I know young children have "language bursts" where it seems like all of the sudden they are saying tons of words. Is there a "reading burst" as well? My son (who is 6 1/2) does fine with reading CVC words in short sentences. He can also read quite a few site words and silent e type words if they are on their own (like on a Flash Card or in his Explode the Code book). But if you make a sentence with a mix of CVC, site words and "exception words" he really struggles. I am really not worried about it at this point, I am just wondering if one day it just all clicks and a "reading burst" occurs:lol: Thanks!
It CAN happen. It happened with my middle child. In November he could hardly read. In January a friend did a reading evaluation and he tested at a 4th grade level! My other two didn't have bursts like that, but usually because we homeschool our children, we do get to see the light come on!!! That's a real thrill! He'll get there, don't worry!
My dd seemed to teach herself to read. We worked in a phonics book daily, but I started seeing her mouth the words on the cereal box or the covers of my books or billboards we passed. I think once you give them the basic tools they will take them and read until it's natural. Amy
He's young, one of these days he will get it and you will all see the light. But, if you want let him read what he likes to learn that might help. My youngest I let her tape her self reading she loved it and wanted to read all the time.
This is something unschoolers notice all the time! When I was on the unschooling lists I was always hearing about how someone's child who'd never read had suddenly picked up a novel. We've never done any formal reading program with my kids and I've seen the exact same thing in my daughter. Up until recently she said she couldn't read. Last week she picked up a fantasy novel and doesn't go anywhere without it. I think it's a perfectly natural thing myself.
My son read his first book last week and shocked me. I had tossed the regular LA out the window. He was frustrated... He hated it all. I seem to be constantly on the verge of unschooling... lol He found a book that he thought was hysterical at the Library and read it. It isn't a big book, but was so unexpected! I about fell over than... I about cried. He is a child that learns in bursts, so I typically will just keep presenting things to him in a casual way and one day he will eat it up and spit it back out with amazing skill. It makes life very interesting!
I have been working with ds and reading for a while now. We were working on him reading the words fast after sounding them out. And he just couldn't seem to get it, it was frustrating him. So we stopped, and then 3 months later he wanted to do a lesson, and he could read with out sounding out the words at all.
On my oldest dd, we used the book "Teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons." Now let me say, that before I picked up this book, I had no clue how to explain to someone how to read. I never remember learning, I just remember doing since I was about 4 or 5. So I tried several different methods, including site reading and such. I got the book "Teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons" from the library, but I did not like it. However, my daughter was flipping through the book and started asking my husband questions about the pictures. Desperate to find something, I picked up the book again, and my husband said, "You should try it." So I did. And within a short amount of time, I began to see things click. She finally caught on to how to sound out words and then how to read the fast way. We only got a third through the book when we started getting early readers from the library. About lesson 50, she was reading at a first grade level, and from there, she kept getting harder and harder books. Now we are onto some chapter books (just read Little House in the Big Woods together) and she is only 5.
I started to teach my ds how to read at 3...well, actually I tried to teach him, but he was WAY to young and I messed him up big time. I taught him his letter sounds and then would say cat c-a-t with breaks inbetween the letters instead of cccccccccaaaaaaaaaaaaaaattttttttttt He is now 4 1/2 and has watched the Leap Frog dvd's over and over, and can sound out simple letter words (ie no blends)
Remember that some kids read early naturally, and some kids read later naturally. If you go with their pace, they will leaarn with no problems! I can't see getting worried/concerned/desparate/afraid about a 5yo not reading, even if all the other 5 yo's in your city ARE reading (which obviously they aren't)!!! My oldest read at 5, my youngest at 6 my middle at 7. That was just their pace. Honestly if you push it on them they could learn to hate it! Some kids don't read until 10---but when they do it's whole books! So, just putting out a warning to encourage, but not worry or push!
Thanks for the insight--I really am not worried about it at this time. I was just wondering if I would see a burst at some point or if it will just be in little bits here and there. I believe he has plenty of time to become a "great" reader!
