Mom Needs Help for Son's Reading

let him select a book and sit with him making him read aloud and talk about what hne is reading . Make the moment of reading an active one. let him have a vivid experience of the topic he is reading. My son was dislexic and this way I help him enjoy reading

S., the answer to this question depends on what kind of problems he's having. Does he know his ABCs? Does he understand that the letters mean certain sounds? Where does his trouble seem to lie?

Not all children read by age 7. Some read very early--I read at age 5 or so, and some children don't get the hang of it until they are 8 (second grade). Is your son in school, or are you homeschooling? See if you can talk to a teacher or specialist to find out if he is having some kind of developmental reading problem. Also get his hearing checked because he may not be able to hear certain sounds that these shapes on the paper that we call letters make. There could be any number of reasons why he is having trouble in this area, so get some professional opinions.

But please do not stress out about this. Don't punish him for not catching on or he will HATE reading for his entire life. Make it as fun and enjoyable as you can. Turn reading times into bonding times. Do you read to him? Make it a fun time, a cuddling time.

Remember that all children mature and learn at different rates and in different ways. Look up information on Learning Style Theory. Some children are more physically-oriented, and they need to find physical ways to learn, such as having letters that they can touch and move around. Others are more oriented toward their sense of hearing, and they need to focus on associating the shape of the letter with the sound it makes. Still others are visually-oriented -- they need to associate sound with shape, but in a different way, with lots of colors and so forth.

Making up songs to help children remember the beginning skills of reading is great, because developmentally, we all remember songs easier than speech, and also children who are physically-oriented can add movements and dancing to the song.

Teach to the child's strengths at first, and then when he has gotten a solid mastery, you can work on strengthening his weaknesses so that he can be a more flexible learner.

I hope this is helpful.

Peace,
Syl

The national average for reading is 6 and that means that since some kids read at 4, some don't until they are 8. I have 3 daughters with the exact same IQ and they literally read at 4, 6 and 8. The eldest, who did not read until she was 8, is now an honor's student at university! Give him all the tools and encouragement he needs and stop worrying. He'll read when he's ready!
All the best!
: )

It is hard to know what is best for your child without meeting him, but... Some children just take more time than others to "crack the code" of reading. Have his teachers raised an alarm yet? I believe that at the point that intervention is necessary, professional help versus parent directed instruction is best. There are many solid programs available, but I think the best one is the Wilson Reading method. Their teachers are highly trained and the method is based on very solid research and practice.

unfortunately, the school system is able to do less & less for children. however, if your child is in public school: have you had a Student Study Team meeting? if not, DEMAND ONE. find out WHAT the school's PLAN is to help you. If you want TESTING then you must DEMAND IT- the school will not readily 'volunteer' to do testing to see if there's a learning disability. also, most insurance does not cover this kind of testing- they say the school should do it. then you go around in circles. FRUSTRATING!
this is the time to ADVOCATE for your child!
good luck & keep us posted!

One way we have found that works, is to have some one on one time with him.(Moma and me time). Encourage him to read the pictures, and then work with developing sentences.

Find something that interests him, that might also help him. Let him write you a story or draw a picture, and have him to interpret for you.

When all else has been exhausted, schedule an appointment for his eyes, hearing and speech. He could be embarrassed or intimidated by others.

Continue to encourage him - don't make such a big fuss in front of others.

Hang in there.

Has the school or teacher advised what the exact issue is? Have you asked your son what the issue is? Could it be an eyesight problem or does he have a hearing problem so that is why he has not learned phonics. These types of assessments and questions need to be answered before you determine the best way to teach him to read.

If you are interested in a private tutor. I can help. My expertise is with the early grades and I have done extremely well with struggling readers. I taught K for six years and pre-K ffor two years so I am well aware of what he needs and how to get him there.

As a teacher I used a concrete hands on approach to learning.

If you are interested email me ____@____.com

I have a 5 1/2 year old who will be starting kindergarten and I have a 6 month old. My 5 1/2 year old is reading. I am a teacher and I have been working with him just about everyday for about 1 hour. I started him with teaching him his alphabet, moved on to the sounds, blends, etc. I bought sight word flash cards and we drill with them just about everyday. He now knows them all. I also bought workbooks for sight words. Now he reads the leveled books b/c they have the sight words in them. It is important to have a foundation and knowledge of the letters, sounds, blends, etc. Once they have that, the sight words come easy. Using the leveled reading books are great b/c they repeat the words so they become familiar with them. Start slow, he will catch up. Good luck.

Hello S. ,

Have you tried getting him some tutoring ? I've heard that sylvan & Huntington are good places . They are a bit pricy though My 7 year old did the UM Summer Reading Program , He is a good raeder but I wanted some reinforcement during the summer . Ask the school to give you some ideas in how else you can help him . He probably needs some extra help with phonix , also there are programs that you can purchase to teach him how to read , I'm not sure of the names this moment , but I know leap frog has one. Good luck he will do well !!!

~ A.

Hi S.,
Have you spoken to the school about his reading? They may have special tutoring available; if you contact the school this summer, they may be able to start him out right away with reading help in the fall.
Have you had him assessed to determine if he may have a reading disability such as dyslexia? If not,call or take him to his pediatrician to get a referral to get him tested.

Do you read to him at all? If not, start reading to him. Take him to the library and let him choose books that he is interested in. Read to him every day...