My son has a hard time with reading?

Question

I have a 6 year old son who i chose to homeschool for 1st grade (he will be 7 in July). I plan to enroll him back into school the next go round but i am worried because he has a hard time reading and remembering words. He is excellent in math but when it comes to reading he just can't get it together. I am wondering if it is an easier approach i can try, i've tried flash cards and it seems to help a little, he remembers "some" of the words. Another concern i have is, when i try to enroll him back into school, will they try to hold him back a grade because of his reading skills?? If anyone is in a similiar situation, any help or input would be great! I live in Illinois.

Answer 1

I commend you on what your doing, my son used to be in the public schooling, until he was in 3rd grade, & the kids "still" couldnt read to me, he would sit there & shake, & 1 time he wet himself. Come to find out the kid just couldnt read at all. This worried me so much. I went ot the school, & they in turn told me, I was just playing the parent card, & that my kid was snowing me over.

So I took him to a behavioralist, & he told me has it ever been said he might be dyslexic, we tested him, comeot find out he's severly dyselxic. But when we went to the school, they told us that "Dyselxicia DOSNT exsits"! I was pissed!

So both my husband & I did "alot" of talking, we took him out of the public school, & decided to homeschool him.

He is only a grade behind in math & reading, but is now A's & B's, when he "was" D's & F's! Major change.

We worked alot with him on his reading, & the kid is now reading chapter books to me.

I let him pick out the books though. But, let me tell you he chooses really good books, like mostly autobiographies, mostly about hte presidents. But when hes done reading the chapter to me, he can actually sit there & tell me what he read, & pertained.

Also let him use his finger to guide him in reading, trust me it helps them alot. Dont do what his speical ed teacher did, & smack his hand & say stop touching the book!

Becuase were homeschooling, my sons whole deminere is alot clamer, & happier too.

I hope this helps you out. Good luck, & dont get discouraged, thats for the both of you too! Take your tiem, the more you hurry, the more frusterated they get!

Answer 2

the same things is with me i am amazing in math but i just dont get reading. i am in high school and still am having major ifficulties. i think the best way to solve the issue or wat has helped me is just start out with small books and then try to keep like reading 1 or  grade levels above hi current grade but help him through it and encourage him. that is something i didnt have or do. i just did not cards and i am still pretty much failing so hope that helps

Answer 3

As some people have already said, he may not be ready for reading yet.  Give him time.  If possible, do NOT put him in school, as they won't have the time to work with him in the way that works best for him.  Keep working with him in a "low stress" way and keep it fun.

Personally, I'd say that flashcards are nice, but they are kind of boring and wouldn't be my main method of teaching reading.  I prefer to tackle it from a variety of methods, but the most important thing is to get your son to view reading as something fun and worthwhile, so that he's motivated to want to learn it; then it will eventually happen.

Some things I did with a 6 year old boy who wasn't getting reading:

*take him to the library at least once a week and let him pick out books on topics he's interested in (help him find them, plus pick out a few others that you think might interest him)

*get an inexpensive phonics workbook and work on a few pages each week

*read LOTS and LOTS of different things to him outloud--fiction, stories about careers, history, science, etc.  (the more different types of things you read to him, the more he'll learn and the more likely you'll find the sort of reading materials that really interest HIM)

*enter a reading contest (Most local libraries have summer reading programs.  Some bookstores have them, too.  Some will allow you to include books read TO non-readers.  Even if the prize is just a certificate, the idea of "winning a contest" can really turn on some boys to reading.  If you can't find a contest, create your own with some kind of prize attached for a certain amount of time spent reading together.)

*make sure that YOU read a lot around him--let him see that reading is something worthwhile that grownups do both to learn and for fun--that can really help motivate him

*watch some fun programs that teach reading skills--"Between the Lions" on PBS is a great television show that teaches a variety of reading skills; "Reading Rainbow" on PBS is a show to get kids interested in reading; the "LeapFrog" series of videos and DVDs is great for teaching phonics skills--or check at your local public library, they probably have some videos or DVDs there that you can check out

*play games that build reading skills--we made up bingo-type games using construction paper and markers.  In each square of the game board, we either wrote sight words or combinations of letters to sound out.  Then the adult would call out a word or sound and every player (it helps if the grown up plays too so that the child can look off of his card to try to figure out what the word looks like, at least at first) marks it on his game board; the first player to fill up all the squares in a row yells "bingo";

Or invent your own game

*Make flashcards fun by offering a small treat if he can get 5 of them correct (and once he's good at that amount, increase the amount needed for a treat) (Treats can be a small piece of candy or other edible treat, or a sticker, or a fancy pencil, or a trip to the park, or something else fun for him.)

*Make worksheets fun by letting him do them with different types of writing utensils--today we'll use colored pencils, or markers, or we'll use paint brushes with water and "paint" the answers on the sidewalk, etc.  Adding variety in how it's done can really get kids more interested in the whole idea

***Most of all, keep reading aloud to him.  Even when he's getting better at reading, keep reading to him.  It teaches him how it should be done, and it seems like a nice way to spend time with someone you love, and teaches him more information.

I found that spending just one day a week, for about 2 hours total each day, working on a variety of the things listed above (with time in between spent running around since 2 hours is way too long for a boy that age to sit still) worked wonders.

Good luck!

