Am I stressed out over nothing?

[ksoods]

This is my first time posting on this board. I have loved reading topics and hope to have some encouragement or help with my situation.

I have a "young" 6 ds who just finished LHFHG last month. He loved most of the program, except for reading. He has told me many times he hates to do reading whenever we are up to that in our school day. I chose TRL to go thru with him and we made it thru lesson 16, I am hoping to finish this with Beyond when we start again next month. My problem is, that with going thru so much of this book already I would think he'd be reading better than he is. I have managed to get some VERY simple readers from a friend and the library and he still struggles thru them. He knows how to sound things out, but I don't know if he's stubborn or just doesn't know what to do. Should I be worried about this, or just plug thru the end of TRL and hope he's ready for emerging readers whenever he finishes? I am very surprised that he is not more excited to read b/c he's always been my child that loves to listen to me read for him and will every. single. day. for as long as I can do it.

Any advice/encouragement would be appreciated!

Karen
6 yr ds in BLHFHG
3 yr dd getting into everything!
3 mo dd taking everything in!

[StephanieU]

I would give it time. Some times they make leaps in reading ability. For my daughter, the Bob books really helped her. We started at the second set (which is pretty basic) and read all of the rest of them. It really helped her confidence, as the books have a nice flow to them, are short, and stick with only a few rules per book. I would highly recommend trying them.
What readers have you tried with him?

[hs.mama07]

Your son sounds just like my DS6. We started Beyond in April and we're now to lesson 19 in TRL. He still says phonics is his least favorite part of school and has almost no interest in reading books. He'll occasionally read Bob books, but it's a rare thing. So we're just plodding slowly through phonics and even though he doesn't like it much, I have seen progress. He still sounds things out a lot, but he's getting faster and he doesn't seem to dread it as much. We're going to finish out the last two lessons and start Emerging readers after that. If he struggles with the ERs then I plan on using the supplement titles and taking it slow. We may also do some phonics review if he needs that.

He loves being read to--loves hearing stories of any kind. So I figure, when it finally clicks, he's going to love being able to read stories all by himself. Until then, we'll just take it slow. He'll get it eventually. And if it's any consolation, my niece and nephew were still sounding things out and reading VERY slowly when they started the ER's and they are now both reading great. Some kids just take longer than others.

Have a good rest of the summer and hope you enjoy Beyond!

[ksoods]

I am using Fountas & Pinnell readers right now. I also got a couple Biscuit dog books from the library, these seem pretty tough for him. Thanks for the responses!
Karen

[StephanieU]

The Biscuit books are harder than the Bob books. They are "MY First" I Can Read books. We did the Bob Books, then the My First, then Level 1 I Can Read before starting the ER books in January. It took us 6 months to do that after competing Horizons Phonics K (which covers basically the same things as TRL). Now she is reading up a storm and having no problems with the ER books other than the proper nouns (names, places, etc). We will start Buffalo Bill this week (as soon I we pick it up from the library).

[nena3927]

My just turned 6 yr old is the same exact way so you are NOT alone. We are on lesson 17 in TRL and that is definitely his least favorite subject. He actually likes to do his lesson (1 page) first so he can get it out of the way. He still sounds out alot and can't seem to remember some of the sounds even still. He also could sit all day and let me read to him but doesn't like reading anything he doesn't have to. We also have the BOB books and the Nora Gaydos Now I'm Reading books and he prefers the Now I'm Reading books over the BOB. They are full color and have little stickers that matches the story they are reading, and when they read the story they get that particular sticker. Those really helped my son the past month to continue reading some while we took a break from TRL. I know its frustrating and I've thought about switching to a different program but since he is this far along, I think it best to continue through TRL slowly which is what is probably best for your ds as well. I would check out the readers suggested and see which ones you think your son would like better. They are also easier to read than the ones you are using now so that may be a confidence booster for him. Just keep doing what your doing and results will come....and remember I'm waiting right there with you lol. HTH!

[Nealewill]

The Bob books were a huge hit with my kids. And my youngest is really my only child who read early. My older two didn't really catch on to phonics till they were 8 or almost 8. But my youngest caught on quick. Each child is very different. If you feel like something is wrong or that they need more practice, then HOD has mentioned supplementing with explode the code. Supplementing might help if your child is stuck somewhere. For my oldest, they needed a lot more help. My youngest was a natural. But at the age of 6, it is hard to tell anything. If your child is still struggling when he is 7 going on 8, then I think I would pursue more. But at this point, I would start with ER and maybe add some Bob Books. I think those types of books and practice are great for building skills and confidence. And at his age, I wouldn't worry at all if it were me.

