So my kinder student still isn't reading. He knows all the letters and their sounds. He picks out simple words from memory. But blending is still not happening. I've tried several different ways but he doesn't get. Would something like Reading Eggs help? Or should I just continue to be patient?
I would just be patient, I would not worry about a 5 year old who can't read, in fact I haven't been with either of my littles who neither of was reading in K.. like at all. I'm a big believer in better late than early, esp when it comes to reading. But that said, we have had reading eggs for a while now, 2 years maybe? My kids love it and I can see it helping.
I would just let him take his time. Not all kids are ready to read in K. Mine wasn't ready till late 3rd-early 4th. Yes, I panicked from time to time. He seems to be perfectly on level for his age now. He's 10.
Patience. It's totally within the normal range for kids to not start to read (blending and fluency) until 8-10, even 12. Especially boys. Public school NEEDS themt o read early on to teach the masses, but I don't think it's at all normal to think all 5-6 year olds can read. Certainly some kids can read at 4. But remember, each kid is different. My 6 year old can read better than my 9 year old. And that's okay. I'd just keep working with him, slowly, not pushing or stressing yourself or him out. Starfall.com is free and a great resource that both my kids love it.
My son struggled with reading well past when his sister picked it up. It wasn't until we got his eyes tested that we realized that he needed glasses. Didn't evern occur to our family because none of us have vision issues. Glasses have made a huge difference. Could this possibly be a problem for your child?
Thanks everyone! Sully had his eyes checked at his last check-up, and I don't think it is a problem. He does Workpages without problems, he just doesn't understand the concept of blending. My oldest son even sat down and works with him without success. He does math and handwriting fine!
Some kids just take more time. I truely believe there's a specific point in time when a kid is "ready". Forcing it before then is frustrating for both of you, and does nothing but teach a kid that he hates reading and he "can't" do it. My friend's daughter didn't start reading until age nine, but was reading the Hobbit by herself soon after. The "late starters" soon catch up!
I agree with all of the other poster....BUT reading eggs is fun! there is also a free trial, so you could just try it out with him and see how it goes....it helped my daughter with blending for sure..
I'd probably back off direct reading instruction for now and go a different, yet related, direction. I highly recommend Getting Ready to Read. It takes your child through important skills like rhyming through reading simple words. It helps cement important phonemic awareness activities that are necessary to success in reading. It also uses a slide to help the child grasp the concept of blending. It can be downloaded on Currclick. I adapted it slightly to make it a little more engaging than cut and paste activities. I did a trial of Reading Eggs, but my daughter didn't like it.
At this age, I still wouldn't worry but...do you mean at his last well child check up? Those aren't thorough eye exams at all, they basically test for 20/20 vision but there are soooooo many more issues you cna have with your eyes. Even with a regular eye exam, you sometimes have to ask for them to be checked for other issues (depending on the doctor). Here is a great page (I think Lindina shared it) where you can see what kids see if they are having eye issues http://www.childrensvision.com/reading.htm
I would definitely recommend reading eggs. I've used it for the past year and seen a huge difference in my daughters reading abilities and very quickly. The site is very very good. I love it! You will of course still need to be patient with him, but I think that the extra help, in a way that is fun and inspires him to want to continue learning is great! I would definitely get it.
