Struggling with Reading

Have you had him tested for dylexia? If diagnosed early, a child can completely overcome it. My nephew was diagnosed in the 1st grade, my sister held him back a year and got him the extra help he needed and today he is a 34 y.o. working in the stock market. Good luck!

I suggest to make reading fun,bring in books that he/she would enjoy reading. (my daughter loves Hannah Montana so I buy her chapter books about Hanna Montana.) I also allow her to read to me for 30 minutes a day or sometimes I read to her for 30 mintues a day so that she could mimic a good reader. I hope this helps.

KUMON ... My son is 9 and in 4th grade, we started him last June and he went from a 1.5 grade level to a 4th grade level in a year. Free testing, work packet every day, class 2 times a week, and only $100 a month. very affordable compared to other options we looked at. My son actually loves to read now! Any questions, feel free to write me. Best wishes!

Hi C.,

I specialize in teaching dyslexic kids to read and my best advice to you before you pay for any more reading interventions is to get your child assessed by a neuropsychologist. Most of the testing is usually covered if you have good insurance (BC/BS) and it will give you an idea WHY your 1st grader is not reading. There are 5 ability areas that people need to have intact in order for reading to develop... contrary to what most people think, learning to read is NOT natural for our brain and teaching it well IS rocket science! Knowing what areas of thinking and learning your child might be weak in (or if he/she has a learning disability) will help to dictate what kind of program would be best.

I'd hesitate before retaining your child, especially before you have explored the possibility of a learning disability... none of the research says that is a good idea unless you are going to try a completely different and targeted intervention the second time around.

I am passionate about this because there IS hope for kids with reading issues and the problem can be fixed, but the right program delivered by a skilled professional is essential. I just don't want to see you spend money and precious time on thing that won't make a real difference for your child... I have heard that story from too many parents. A great book to read is Overcoming Dyslexia... not too technical, but really spells things out.

Feel free to contact me directly if you want more information or to talk further!

I don't know how you feel about this but I do a lot of tutoring with reading and I have always been successful. I have 15 yrs experience with it. If you are interested in doing some tutoring over the summer I would be happy to speak further.

Get on the Bright solutions for dyslexia website and see if any of the dyslexia symptoms fit your son. You can get the Barton system and teach him yourself at home. Take it from someone who didn't figure out her son was dyslexic until he was 9 and didn't find Barton's until he was 11, do it now. The earlier the better.

Hi C.,
I, too, have a first grader who is struggling with reading. I have asked his teachers if he needs to be assessed for a learning difficulty, but he is showing improvement albeit slowly. They don't see a need at this point. I credit the Phonemic Awareness books and worksheets from www.readinga-z.com that his teacher sent home for homework every week this year as the catalyst for him beginning to read. I am determined to keep him reading over the summer so we don't lose the ground we've gained. I'm considering finding an older male student through his school's peer tutoring program that would like a little money once per week for an hour to tutor my son at our house or local library. I think he would respond well to an older boy who could encourage him, model good reading skills AND still show him how to play a video game! And I want to keep each session short since my son has difficulties focusing. My main focus is to prevent reading from being a downer or a chore and we have fun reading alternating pages of a simple book of his choosing every night before bed. Then my husband or I read him a more complex book of his choosing. He likes to have that close time together and we make it very light and fun. I want him to become a lifelong reader! I am soaking in all the good advice you're getting here and would love to hear what you find works (or not!) for you and your son as you go forward. Thanks so much for posting this question!

I would not recommend pulling your child out of school and home schooling unless either you or your husband has a background in special education.

Get your child evaluated by the district special education program. He may have some different way of learning and the present program is not working. In addtion, get him interested in reading, not just with a phonics program but actual reading. Head to the library for family story time, turn off the tv and show your son that both you and dad like to read. Kids learn the love of reading from their parents. Introduce him to books that interest him, if he's really into Star Wars there are Star Wars easy readers in most libraries, have your librarian help you find books that will interest your son. Schedule a period that is one (1) hour per week.

I would recommend working with your school district to try interventions that might help him progress. "Canned" programs usually don't solve the problem. Best of luck!

