable for their age - there's a large variety, they are probably a little out of date.

I think that's used as an argument against the rigid teaching of synthetic phonics - that the emphasis is all on decoding.

I didn't learn with phonics and I've no idea how it would've worked out for me! I just learned with word recognition, I'm not sure how, it just sort of happened but I love reading.

It's so hard to know as there's other variables - innate capability, teachers, home environment to name a few!

It does sound strange to me - I can't think of anything else where being able to do something stops you from enjoying it