Answer 4

Reading is a skill that involves a certain degree of maturity of the brain.  Sometimes that doesn't happen until a child is 7 or 8.  It's interesting to see parents try different methods with their kids, or send them to different teachers/schools, and then give credit to the method/teacher/school for teaching the child to read rather than recognizing that it is developmental.  My oldest read early, but not as early as I thought he could.  I taught him phonics and he knew all the sounds.  But, when it came time to put the sounds together he couldn't do it.  It didn't matter how hard I tried or he tried, it just wasn't going to work.  I believed in putting frustrating things away for a period to bring them out again later.  Before I had the opportunity, he was reading on his own.  I remember hearing him read a brand new book in the backseat of the car and asking my husband if he had read it to him.  No.  It had just clicked.  I was fortunate; this was my first child and I really relaxed with the others.  Many other children I have observed have begun reading in this 1st - 2nd grade time frame.

We have friends who had the opposite situation from yours.  Their son was in the gifted and talented program through elementary school.  They told the teachers that they didn't think the boy read well because he did very poorly on the school's standardized test.  The teacher said it was just because he was bored.  They took him out to homeschool and discovered that he was years behind in his reading abilities.

Having your son checked for learning disabilities would be no bad thing.  It will give you a perspective that you won't likely get from the classroom teacher.  You really do know your son better than anyone else and should remember that even when dealing with the educational professionals.  They have a body of knowledge, but you know YOUR son.

Good luck.

Answer 5

DON'T do flash cards!!!!! Especially with boys. That means remembering the words and not being able to figure out new words.

Please purchase a phonics program for him and work with him on it. A good one is Phonics Pathways. It's very easy--just a book and you follow what they say to do (he does the reading part then you dictate some of the words to him so he gets the multi-sensory approach). You might also consider reading "Why Johnny Can't Read" or "Why Johnny Still Can't Read." They're both about the horrible effects the look-say method has had on reading skills.

And yes, the school may decide to hold him back, or they may decide to give him remedial time. However, if you can get the book I mentioned and get started now, he will probably make lots of progress by then.

Answer 6

6 is pretty young, especially for a boy. The ability to learn to read is a developmental thing just like toilet training was. Quite likely his brain just isn't ready for it yet. I would get a good phonics program if you don't have one already and gently try that. Focus on improving, not on being able to read. If you don't get anywhere, I would recommend putting it away for a few weeks. Trying to ram it into him is only going to destroy any enjoyment of reading. It's pretty hard to learn something you have no desire left to learn. At this age, a positive attitude towards reading is far more important than ability. A break won't hurt. It may help. Think about it. How many times have we all sat in front of a word document trying to think of that perfect word? It never appears in your brain until you've flicked over to Solitaire, does it? Sometimes you have to take the pressure off so there'll be room for the idea to form.

I'd be really surprised if they would hold him back for this if he tests at grade level in other subjects. Remember how low standards can be in public schools. He probably isn't that far behind. There's a big difference between the desired level of skill and everyone's actual level of skill.

Answer 7

when i was in grade 1 me and my friend had a very tough trouble reading now my mom was a good mom and was always involved with my school and my friends mom was addicted to crack

so my mother noticed my reading ability was very poor so every day after school i had to sit down for 1 hour and read. Now in my school there was an on line testing thing for reading ability and just awhile ago in grade 9 me and my friend did the test again i was at a grade level of about 10 and his reading grade level was 7

the point I'm trying to make is reading isn't naturally evolved into your brain. Sit your kid down and read with him it WILL make a difference

Answer 8

this sounds like he may have a case of dyalexia, he can be tested as early as kindergarden. the earlier he is tested the easier it will be to correct the prblems. if you have him tested in the school you should know the system most schools dont test for dyslexia but only for LD's (learning disabilities) not specificly dyslexia.

most dylslexics have memory problems. before using the flash cards give him a spelling test. the words he misspells make into flash cards. lets say he misspells the word bicycle hes spells it like "bycicl" he forgets the y and e, when making the flash card the letter the he forgot or missplaced write in a color coded fahion. the letters he did get right you can write in regular pencil or pen. (i.e) cat is spelled like kat by your son you make the "c" red an the "at" black. people with dyslexia the ability to think 3-dimensionally in pictures. on the flash cards have your son draw a picture of the spelling word on the card. (i.e) if the spelling word is king have him draw a picture of a crown or castle something that is connected with to the word.(simple enough). on the harder words like a verb "come" whatever come to his mind have him draw on the flash card. (i.e) for the word come if a whistle comes to mind  because he plays sports and a whistle is used to call the kids in. with this idea the picture will make a connection to the word. rembering the picture and the letters he forgets to spell.

*update*

I found an example

http://abcread.com/images/car.jpg    

see "ar" is red

http://abcread.com/images/SYLLABLES_sm.j...



with this I would say "see the word rabbit has two B's just like a rabbit has two ears" maby even have him draw the ears as B's. You have to get creative.

Answer 9

Try teaching you son not the names of the letters in the alphabet but teach him the sounds first. Like the letter "A" sounds different to when its in a word like "apple". I am explaining this because usually teachers just teach the names but really when it comes to reading, the sounds are more important.

Answer 10

My son was in the 8th grade of public school when we took him out and began homeschooling.   He could read the words but not relate the meaning of the stories/books.  

We began reading together in homeschooling and reading along with audio books.

It worked.    He now comprehends what he reads.