Improve 6 Year Old's Reading and Writing

I've seen the Kumon books at Barnes & Noble or Borders in the kids section. If he likes the way it builds, maybe you can do the workbooks with him.

Good luck!

N.

i have no advice to add on the handwriting...I struggle with this with my own son who is going into first grade.

I do have a very high recommendation for HEADSPROUT.com for reading. My son has always been infatuated with the computer since the age of 3...at 4 I heard about headsprout and decided to try him on the first three FREE lessons...he loved it and was reading just about everything by the time he started kindergarten. All 80 lessons are about $200 and the first 40 are $99. My friend was taking her daughter to SCORE (similar to Kumon) and paying a fortune...they were also using Headsprout there.

Any questions, feel free to call or email me. ____@____.com ###-###-####

I'm sorry if I'm repeating or way off the subject. I don't have enough time to read all the responses right now. My suggesion is to get a LeapPad. I realize you are on a budget, but you can find these at second hand stores. You should be able to find books that would interest him... with a subject he would enjoy. My daughter turned 5 in June. For her birthday, she got a set of leapfrog books for the LeapPad. She taught herself to read in a few weeks. She loves the educational games and the stories. We tried to help her learn to read and she was frustrated by it. She loves the LeapPad and found it so fun that she wanted to play with it constantly... and show off what she could do for her little sister.

Now my child is 5 and in the early stages of reading (I've been told she's probably at about a mid-1st grade level). You may need more advanced books. They have math and reading. My mother bought the assortment of books for my daughter from Costco. 10 books for about $80 I think. It is a lot of money, but it has accelerated her reading level from nothing to 1st grade level in about 3 months. Every time we are in the car, she wants to work with it. Some kids watch videos... she learns.

You may be able to get the books at consignment too, just make sure the cartridge comes with it or they are not very useful. The Leapster is also an interesting educational option for the older child. I'm not as familiar with these, but they make learning fun like a video game. Perhaps this would make more sense if he has trouble being bored. I'm not sure if you can find these in consignment... they are pretty new.

Good luck.
Liz

Leigh hit on exactly what I was about to write - boys like adventure and factual information. I've been having issues with the chosen reading material that my eldest son has been subjected to since 4th grade - a lot of stuff that's geared towards female students. He's always been above grade level but he struggles thru most of the "girly" stuff, including Shakespeare's comedies. I do hope he'll get some Richard III soon! Fortunately, the teachers have recognized this pattern in him and we just work so that he doesn't get zeros for those pieces.

Graphic novels aren't bad if it's keeping him engaged, but I had to make sure one of my sons was actually reading the materials.

Anyways, thanks for asking the question and thanks to everyone else who gave answers. I'll look for Kumon for one of my other children who is struggling with reading!

M.

you can try this website
http://www.handwritingforkids.com/handwrite/manuscript/al...

It is very important that you do not push too hard. Workbooks and constant drilling will squash your son's interest in reading. Playing computer games all the time shortens attention span and makes childred expect all learning to be fun, which is not possible. The way to encourage, enrich, and excite your son is to have a print rich environment, spend time sharing reading materials together, let your son see you enjoy reading. Children are great observers and take their cues from the adults in their life. There are so many things you can do together besides just reading a book. Get him invovled in making dinner. Read the recipe together or follow the directions on a package for preparing a meal. Craft projects have directions that need to be read and followed. Read street signs and bill boards while in the car. Just look for everyday tasks or activities that require reading and make it fun. The cost is nothing extra out of your normal budget.

I would buy or check out books from the library on his reading level. I would limit the number of comics and graphic novels he reads. I would say they are for his free time. Tell him the other books are homework if that helps. I am sure you do not let your child eat whatever he wants to nourish his body. Restricting what he reads is just teaching him to make good choices about what will nourish his mind. If he is used to reading short choppy sentences he will find great literature harder to digest. Just like broccoli if he tries a taste of it enough he may eventually find he likes it.