Hi C.,
I've taught all three of my homeschooled children to read using 'Teach Your Child to Read in 100 easy Lessons' Each has required a different time frame. Having been an early reader myself, I was overly eager to have my first son be an early reader and began teaching him too soon at age four. After realizing my mistake, I continued to read aloud to him and backed off teaching him to read. He enjoyed looking at highly visual picture books on his own but he didn't really read until age six or seven. Now at age 14 he is a competent and avid reader. I began '100 lessons' with my second son at around age 5 and with my daughter at age 6. They are each continuing to grow in their reading abilities. If you continue to read aloud, enjoy your time reading together and have a lot of printed material to read around the house your children will become readers. It really is hard to interfere with them as the learning machines that they are. Jim Trelease's book 'The Read Aloud Handbook" has excellent info about encouraging reading and a great bibliography of read aloud books.
Enjoy your story time,
A. R.

I swear by Kumon. I've had my 5 year old preschooler in it for a year. She's reading now and hasn't started kindergarten yet. Good luck! I know there are many options out there. I'm sure you'll find the one that works for you.

My son has always had trouble remembering things (colors when he was 3, letters when he was 4, easy words when he was five). The teachers noticed it right away and we had meetings and set goals. Finally, one day before a meeting (which we had every 6 weeks) they just cancelled the meeting and said they were going to recommend that he be assessed for special education. This is what they did. They had a team of people observe him and test him (IQ, time on task, social worker interview) and decided that he was of normal intelligence and just had a learning delay. He now has an IEP and he gets pulled out of class a few times a week to work one on one with a Reading Specialist. As a team we are closing the gap between where he is now and where he should be academically. I love Special Education teachers. They have so many strategies and therapies at their disposal.

The bottom line is, my son is a very well behaved boy and I don't like using medication, so this is the best situation for us. He really doesn't like to read- TV and video games are so much more interesting, but after a week of the miracle worker Reading Specialist, my son asks me to sit down and listen to him read, or asks me to take him to the library.

You are allowed to ask your school about assessment if they haven't suggested it.

First, have you asked what your school offers? My district offers a summer program just for reading - it is only open to those who are struggling and is free for everyone.

If not, you might want to consider hiring a tutor for the summer if you can work it in your budget.

A friend of mine recommended the Bob books for starters - real simple words and they have different levels. My Kindergartener seems to respond well to them.

Also, if your school did not use Jolly Phonics you might want to check that out.

If your child is a bit more advanced, find what series they like a use that as a jump off point. It doesn't have to be traditional - it is whatever grabs their interested Dr. Seuss, Henry & Mudge, Junie B. Jones, magazines like SI Kids or Ranger Rick.

There are also read along books and systems like the LeapPad.

Your local library probably has all this and ask them what they suggest.

The biggest thing is just to read to them and use your finger or a bookmark so they can read along with you.

Good luck!

I have 3 readers so far and after working with them on sight word flash cards, I had them read Dick and Jane books and with those books they seemed to pick up on the reading very quickly. The books use words very repetitively so they see the words over and over. They have worked very well for us. You can get them at your library.

I teach at a Christian school and I suggest A Beka reading curriculum. If your intention is to put him back into the public school system, I suggest using A Beka's 1st grade curriculum. It is phonics based, and unless your child has a learning disability, I think it would benefit him greatly. The best thing you can do for your child is read TO him and with him every day. I suggest Dr. Seuss books: Hop on Pop, One Fish Two Fish, Fox in Sox are good books to start with. Concentrating on sight words and phonics rules will help too. Reading is a very complicated skill. It is good to read to him and then let him read. Any books with repetitive words are good practice and usually fun to read! Also try books by Mercer Mayer and a book called If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. Don't forget to ask questions to make sure he understands what he reads and have him write down simple sentences retelling the story or answers to your questions.

I also suggest having him tested for any learning disabilities and taking him to an opthamologist (not an optometrist) to have his eyes checked. I had a student that struggled for years and in 6th grade the opthamologist discovered it was a vision issue. I suggest starting with the physical issue first.

