Help with First Grade Reading!!

Hi L. -
What does his school say? Reading is a developmental process and he is still within a "normal" range if he is actually learning but just isn't all the way where he should be by now. There are many learning issues that can interfere with his ability to read and spell. You may need to have him evaluated for any issues so that you can rule that out. A child can have an IQ that is normal or even high and STILL have reading and/or spelling issues. If he does have an issue, the worst thing you could do is show him your frustration; if he does have an issue, it is not his fault and there are skills he can be taught to help close those gaps. If you have him evaluated and they don't find anything wrong, then it's just a matter of practice and patience. The Leap Frog stuff is good, and there are lots of computer games too if he likes that. The best thing is just reading with him; you read a page, he reads a page, or you read a sentence and let him fill in the blanks at the end. Hang in there and be his biggest cheerleader!
Nancy - an educator in Atlanta

L.,
HI - I HOME SCHOOL MY 2nD GRADER AND MY KINDERGARTENER HERE ARE A FEW OF THE FREE KID SAFE WEB SITES THAT HELPED MY DAUGHTER ACHEIVE A 4th GRADE READING LEVEL AND SHE IS ONLY IN THE SECOND GRADE.
1. WWW.STARFALL.COM
2. WWW.PBSKIDSGO.COM
3. WWW.NOGGIN.COM
4. WWW.ALPHIE.COM
5. WWW.PBSKIDS.COM
6. WWW.LITERACYCENTER.NET
7. WWW.LEARNINGPAGE.COM
THIS IS JUST A FEW AND SOME OF THESE EVEN ALLOW YOU TO PRINT WORKSHEETS SO YOU CAN CONTINUE TO HELP THEM OFFLINE AS WELL. I HOPE THESE HELP YOU LIKE THEY HELPED ME. LET ME KNOW HOW THINGS GO. R.

I had this problem with my daughter in second grade, do you notice that your son likes numbers, math.. My daughter loved math it cam to her very easliy where reading and spelling she had to work at usually if you notice your child is good at mathe they are lacking in something else. I realized since she had to work at here reading and spellin she needed her confidence level boosted in these areas . I sent her to a tutor once a week for a scholl year she is now in 7th grade and has A and B in reading now granted she still likes math better and only reads whe she has to. And like one mother told you sometimes we do push our kids to fast give him till the end of the year and see how things work out.

Try finding a book that really sparks his interest ..something he really likes..also reading to him is a good way to spark his interest...skits to go along with the story is fun..try making it fun and not a requirement..this age is really hard. I use to read to mine and actually play the part of certian characters in the story and now they love going to the library and checking out books to read. It is hard at that age i do agree..just patience and perserverance..hugs to you.

Well, I am a mother of a 2 1/2 year old and an elementary school teacher. The best advise that I give to parents is to set aside a special place (no distractions) and do the homework as soon as your family gets home from school. No TV, movies, outside play time, video games until the homework is done. It might take a couple of weeks to really get your point across but if you stick to your guns and allow no "fun" time until homework is finished, your child will eventually get the point and realize that you are not kidding.

You also might want to begin a reward system at the same time. Everytime there is no fussing, whinning, etc.. then they get a sticker on a chart or a pebble in a jar. When the chart or jar is filled up, they get a prize, treat, or special time with mom and dad. Positive reinforcement is a wonderful thing!

Something that I do for my families that I teach is to pass out all homework on Monday and have it all due on Friday. Let's be honest, things come up during the week that might cause for homework time to be interupted. If parents and kids know the homework in advanced, they can try to plan around it and get more done on one day incase they have church, ball game, family events, etc. The class that I have now is a class that I taught in 1st grade and now have the same crew for 2nd grade. My parents know what to expect and they like my system. If you feel comfortable enough, you might mention your problem to your child's teacher along with the home modifications that you are using and just see if she can change her homework schedule to help your liitle guy!

Hope that you find something to help you!

M.

Hey L., I have a 4 year old daughter who has just now learning how to read. She is so excited but the best toy that has Helped her is the LEAP FROG. She has received a different Leap Frog every year since she was 2. Last Christmas I bought her the Leapster. She thinks she is just playing games because it is like a gameboy but it is a learning aid. She has learned new words and how to put them together to make a sentence.

I used to be a substitute teacher and another good way to help him learn is you read the story to him first and then play a repetition game with the story the second time through. I have also found that very helpful and teaching my daughter how to read and spell. Also when learning new words try to teach them to him in a rhyme, children learn from rhymes much easier than just spelling them out normally. I just wanted to drop you a few ideas.