AS a homeschooling mom, first let me tell you that patience is a must. You both may not see results immediately and that's hard for most of us to handle. But the secret is in the consistency. You must stay consistent with whatever you choose. And it doesn't have to be a long time and a lot of work each day. Just keep it simple and possitive for him. He needs to feel that learning is fun not just doing it to 'please' others. My oldest son is dyslexic and his reading is below his grade level right now. He participated in a week's class that taught him and me how to best work with his dyslexia and reading, writing etc. One thing Donna taught me was that I would say things like, "you just read that word," or "come on, I know you know that word big guy." And all those things did was shut his brain down. She showed us to handle words that he gets stuck on like this: 1. all pictures in books are covered until he reads that page otherwise he will try to read the pictures and not the words. 2. He uses a white index card to cover all words except the line that he is reading. My son would scan the rest of the words on the page looking for words he didn't know and when he found one, he'd freeze up worring about that one word. 3. When he gets stuck on a word, he sweep, sweep, spells the word (index finger rubs over the word twice then he says each letter this makes the brain see it all) and then tries to say it/sounds it out. I keep quite until he has tried to say it then I will say the word and he repeats it and goes on with reading. This is important for him to retain what he has read.
CHECK his eye/hand dominance too. If he is cross-dominant this can make a BIG difference in writing for sure. I have two boys like that. If you don't know how to do this email me and I'll explain.

Take Care,
N. =) SAHM homeschooling 3 boys 12, 7 & 2 yo and married to Mr. Wonderful for almost 15yrs now. Helping other moms, who want to become SAHMs, reach their goals and loving it! Feel free to pick my brain.

They do make Kumon workbooks that you can get from Barnes and Noble. I use them with my 5 year old every day and he loves them. I'm sure they have a handwriting one as well. They have one for everything else. It's definitely the best books I have found. I like them a lot better than the hooked on phonics ones. It keeps my son more engaged and he shows more progress with them. Oh and also if you are looking for new books to read him they make great choose your own adventure books for young readers too. They are by R. A. Montgomery and are made for ages 5 to 8. I haven't seen the younger set in Barnes in Noble but you can go online to order them at www.cyoa.com. Hope that helps.

Hi... I have to tell you, as a first grade and special education teacher for 10 years, you are doing all the at home things I would suggest to a parent. Since he is on and above grade level I would continue where his interest lies and not push him too far as he will quickly lose any interest at all. I know this isn't the answer you are looking for, but your efforts are exceptional and as long as he is not falling behind, I would continue the same. Good luck!

Maybe you just need to find books that spark his interest. My son is 6 also and he loves the Frog and Toad series. I remembered them from when I was little and picked him up one or two and he's really taken to them. Maybe go on a weekend afternoon to the book store with him and just sit. Leaf through books appropriate for his level and let him experience several so he can figure out what he likes. The proper subject matter makes all of the difference in the world. Kids start to love reading when they are so interested in what they're reading that they don't even notice the effort any more.

There is a great website called Starfall that my daughter has been working with for the past few years and they even use it at school. Best of all it's FREE!!! Go to www.starfall.com.

My daughter is also 6 and when she was five we started having a weekly trip to the library (free). I learned that the library has computer games that the kids can play that are all educational. After computer time (limit is 30min per kid), I let her pick out her own books and we take them home and she reads them aloud to me. After she finishes the books for the week I have her write the title of the book and the author (i do this to improved her handwriting). It seems to work well for her.

If he is at level for reading why are you worrying? If you keep pushing him you may turn him off reading forever. At six he should be out riding a bike or kicking a ball around.

Try finding adventure stories if he likes to read. Many boys don't like reading at all, they can, but are not interested. You are lucky he has expressed an interest. Our boy loves being read to and he is just turned nine. He and his friends are big fans of Enid Blyton and the Famous Five series. They are mystery books. He really enjoys trying to unravel the story. He is dyslexic and unable to read properly. But these books capture his imagination and in a very tame way.

