My Non-Readers are reading!

[Army Wife]

Back in November I put to paper this prayer request: Have all my children reading chapter books by the end of the year. I am not going to lie. I knew exactly where my kids where in their reading and I thought it was a long shot. When we made the change to HOD in February. My children rarely read on their own and hated library visits. On top of that my dd10 has really struggled to make any gains in her reading level since 1st grade. Testing this past month has proved that there is a huge discrepancy in what my daughter can do and what she should be able to do.

These days my children beg to go to the library more than once week. All three of my children have read a chapter book, and two of them continue to read them for pleasure. My dd10 may not read chapter books consistently for pleasure, but she is reading, by choice, books of her choosing even when the books that interest her may have small print or long paragraphs (and she wouldn't even given them a glace prior to HOD). Two weeks ago they requested their own library card!

Why the change? God answers prayers and that drastic move I made back in January was definitely God placing on my heart the very move to make my request a done deal. I was so desparate to have my children reading, I never thought to withhold reading. Yet, withholding reading has been the very missing piece I needed to get my kids hooked. This was most obvious in reading our adventure selection Baby Island. Dividing the book by pages to be read in 20 days vs chapters had us stopping at those cliff hanger moments that had my kids begging for more, but I had to say, " Sorry, you'll just have to find out tomorrow." They made me promise I would not read ahead without them.

The Emergent Reader Set works in a similar way. The reading portions are small giving my kids that boost in confidence that they could do more, but I had to say," Sorry, you'll have to find out tomorrow." I meant to only have my son begin the set. I knew he was ready to transition, but was not quite sure how to go about it. My daughter recognized some books she had read and wanted to do them over her current reading program. I don't think she quite realized that the books would get a bit more challenging, and once she did she balked. Given the choice to return to her old reading program or read the next book, she chooses the next book. What is a struggle at first grows to be less and less each day. She can tire very easily when attempting to read chapter books, but I truly believe this reader set is building her stamina to read more and more words to a page and smaller font sizes.

All in all I am one happy momma I thank God everyday for this answered prayer and am so grateful to Carrie for fulfulling the work God has set her to do.

[Molly]

What a wonderful testimony!!! That is terrific!!!

[Carrie]

Armywife,

Thanks so much for sharing! Your post brought tears to my eyes as I read it, as this is just what we desire for kiddos too.

I am celebrating your progress with you and thrilled that your kiddos are learning to enjoy reading. You are so right that bite-sized pieces of reading leave kiddos wanting more! I agree with Charlotte Mason on that wonderful principle of shorter readings from better books done more slowly over time, because it work wonders for building the habit of attention, building anticipation, and building reading skills (not to mention building comprehension and vocabulary too).

Many blessing on your continued journey,
Carrie

[my3sons]

This was so inspiring to read! I'm so excited for you and for your dc. A woman who prays is a powerful thing. That paired with HOD is a winning combination! Thank you for sharing!

In Christ,
Julie