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My ds, needs a boost in his reading skills. He definitely needs someone there who can help him with words while he reads. What can I do to help my son to become a better reader? We read a lot to him and with him but I want to do more. He does not need to start at the beginning but he could use some extra help on some of the more difficult phonics. Any suggestions for beefing up his reading skills?

Is he doing the ER books? My dd is slsowly getting into them. I don't want to push her, as I believe the level of difficulty increases. She has done the Early Readers Bible, Owl at Home, and both Frog and Toad books. I am supplementing with some Pathway readers. If he is doing the ER books and having struggles, you may want to get some easier readers for now. As far as phonics, if he has done a complete phonics program, but you still need some of that instruction, you could try using something like Explode the Code. It's a workbook. I have my dd doing a page or two a few times a week along with her daily reading. I think just regular exposure to words is the best, as many are considered sight words and don't follow a phonetic rule. Just have him keep reading easy books and increase as he is able. He may need your assistance longer, but that's okay.

Hi Sara! Could you share how old your ds is, and what he has done and is doing for reading? TIA!
In Christ,
Julie

Julie,

My ds is 7 (8 in Aug.) We are reading the Emerging Reader books in Beyond. Prior to that we had used Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, which worked awesome for my older two, but I also think they were/are natural readers.

Thank you ladies for the support, I really appreciate it!

Sara

Sara,

Thanks for sharing about your son. In trying to get a clearer picture of his issues,I'm going to ask some questions that may shed some light on this area for those of us on the board as we try to advise you.

First, I'm wondering whether he is still reading word-by-word, sounding out each word as he reads? Next, I'm wondering how far into the Emerging Reader's Set he is? Which Bible did he use at the beginning of the Emerging Reader's Set? Does it take him a really long time to read the assigned Emerging Reader set readings? Is he able to decode words he doesn't know when he comes to them? As you listen to him read, do you notice any sounds or groups of sounds that he seems to be missing? Can he read words with multiple syllables? Can you list some examples of words he'll miss in a day's reading?

If you get a chance to pop back and share a bit more insight, we can advise you better.

Blessings,
Carrie