[lmercon]

I would not worry, BUT I would keep a close watch on things. My ds was finally diagnosed with severe dyslexia when he was 9. Looking back, I wished that I would have realized what was going on earlier so that intervention could begin much earlier than it did. Now that I know so much about dyslexia, I can see it even in his pre-reading days. 20% of the population has some level of dyslexia, so it's very common and very misunderstood and mismanaged. The best thing to do now is to read to him A LOT, use a phonics program that explicitly teaches the rules (dyslexics don't intuit language like the rest of us because their wiring to those brain areas is weak and scattered), and practice lots of sight words. Educate yourself about dyslexia so that you can be more aware of the warning signs in case he begins to show more of them. Again, I'm not at all saying that he is dyslexic, but I could have written your post a number of years ago. My ds is now 13 and it is still a daily struggle.
Laura

[Tidbits of Learning]

Does he like video games or computer games? Try a 2 week trial of Reading Eggs alongside TRL. This is the combo we used with my ds when we did LHFHG with TRL. He loved having a baby chick hatch and going through the "levels" and "maps" on Reading Eggs and his reading was great when he was done. It was a supplement on top of TRL and an independent activity for him while I was working with the other kids. I highly recommend it to spark an interest.

[bethelmommy]

You've received some great advice already. I would also encourage you not to worry at this point. He is still young and every child develops at their own pace. My ds(8) was a slow and reluctant reader until last summer when he became interested in a book series and suddenly took off with reading. A lot of repetition and consistent daily practice will pay off in the long run.

For my oldest two dc I used Bob books alongside TRL for some extra reading practice. Another thing I found helpful was to use both bibles in the ER package. I did not do this with my oldest ds and it took a long time for him to settle in to the Beginner's Bible and be able to read it comfortably. With dd, I added the Early Readers Bible first and the transition to the Beginner's Bible was much smoother. HTH

[MelInKansas]

I would echo what others have said, you don't really need to worry right now as he is only 6. My 7.5 year old was not willing to read on her own, at that stage it was still too much work for her. Somewhere along the way in the Emerging Readers she started reading everywhere, everything around her and now she is much more fluent. If you feel by the time he is done with TRL that he is able to read everything in there, then move on to the ERs and just take them slowly (that's what I did). Us the easier Bible selection, add in the supplemental titles. I bet he will move right along and you will see him grow a lot!

[Rice]

The whole better late than early idea really resonates with me - I think we tend to push reading and seatwork on kids too early. Now, some kids will do just fine and even flourish with it but many, especially boys, just need more time to develop before being developmentally ready for something so complex as reading. There are many who say that it is normal for reading to be mastered between the ages of 8-12! So, honestly I would not worry about a child not "getting it" at 6.

I think the fact that your son loves to be read to is a complete blessing! He will still develop his vocabulary, comprehension and awareness of language (grammar, syntax, etc.) as he listens to you read which will only stand him in good stead as he learns to read. Keep reading!

And if he never did as an infant/toddler - teach him to crawl! There is a correlation between the hand-eye co-ordination and things that cross the mid-line (move R hand and L leg at the same time, then the opposite together) that develop neural pathways that are used in reading! You can also do activities that strengthen those skills: Simon Says and other games where you touch your L ear with right hand, etc., crossing the midline and using whole body motions.

However, I agree with Imercon that it is a good idea to keep an eye on him as a whole to make sure there aren't any indications of other trouble (not just developmental unreadiness). Here is a link to one (of many!) checklist for potential dyslexia symptoms where you can look back with hindsight on his toddler hood, not just at the work he can or can't do right now and it includes links for other checklists, too:
http://www.ncld.org/types-learning-disa ... to-grade-2

That said, my oldest DD had none of the dyslexia toddler/preschool warning signs but now has a few of the school-age ones and she is the one who has had the most difficulty learning to read. I recently had her tested and she is in the average to low-average for reading, so there's nothing "diagnosable" but obviously some struggles (which I hope HOD will give us the structure to iron out!). But likely she will always have to use strategies and face her learning more strategically than my sons (who learned to read on their own or almost so). And that's okay. I think as homeschool parents we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to have children who are "above average" as the test scores are showing they often are, but there's nothing wrong with being below average in areas. Each one learns and grows and develops on their own curve and we need to not only accept that but to recognize it as a gift, an expression of their unique, God-given gifts and talents and personality. (Speaking to the choir here.)

So, in the end my advice is to be careful not to put any pressure on your son, keep going on the instruction, but if you feel it might be beneficial take a break for a while from the formal instruction and do activities in that place that will assist with reading skills then return to the instruction in due course. Keep on reading to him. The books HOD has on its lists are hand-picked to be excellent quality (unlike much that you will find on library shelves) and if you run out of books (you won't want to read ones from the years you haven't gotten to yet) then go to sites like amblesideonline.org, simplycharlottemason.com and charlottemasonhelp.com for more CM booklists. Go ahead and make sure there are no indications of underlying problems (like looking at dyslexia checklists, etc.) but don't obsess with them or get overwhelmed by them; if you suspect a problem then take steps to have him tested if you wish or merely to help you understand him better, but otherwise just use them as a way to calm your fears. Enjoy him and give him time to develop. I'm guessing that one day things will just click and almost overnight he will get past this little hurdle. Children truly do grow in fits and starts and sometimes even regress in one area (reading?) when growing in another (physically or in gross motor skills, for example). You may be surprised (or not!) when you start back to it.

I hope that gives you some ideas to go on. You, as others have mentioned, are not alone.
Blessings as we walk this journey together,

[ksoods]

Thank you all for your wonderful advice! I think I have plan to try now. I know I am my own worst enemy when it comes to seeing progress, so I'll work on that too
Have a blessed day y'all!

Karen