My 7 Year Old Is Curious but Dosent Like Reading

My son is in Kindergarten this year. It's now May and I accept watched him struggle with learning to read.

If you've been reading my web log posts this past yr, you'll know that I'one thousand a large proponent of phonics-based early reading education. I taught K-2 for a number of years, accept presented teacher professional evolution on early reading, and worked with endless students who were struggling readers. I have a strong background in early reading instruction.

In that location's a couple of reasons why my son hasn't learned to read in Kindergarten this past year. Partly he'due south just a six-twelvemonth-old boy, who would rather play than read, and is non really interested in school yet. The other role is that he only needs some solid, consequent pedagogy in reading, which he hasn't gotten this twelvemonth at schoolhouse. In a manner, I'm okay with the fact that the reading instruction hasn't been solid considering he's not ready for it.

The strange thing is that, as a teacher and a former Kindergarten instructor, I know what he needs. I know exactly what sounds he knows and doesn't know. I know that he cannot smooth blend some CVC words, especially those with stop sounds. He knows all of his continuous sounds, but still struggles to recollect the stop sounds. I know that he needs to work on his phonemic awareness skills.

I know all of these things and at the same time, I take not provided systematic didactics at dwelling for him this by yr.

I am pulled in two directions.

The Teacher In Me

In August of this past school year, my son asked me to teach him to read. If simply it were that simple. I call back he expected to learn how to read speedily and it was something I could teach him hands, like within a 24-hour interval or two.

At the fourth dimension I knew he wasn't fix yet.  He didn't know many of his sounds and lacked quite a few phonemic awareness skills that needed to be in place first.

The teacher part of me wants to create a scope and sequence of teaching that will run into his needs and push him to the next level in reading. I can totally do that. I know how to do it and I tin can create or find the resources I need to teach him to read.

The teacher in me feels like I am somehow failing him past not teaching him to read.

The Parent Side of Me

As a parent, I want to see him love school. That is the nearly important matter for me. I had a beloved/hate relationship with schoolhouse myself (it was as well easy for me) and my married man disliked schoolhouse (it was boring). I want school to be a safe, comfortable identify for my son to spend six+ hours a 24-hour interval for 13+ years of his life.  I don't want him to experience anxious or stressed almost not performing well plenty.

My son has gone through his Kindergarten year and continually voiced to me that he doesn't similar school. His reason? It'southward boring. Nosotros all know that school is non built for boys, especially little boys who like to run, spring, and wrestle rather than sit still in a classroom.  My son does not have a learning inability, nor does he have ADHD. He excels in math. He can tell elaborate stories and wants me to document them. He understands everything read aloud to him and asks great questions when he doesn't.  He can sit still when he needs to do so.

He would exist considered backside by normal, traditional Kindergarten standards. But, I also know the inquiry. Most kids learn to read between the ages of iv-7 and some not until viii. If kids don't learn to read in Kindergarten, they're not behind. They don't take a learning disability, although some may. They only may not be set up to or interested in reading yet.  It's okay if he doesn't learn to read until he's seven or 8.  That doesn't mean that he's not learning.

I am pulled in two directions. The teacher in me that knows how to provide systematic education at abode that could meet his reading needs and the parent side of me that wants him to love learning. Are those 2 things isolated? No, only when he comes home tired from school the last thing I desire to do is make him sit downwards and practice more "schoolhouse stuff."

Do you know what my son can do?

He can run faster than any kid in his class. He'southward very proud of that.

He tin can create elaborate, imaginative stories. He's always asking u.s. for paper to draw them out.

He tin create whole cities in MindCraft. That'southward a lot of geometric and spacial thinking.

He excels in math and can remember exterior of the box when solving issues.

He's happy, even though he doesn't like school. It's not a bad identify for him. It'southward simply not as fun as playing with Legos, engaging in pretend play with his friends, or climbing trees. That's okay for now. At least information technology's non a struggle to become him to go to schoolhouse.

Thankfully, we chose a school for him that does not push academics over social and emotional evolution. At my son'southward school, it's okay that he'due south not reading at the stop of Kindergarten. He's not looked down upon and he doesn't feel shamed for non reading.

He has learned and grown so much this past year. No, he hasn't learned to read, just he's learned other life-skills that he volition take with him when he leaves Kindergarten.

What take nosotros done at habitation to help with his reading?

Nosotros accept done very few academic things after school. I have tried to work with him in the afternoons, but he is so tired. It's a struggle to become him to concentrate, focus and sit down still. No, he's doesn't accept ADHD. Not even close. He'due south but a six-year-onetime male child who is tired from a long day at schoolhouse and can't concentrate on more reading piece of work at dwelling. It has been difficult for me to be consistent while working with him at habitation.

What do we do after schoolhouse? At the offset of the year, I worked in fun word-play and phonemic sensation activities throughout the afternoon.  These were not formal lessons, but just oral sound play.

Now, we piece of work on blending sounds using these blending cards. I developed these CVC Cutting & Paste Worksheets & Phonics Cards that we exercise once a week or then.  I honey that we can do the worksheet and I can make them into a ring of review cards.

I have put together some reading passages that are highly controlled for cvc discussion family unit and sight words. We accept only started working on these reading passages and will go along them throughout the summer.

I've also started using a computerized program that is geared toward homeschool families called Funnix. Information technology requires that an developed sit down with the kid to make sure he is pronouncing the sounds correctly and following the program. It does a really good job teaching reading without a lot of teacher prep and materials.  As a reading instructor, I can see that it addresses all the of import components of reading at just the correct pace.

While we do a lot at abode, i thing I am not is consistent.

My son is in school all morning long (it's half-day Kindergarten). He comes dwelling house tired. I want him to honey learning and pushing him to do reading subsequently school every day has been a struggle. So, we are not consistent in our piece of work at home. Come summer, we'll concentrate on it much more than when he's less tired from school.

My recommendation to you as a teacher and a parent

Give your kid time. Some children simply need a piffling more time.

While yous're waiting, notice. Sentinel your child and see if they have a learning disability or if they need some intervention that y'all or their instructor can provide.

Can they learn what they are taught in other academic areas? Are they imaginative? Exercise they desire to tell you stories and interact with y'all almost the globe effectually them? Are they making friends? Do they like school?

Learning how to read used to be taught in first grade. We, equally a society, have pushed learning to read down to Kindergarten. There'south nix wrong with teaching reading in Kindergarten. On the same token, there's nothing wrong with a Kindergartener who doesn't learn to read.

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I wrote some other blog post about my son learning to read.  It's been two years since I wrote this original post and I've had a few commenters inquire near how he's doing now.  This blog mail, When Your Kid Struggles with Reading, is about where we are at present, two years later.

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Source: https://www.whatihavelearnedteaching.com/when-your-child-doesnt-learn-to-read-in-kindergarten/