(Sorry... this turned out more like a novel than a simple question! ) How do I get my son to slow down? Reading is by far his easiest and favorite subject. He'd do it all day long if I'd let him. Really. He's 4 years old, but he's on a 3rd grade reading level. The problem is that he's either over-confident or bored with the work I give him or something. I don't know. He tells me that he prefers not to read "books" aloud to me, because he doesn't read fluidly and with inflection the way adults do, and because he occasionally stumbles over new words (especially if they look similar to words he's very familiar with). But when we're just working through an "assignment", he either reads so fast that he messes up something small (like "not"), making a huge impact in the meaning of the sentence -OR- he tries to interpret what he's reading as he goes and changes words as he goes ... of course, not always doing it the right way, so it also screws up the meaning. How do I teach him that it's better to read slowly and accurately than to speed through it sloppily? The tortise and the hare tactic didn't work. UGH! He thinks it's all just a game. I know part of it is just immaturity. He's acting like a 4 year old, but it's driving me nuts. He sits on his bed and reads all day, and although he doesn't realize it, I can peek in and hear him whispering the words. Alone, he does it slowly and usually accurately. I'm so confused! He wants to start reading in Bible class when he moves up to the next level in July, but if he's going to read like this in front of his peers, he's going to mess up. I don't want to discourage his love of reading by having peers laugh at him, and I also don't want him thinking it's ok to mess up God's word like he sometimes does with secular stories. I've got a few months to work on his oral reading ability. What do I do?
He is just 4. Reading aloud to him (modeling) is probably the best way to "teach" him to read with appropriate speed and volume. But again, I wouldn't pay too much attention at this point. The fact that he is reading suggests he's getting some satisfaction out of the activity- many parents have the opposite situation- late or reluctant readers. Much of this is developmental. As far as July, that's a long way off. Plus, if he's in a class of peers (5 and 6 year olds), many of them won't be reading yet or barely at best. They'll look up to him. As far as "messing up" God's Word, I don't think Jesus will be "tense" about it so neither should we. Again, he's just 4 and God looks at the heart. Relax and enjoy these years, they pass quickly!
One of my children was reading well and writing words by the time he turned 3. What I found is that just because he excelled in these areas then didn't mean he was ready for all instructional aspects at the same time. For instance, he'd been filling up pages with writing for several years by the time he hit kindergarten but wasn't ready to learn a specific font and to write within the line until then. I agree with Curt to let the reading in Bible class take care of itself. The kids in my son's class did look up into him and the teacher's were good about incorporating his reading--one year he was the narrator in the Christmas program! Also agree to relax, enjoy, and let the four-year-old reader be four.
i agree he is too young to get too stresses. have you tried being funny? when you read aloud, read like he does, lol. make sure you over do it a bunch, and make it funny mess ups, and maybe dont even point out what you are doing, just maybe let him bring it up, and then maybe let him give you pointers on how to read better, lol!
This is what I was going to suggest. Read him a book that he is familiar with so that he will know your mistakes. Read it as if you are really bungling it, not as if you are doing it on purpose. Don't tell him, "That's how you read" the first time you do it, or you won't be able to use it again. Tell him you are just trying to understand the story. You had said that you hear him whispering when he is reading alone and he does fine. It could be he is trying to impress you and be like you when he is reading this way. It should average out soon when he gets more comfortable with it.