Blessings to you.

we are starting homeschool this year as well...with kindergarten though. I have been told that Abeka (www.abeka.com) has a great curriculum for reading. we have been using letter of the week (www.letteroftheweek.com). The website also has sound and story of the week for reading. we are wanting to start them in the fall. good luck!

Last year we had a 1st grader who was struggling with reading. She was getting special tutoring at school plus in the special reading group. We worked with her at home. She hated school.

We decided to homeschool her this year and WOW, she flourished! At the beginning of this school year she didn't know her months of the year or days of the week. She could BARELY read a preschool book.

Now she read two chapter books!

Our key was finding things she was interested in reading. She likes fantasy and mystery, not the boring stuff they made her read at school.

Also, her vocabulary needed work. Whenever kids come across a word they don't know the meaning of they lose interest in what they're reading (adults do too). So whenever she was reading we'd make sure she knew the definitions of ALL the words she was reading. If she started to want to quit, we'd go back and find the word she didn't have a definition for. It works EVERY time! I'm talking every time. Try it and see!

We didn't do any kind of boxed curriculum with reading. We just helped her pick books she liked and then worked very slowly through them. Her problem was the books she could read were baby books, and the ones she wanted to read were much too complicated for her. Try the Secrets of Droon series. My daughter LOVES those books, and they are definitely good for a beginning reader. She was so proud when she finished reading it! It took us a looooong time, just a few pages a day. We'd go back and read to her the part of the chapter she had already read (so she could remember what happened) and then she'd read a few pages alone out loud. When she finished that book all by herself she was so excited that we had to go out and get the next one that day!

We also keep a picture dictionary nearby and we write down and define all the words she doesn't know. Vocabulary was the key.

We've been homeschooling for a year and LOVE it and will definitely continue. BUT I'll have to say it's not for everyone. Why not work with him over the summer and then make a decision? I'm definitely a pro-homeschool person and can help you with tons of resources if you need them. Still, I firmly believe that one kind of education does not work for every child.

Welcome to homeschooling! We use explode the code and loved the first half of "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons," it got to be too much half way thru so we took a break. Also a great book is Mommy Teach Me to Read.

Abeka reading program is great.
Also the step into reading books are great.
Try computer games like Reading rabbit or Grandmas and Me. Kids love the computer.
Just one quick question did you have your first grader tested of dyslexia and that he is not have trouble with his eyes.

Good Luck

Hello C.,

What does your son like to do? What is his favorite toy or character, hobby, things like that. If you can find books that share his interest and start reading it too him then have him, help you read the book as well. Kids enjoy helping.. so you can help him read and he can learn at the same time. Also use flash cards that you can get from any teachers store.

Listed below are some favorite children books. You can also ask the librarian in the children's section for other helpful books for your childs age.

These books were cited from the blogspot of another mother, Karen, mother of 2 toddlers and a new born. Good blog.

http://favoritechildrensbooks.blogspot.com/

I hope one of these books are of helpful for you and your son.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
Caps for Sale
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
Chicken Soup with Rice
Children's Picture Atlas
Color Surprises
Dear Zoo
Dick and Jane Jump and Run
God Loves You
I Love My Daddy
In the Small, Small Pond
It's Halloween!
Kumon Maze Books
Machines at Work
Mama Mama, Papa Papa
Mouse Tales
Slinky, Scaly Snakes!
Spot Goes to School
Ten Little Ladybugs
The Apple Pie Tree
The Little Engine That Could
The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear
The Lunch Box Surprise
The Read Aloud Handbook
The Snowy Day
Time for Bed
Trains

A good website for the first grade level is starfall.com. It's an interactive site that helps with phonics and reading. I used to be an elementary teacher and I use it to tutor a first grade student now.

Have you considered a tutor. I know a wonderful one on the south side of Naperville. She works from her home in the summer. OR Sylvan learning center. Professionals will be able to identify the problem and get him the help he needs.

Does your child have letter/sound correspondance? Can he blend the letters to make sounds? How has he been assessed? I work with struggling readers everyday and there are a lot of great strategies. Why homeschool? Just based on him being retained? Have they looked into learning disabilities or did they just recommend retention? I would be happy to give you some names of programs that are research based and proven to help children learn to read, however I need to know more about your son. If you'd like some professional advice, send me a message with some specific information and I'd be glad to help!

