My 5yo can read the weeks line up on Treehouse (tv channel), but as soon as i give him a book he blank stares me:lol: Gotta love 5 year olds:love:
Yep, it's 9 yr olds too! Mine can read gun specs and read reviews on hunting equipment, but a book causes the "deer-in-the-headlight" effect. I've decided that I don't care if all his reading is coming from the lawn mower owner's manual(his dad's favorite book), as long as he's functionally literate!
I have a 7 year old who is the same way. He will randomly read something much more challenging than any book he has. Give him a book and the drama starts. His latest is to grab his head and say "words, so many words" as he starts a head spin as if he were dizzy. Or, one day it was that words make his stomach hurt. Really? That was followed by announcing that there were words everywhere. Yep, son, there are words everywhere. This is why I stick with books he WANTS to read as our reading material.
You guys are awesome! Incidentally, I just sat in a workshop by David Albert (awesome!), and he agrees with you. Let them find the need to read by finding what they love/want to know. Then they will catch the reading bug when they are ready. Although they may or may not ever read the type of books we want them to read.
When my son was 5 he also said he couldn't read. But he could! I knew it. We entered him in a drawing for a bike and he had to read to earn points for more chances to win. He went home and read 3 books to me without sounding anything out. It was all the motivation he needed. Now I have to yell at him to go to bed and quit reading. : )