Definately something like LeapFrog can make a difference. Any program or technique that teaches them to ream phonetically (sounding out the word, and teaching the the different sounds made by each vowel or vowel combo)is likely to be the most effective. A lot of schools aren't teaching phonetic spelling anymore, or at least don't emphasize it enough.

I enrolled my son into the Kumon math & reading program, and that helped alot.

Do not take this lightly - this will help you tremendously...

Read anything by Dr. Raymond Moore (except the technical books)...especially Home Style Teaching which is good for parents that are using public school for education. He is called the grandfather of the home school movement, but what he says applies to ALL parents in working with children.

You will learn that your little guy is being pushed too early...not by you...by our system. It will help you relax. AND...the best way to teach a little one to read is to read to them...every day.

L., our son is five and is having the same problem in Kindergarten. I also was going to mention the Leap Frog dvds, books etc. It has helped the most by far.

Everyone tells me, he is just going to "get it" someday. He is definitely trying. He knows his letter sounds but trying to put them together to make words is his biggest problem. On the nights he has "light homework" I tell him that watching the LEAP Talking Words factory DVD is part of his homework and he gets really excited.

Another comment I have heard recently that helped me was from a former third grade teacher. She said that I need to not worry about it as much, do the best I can to help him and remember that years from now we will look back and it will not matter "at what point" he "learned" to read (as long as he eventually does.) It is hard not comparing to other people's children but when I see a child his age reading it just makes me fanatic...but I have to remember we are all different and learn things at different paces. Math is definitely coming to him faster than reading.
C. G

You could try the Leap Frog Movies. Letter Factory, Word factroy and talking word factory. They have helped my son alot! He is only Two and he sounds out most of the Sounds already. There is also a game bord game of Leap frog u can try.
Good luck and take care.
DES

I am a third grade teacher and boys are hard on reading. Try getting joke books, world reacord books, or anything about wierd stuff. Any reading is good even if it is a cereal box, but you have to find what they like and then give it to them. My boys in my class love the joke books and comic books.

I agree with the others on Leap Frog. They have some really neat things that will catch his interest. I would go for something like a computerized little thing or some books that he touches with a pen if he don't know the word. Also reward for behavior...... That always helps... Good luck

L.,

Christine,

My daughter got easily frustrated when learning to read at the same age. What really made a big difference in her enthusiasm was that I made a wall chart with 20-30 squares, each representing a book she successfully reads herself, and each night after she read 1 book she got to put a sticker in one of the squares. I told her that when she filled up the whole sheet, I would take her horseback riding. You could probably choose any other big reward that would appeal to your child, like going to a movie or Chuck E Cheese or something. I also purchased a set of easy phonics readers from her school's Scholastic catalog that were numbered, started easy and short and then got a little longer as she progressed, and those were the books she had to read for the chart. It sounds like such a little thing, but just getting to put a sticker on a chart and having a reward to work toward made a huge difference in her enthusiasm to actually try to read a book. Good luck!

- S.

Leapfrog has a line of videos and dvds that teach reading. They include The Letter Factory, The Word Factory, Code Word Caper, and the Storybook Factory. My kids are 5 and 2 (almost 3) and they love them!! My 2 year old knows all the letters and the sounds they make and can sound out some simple words. She has been able to do this for almost a year now. My son just turned 5 and he has been reading for several months now. I don't know what it is but the kids love them and sing the songs all the time. Hope this helps.

there is a book that you can buy at the book store titled
HOw to teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons. it is great. i know several moms who have used this book and their child was reading by the end of the summer. i own this book myself and it is really easy to understand and use.
Good luck!
S. H

Hi L. I am a stay at home mom with three of my own. I saw your message and it caught my eye. My son who is now in the the third grade had the very same problem. In the first part of 1st grade I thought I was going to pull my hair out. There were days that I didn't think my son would every get the spelling words and reading thats a whole nother thing. But good news, about the middle rather towards the end of the school year it all comes toghther and you will find that the spelling will come easier. I spent every day on spelling words and every night reading atleast 10min. Even if it meant he was kicking and scraming. But boy did it do wonders in second grade. I also tried to get the spelling words on Friday so we could spend some extra time on them. I am sorry to say but the pulling teeth never goes away. I still three years later have to get on him about homework. I think its boys in general. My daughter who is in First this year just does it with out so much as a fight. Good Luck
A.

The best thing is to make it fun for him. If he does not see that he can have fun with it the question will be why do it??? Add the task in with something that he truly enjoys. If he likes skipping or swinging add the spelling into the activity.You can always place labels around the house such as on the; door, bathroom and etc. He will have fun just trying to understand what is the label for. So make fun out of everything. There are a lot of websites that can give you soe lesson ideas.