5 year old's reading

highly1111

Hi

Apologies if this is more seated to Teaching and Lecturing so mods please move if more appropriate.

I was wondering if any parents had hints and tips for me.

My son is 5 and has just completed junior infants - they did jollyphonics and the books they did were the Chip, Biff and Floppy ones.

The problem is that although he knows all the sounds and actions for each letter of the alphabet - he doesn't get the concept that all the sounds need to be put together to make a word. Also there seems to be a problem with remembering words - say, for example, Dug - we sound it out and I tell him that when we put it together it makes Dug and then the same word comes up on the very next page and he can't remember it at all.

I'm just trying to see what's normal - there's a few words he'll remember and know from memory and recognise - Mum, Dad, Biff, Chip, Floppy etc. and obviously he uses the pictures a lot to help him guess.

He's my eldest child and I've a niece and a nephew who have just finished JI also and their reading seems to be a lot better - for example, when they read they sound out T-I-N and then they put it together to say Tin. This is the part my son is missing.

Does anyone have any tips on how I can help him? I really don't want to sound like a pushy parent (because I'm not!) but they have all the books in the library and I thought I'd get a few to help him over the summer - one to one. However, he just seems to be failing to make that very last connection to take him over the line.

Does anyone have any ideas?

Thanks a million

happydayz8

What I did was to make a long list of 3 letter words at the start. They where nonsense words like: bab, cab, dab, gab, hab... We practiced those a bit and then I timed him as he's quite a competitive nature he loved this and we had a laugh about the made up words too. Once he nailed one list we moved to the next. Emphasis was always on one sound really. The idea is that he doesn't have to concentrate on getting a word right, just the sound. It also distracts less as my sons imagination always wandered off imagining a dog when he reaf dog.
Hope this makes sense.

RubyGirl

Did you son get flash cards coming home from school, if he was on one book, teacher would send home words that were going to be on page 7/8 and he'd learn them as the words on the previous pages he should know. This is what our senior infants teacher did and the same as junior infants. She is going into 1st in Sept and her reading is now quite good. I really would not worry as he will pick it up in seniors. I do a good bit or work in the car, like I spell a word and she tell me what the word is, it helps alot, she's now onto spelling's so I'd ask her to spell what, dog, web etc.

The Peanut

Hi,

My middle child was exactly like this. It's very difficult as a parent not to worry. Looking at his cousins doesn't help either.

The first piece of advice I would give you is try and not compare children. It's not easy but you'll give your head no peace by doing it. As I mentioned, my middle child was like this. If I had not had the experience of dealing with an older child, I would have worried more. But all kids are different and they get to their goals at different rates. My first and third devoured letters, words and made all the connections between them. My middle one got there too, but in his own time.

Keep your child comfortable with books. The library is a great idea. Kids will invest more in book topics they like. Read with them and encourage them to try. It was the end of senior infants before my middle lad got there. But he did and hasn't looked back.

It's not easy with our eldest. All their milestones are ventures into unknown territories. Be guided by your child and your instincts. Focus on hobbies, pets or toys your child has. The more the words mean to the child, the greater their interest and, hopefully, the easier they will retain them.

Best of luck.

diveout

You could try this and see if it helps.

1. Pick a simple word a day, either from a flashcard or one you write down yourself, and stick it on the fridge. It's word of the day. And every so often thoughout the day, have him check in with it. Sometimes you just have to wait till the process clicks.

With my guy, the obstacle was inconstancy and lack of logic in sound combinations. So I did a "sound of the day" instead of a word of the day. For example OU. Depending on the word, the OU diphthong could have many possible sounds, just like E could or Y. So I'd put up three or four words that had the same sounds in it but used a different letter. One day I had PHONE and FISH for another example. That way my little reader was able to accept the lack of consistency in English phonics and just move through it.

I point this out only because identifying the obstacle can help you get past it.

I was worried about his progress in reading, but two years later he is way ahead of the game.

2. Do you remember what it was like learning a foreign language and the incredibly BORING material they used to teach it? I would have learned a lot better and a lot faster if I had read French magazines than the incredibly tedious school book French. Well I find a many of the readers are along these lines and produce more resistance than enthusiasm. Over the summer pick a couple of books that are related to things he is interested in like pirates, tractors, whatever gets him curious. Even if the words are a little hard it will motivate him further and he will feel more rewarded when he is able to decode the language because he will have learned about something that interests him and not about Biff and Dad and the cat.

highly1111

Thanks a million for all the advice and tips - some really useful information there. I'm going to take it all on board and keep trying to keep it light and fun for him. I know he'll get there - he is so amazing and has some incredible talents - I suppose I'm probably overthinking it! Thanks again

Scarlet42

do you read to him? do you read him bedtime stories? this makes such a huge difference.

happywithlife

I wouldn't worry too much - they'll do far more reading next yr.
do the cousins go to a different school? schools do things differently and at different times so for your own sanity don't be comparing
I found the Dr Suess books fab at that age and my daughter really loved them. They are colour coded at the back for beginner readers, advanced readers etc

Tordelback

Reading competence seems to progress in leaps and stumbles, so it's easy to become worried at any particular stage. My eldest seemed to instantly grasp single-syllable words in montessori and JI, and then appeared to be unable to figure out multiple syllables at all, essentially guessing words from the first few letters and never paying attention to the endings. I was busily reading up on dyslexia by the time he got to 1st Class, and then suddenly he was off and running, and no word was too long. As long as you're working with them, and keeping it fun and stress-free, they'll get there.

But yeah, try not to compare kids: I was pleased as punch that my boy had got through (and enjoyed) a short ghost-story all by himself, only to find a classmate was on the last chapter of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. You'll only drive yourself crazy!

highly1111

Scarlet42 wrote: »

do you read to him? do you read him bedtime stories? this makes such a huge difference.

Yes, we do a story / stories every evening. He really enjoys them.