How worrying is it to leave P1 not reading?

[WorkingEastwards]

I really should know better than this, because DS loves school, is quite happy to go and I know that that is important.

Numbers wise he can count quite happily way beyond 200. He can add and subtract with fingers and cubes and is getting there with some quick answers to 10 too. All good.

But the reading. He's really struggling, and he's also aware that he's struggling, which isn't helping matters.

He knows most one-letter sounds (nearly all the alphabet, really struggles with g and i for some reason) and ch, sh, th. The two letter sounds like oi confuse him. He can't blend at all. Not a clue. If there's a picture he guesses from the picture.

He's DC3. DC2 took a while to get going but I remember was blending the last two letters together at this point and cracked the three letters just before the summer.

His teacher seems lovely, and isn't worried at all, but I'm worried

Bear in mind his P1 has been very disrupted if his teacher isn't worried I wouldn't be. If he still struggles he may end up doing reading recovery work but so will many others.

It's been a very disrupted year for P1 so I wouldn't be that concerned. My P2 is just about able to read a learning book. I think a year back it would have been a few tricky words and that was without a lockdown. Also things might be harder if he is one of the younger P1.

I didn't read until I was 8 (different country) and did very well in school. The main thing is that they don't get demotivated and think they are 'stupid' because they struggle with something.

My DD left Reception (English system) unable to blend... But recognised the majority of letters. She picked it up in Yr 1, when she was 5 1/4. She wasn't ready in Reception.. and that was without lockdowns and disrupted nursery/school.

He's got a few months of this year left. It may suddenly click.

Ds2 got intensive reading support in p2 when he was six as he was identified as being one of the lowest ability children in his year and there is evidence that support at this stage can really help in the long term.

For context, he just about knew the alphabet and there was no way he could blend.

We feel really lucky to have had the support and he now reads at an appropriate level for his age (now p3).

I think in p1 there's still an enormous range and a lot of children take time for it all to click. This disrupted year will also have made things hard.

Reading didn't really click for DS until P2 and now he's a fantastic reader with a great vocabulary. He's always got his head in a book. I'm sure you are already, but keep reading to him lots and try not to worry.

The main thing is that they don't get demotivated and think they are 'stupid' because they struggle with something.

He is definitely becoming very aware of it. Perhaps that's more of a concern. He wasn't doing his Literacy tasks during play time and he really, really hated doing sounds at home during lockdown. It does seem to be a real slog for him.

We've always read a story at nighttime and he likes audiobooks and a comic at the weekends.

I wouldn’t be worried.... main thing is to try and keep him enjoying his night time stories/comics etc.... my DC struggled with reading until about P3, but can read fine now.

Have you tried some of the apps like Teach Your Monster to Read. Our boys loved them and really helped them as they were highly motivating.

My ds was in the top group for reading but I spent P1 telling the school that he wasn't blending. Because he was bright, he was just learning his reading books off by heart. School said not to worry, as sometimes kids - especially boys - don't "get" it until they're 6 (...ds has a September birthday)

At the beginning of P2, the Depute Head spent 6 weeks doing 1:1 sessions with him to support him. We then mutually agreed (with his P2 teacher and the depute) that he should move from the top language group to the middle group, as otherwise he was going to lose confidence and start to hate reading.

As it was, he finally "got" it about Easter time (so he was 6.5 - as the school predicted). This was via his desire to read football reports of his team (Queens Park ) and also Captain Underpants and Super Diaper Baby. The school had advised us to encourage him with any form of reading that he was interested in.

It took him until P4 to move back to the "top" reading group, where he stayed for the rest of primary school and he was then in the top set for English at secondary.

He is now in Junior Honours of a reading heavy degree (Politics and International Relations) and reads Foucault and John Stuart Mill "for fun"

So TL:DR : Don't worry! If he likes comics, encourage them - he'll "get" reading eventually

During the first lockdown when DC was in P1 we got Teach your monster to read and it was quite popular. We also tried very very basic books with bribery, but it was slow going and unpopular.
We also found that the start of reading and lockdown learning was a massive slog. They are very young in P1 and home learning quickly gets boring.

There are jolly phonics books on Amazon that have stickers, cutting, colouring and activities we found very useful and also benefit their motor skills. I'd be a bit concerned.

Please don't think of reading as just books - there are lots of opportunities when you're out and about ( well normally) - at the shops, street signs etc to practice letter recognition, putting letters together and what sounds they make. I'd echo @prettybird - encourage any form of reading that he's interested in.

My DS can do the reading, although guessing is a normal part of learning I'd say. But he can't count past 10, despite the endless times I have done counting with him. Whilst he can write out a sum number sentence he can't do it. He says things like 4+ 4 = 4. So what I'm saying is they all have their strengths and weaknesses, mine doesn't get the numbers side and it's nerve wracking, but I know it will click soon.