Tips for getting child to read

Mrs_pbradley936

Get a copy of Reading Reflex and get the book not an e book. If you go on Amazon you can "look inside" by clicking on it. It is for you to read and act upon - it is not meant for the child.

I was a researcher on the Rose Report into reading and this book is the parents guide to the scheme which was rated the best and we tested lots of schemes and thousands of children.

Find a topic that he likes, could be football, music, animals - the topic does not matter. What matters is his enthusiasm for it then get him some books about that topic.

Sit down with him, share the book with him, talk about it with him. You can get books from the library so it need not be expensive.

What you are aiming for is for him to want to explore the topic and find out more about it.

If the topic changes that is OK just engage with him in his new topic.

Let's suppose the topic he likes is dinosaurs. They are big so see if you can expand his vocabulary by suggesting as many words for "big" as you can. So huge, gigantic, enormous, tremendous etc.

What do they eat?
Can they fly?
Do they hatch from eggs?
Why can't you see them in a zoo?

Get some books with good illustrations and if you use the Reading Reflex and the topics it ought to help.

ViolaLass

I wouldn't get too hung up on the 'below national average' thing. Someone has to be below the average. What matters is whether he is making progress at a reasonable speed and whether he needs any extra help.

maman

Anoneemoose wrote: »

Thank you again for your encouraging words. I was reading up on the different variations and symptoms of dyslexia and the more I read, the more I’m convinced there’s something going on in that respect. Whether it is dyslexia or maybe something else that just needs a different approach in the way we teach him, I don’t know at the moment. I spoke to the SEN coordinator for the school and she was actually my son’s teacher in Year 1 (now Year 4) and even she can remember him having similar issues back then. She’s arranging for a screening and there is also a psychological assessor who helps out on a Friday. She did the psychological stuff in a previous job, but helps out with this sort of thing now, too. So that’s promising!

Hopefully we will get some answers or at least specific help so we can help him progress. He’s definitely able to learn and seems bright enough, but he’s obviously having some difficulties.

And in the meantime, we’ll carry on with the snuggles on the sofa!!:D

That's very positive. Well done for persisting with the SENCo as I didn't think you got much encouragement from his class teacher. While tests are useful for assessment purposes, the outcomes shouldn't be a surprise to the teacher.


Do keep us posted.:)