Hello! It sounds like you're an awesome mom. We used Hooked on Phonics and the success was phenomenal. The problem is the spelling becomes gliched. Cover his door with sight words, and then each time he memorizes one, switch it to the other side of the door. It helps to memorize the old time spelling rules. First grade is already so mean to boys, giving him extra work is going to burn him out. Have fun! Give him an exercise ball to sit on while reading, because boys need to move. Their brain needs to recharge between tasks, so jumping jacks and running in place work wonders. Also, switch up with the computer and fancy up his sentences with cool script and pictures. Let him spread out. Boys' hand muscles develop more slowly than girls'. Schools do not meet the motivational desires of boys as they love nonfiction, science fiction, humor, sports and inappropriate humor...they love to collect things, so let them check out books about their collections. Act interested and play parts when you read to him. Here's a challenge: get his dad to read to him. Eventually try Sir Fartsalot Hunts the Booger, Captain Underpants, Magic Treehouse, Cam Jansen, Ranger Rick and Big Backyard Magazines, Judy Blume books, Franny K. Stein, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid. There is a good article in Wall Street, Aug. 8, 2008, by John Hechinger.
We all have the same worries, but letting him guide you in his interests helps tremendously. Good Luck!!

I can't help with finding a program like Kumon, but one issue seems to be his being bored with the subjects of many books. This really comes up a lot especially for boys as they get older and there's been research done showing that boys lose interest in reading especially when they don't like the content (the Washington Post had an article about boys and reading in the past year or so, maybe you can find it). Boys often tend to like factual books better than fiction, so try those on him -- if he's into comics and graphic novels, maybe find books about how comics are made. If he's into certain sports, there are plenty of nonfiction books about sports, sports statistics and sports stars. And there are now authors who crank out boys' fiction books based in the worlds of those sports, featuring boys like him who play baseball, basketball, whatever, and the things they encounter in sports settings. If he's into Pokemon, he might like adventure series that involve battling the bad guys--there are ones that aren't too violent. I'd talk to your library's children's librarian and your school's librarian and school reading specialist, and take plenty of notes! And best of all the library's free! Remember also that your reading to him is still great at age 6; it does improve kids' reading to be read to, even once they start school. And make sure both you and your husband emphasize reading, read your own books in front of him, read to him and take him to the library. That way he sees that reading is a cool guy thing as well as something mom is promoting. Good luck!

Hi! I am an Educational Consultant with Usborne Children's Books. I became an Educational Consultant because two of my sons were struggling so in school and one of their teachers recommended Usborne Books to me. Their resources helped my boys so much that I wanted to become a consultant. I ordered them the reading and math center kits. They each jumped two level grades in 6 months. You can take a look at them and other learning materials and books at www.ubah.com/X2733. Any questions, feel free to contact me at ____@____.com.

B. Deck
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www.ubah.com/X2733

Good Morning.

I think your son is doing an amazing job for his age/grade level. You are, too. Please keep in mind that children emerge on their own, void of any "extra" work and/or time we place on additional learning excercises.

At 6, your son has so much to learn - so much growing to do - both academically and socially - it is a "tough" time for a child - all of them are just beginning their social journey's to find friends, and the school work and learning going on is HUGE!

Now is not the time to "push" extra work. They do so much already. Choose books - even comic books and Pokemon cards - anything that your son wants to read. It all counts. Reading is reading. There is no need at this point to spend time and money on additional tutoring. Trust yourself and your child, as really he is just begining to emerge into academics.

Our first daughter was at an amazing pre-school and as such, we kept her there for Kindergarten, which was a huge mistake. Sure she played all day, yet at the end of the year, no reading, phonics, just a big zero as far as academics go. After this experience, we really worried that she was behind...yet, she sure showed us! Sure it may have taken a bit longer to grasp certain concepts and reading was certainly not her forte in pre-first and first grade. Yet now, she is in All Gifted and Talented advanced classes - she reads novels that I, as an adult, also would enjoy and loves learning.

We never felt we had to give her additional work and/or tutoring. School is stressful enough and our children need time away from school to decompress and enjoy life void of all the pressure of school. There is nothing worse than a stressed out child. If you are really concerned, talk to his teachers and see what they have to say. Also, try your hardest not to compare your son with other children. All have talents and struggles - no one is gifted in all things and kids just can not be grouped together as a whole.

So, my advice? Take time to "stop and smell the roses" and enjoy your son - all the learning/reading/writing/math...well, there is certainly a time and a place for all of it...and then there is a time and place for all the rest that our wonderful world has to offer!