Try:

TEACH YOUR CHILD TO READ IN 100 EASY LESSONS and if you do homeschool try THE WELL TRAINED MIND as I used it this year for my own son and it was quite helpful.

Hilarie

Before he leaves the school system, have him tested for learning disabilities (it could be dyslexia). When you are in the public school system they will test kids for free. Take advantage of that. In our school district they work with children that have learning challenges for an hour each school day (again free of charge).

C.,

Have you tried your local library to see if they have any reading programs. My local library has one during the summer that offers incentives as well as a program during the regular year using college students.

Hi C..

It's hard to say what will help, since we don't know what the problem is, but I was thinking...

Google " Phonemic Awareness "
It's not phonics, exactly, it teaches kids the sounds that different letters and groups of letters make.
"Leap frog" & "Leap pad" have some cool books out there, too.
My youngest struggled early on, too, but once we found books about things that were interesting to her, she started getting more interested in reading and is now in 4th grade, and in a gifted reading class! Our district uses a program called the "100 book challenge" I'm not sure I like the way it is implemented, because they (the district) treat it like a contest, but the basis is good. The idea behind the program is that if a child is reading a book at or below their level, about something THEY choose, they are more apt to read for fun, which improves their reading skills.
I am an avid reader, and would read to the kids every night, and then I'd read a page, then they would read a page, and eventually they read every night on their own.
If you're able (as in have the time and patience) to read to your son, check out the magic treehouse series. (Target usually has one or two on sale)They are adventuresome, and have a large range of topics. Berenstain bears books were good for my son, he loved them!

Bottom line, make it fun for him, and as long as there are no medical reasons (dyslexia, autism, etc.) he'll come around. You could also try different computer games. The link below has some good ones.
http://www.storyit.com/wgames/wgames.htm
Good luck!

Goodmorning C.,
You should check out starfall.com and go to Walgreen's or the dollar store to find workbooks for his age. Use index cards and put word patterns on them (i.e -at, pat, mat,etc.) Hang them up in his room. You have to do it as consistently as possible to see results. Adding these things to your "to do" lists can be hectic. However, you should see some results within months. Lastly, make sure you are reading 15-20 minutes a day, along with singing songs. You'll be amazed at how some of these little things will stimulate reading for kids. They love being able to go to the library to choose a book.

All the Best,
D.

Hi. I live near Rockford, and we have both a 4 year private college and a two year community college here. They both offer summer learning programs for children of all ages, and they are very popular and successful. There may be some offered near you as well. If your son likes school, then you could always get him help over the summer, enroll him in school and get a reading tutor for next year. The school should be offering assistance as well. Good luck!

If he is just having a hard time pronouncing the words start slow. Find out what sounds he knows and build on that a little at a time. The vowels are the hardest because there are short and long sounds. I would start with the short vowel sounds because those are the ones you typically hear in three in letter words: cat, met, pit, hut, hot, etc. and then move on from there. Word families are nice because of the repition and the patterns. You can google word families and I'm sure you will get a bunch of fun activities to help hime practice with them. But you can try flashcards, too. Introduce him to two or three new sounds at a time until he really has them mastered.

If it is not phonics, but comprehension he struggles with, I would recommend the book Strategies That Work by Stephanie Harvey ( I think that is her name) it is geared more towards teachers, but it has some really great strategies in it.

Good Luck and be patient! He will catch on.

Hi,

I'm not sure where you live but my daughter goes to a place called SCORES in Naperville and she totally loves it. It's actually an online program that teaches the child basic sounds, sight words, reading and math. They have made it fun for the kids. She loves going on line and doing the different chapters. They also offer tutoring sessions to help develop skills that are difficult for the child. Their website is http://www.kaplantutoring.com

Best Wishes!

My girls are grown now ,,,but when I homeschooled we used the curriculum from Christian Liberty Academy. I thought it was the best spelling and reading program ever. You might look them up and try that.