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Viewing What to do When Your Child Will not Learn to ReadWhat to do When Your Child Will not Learn to Read
By Jane Saeman There are kids who cannot wait to understand what the squiggles in a book say; they realize that they are like a code that has to be broken, and once they understand the code, an entire world will open up to them. Then there are kids for whom reading is nothing more than a lot of hard work, and they do not have any inclination to put in extra study in order to acquire a skill in reading faster. Of course, there are some children who do have a problem with words - such as those with dyslexia - but for the most part, reluctant readers are just children who prefer to deal with a visual world rather than one of words. As a parent, this can be frustrating. You realize that reading is a key to not only education, but also to life in general. The reading skills your child learns now will help him get through his day-to-day activities. Explaining this and encouraging your child to actively take part in reading things that are not in books is one way of overcoming reluctance to read. When you are out and about, look at signs and work with your child to understand what they say. Words are everywhere. Help your children to realize this, and to discover that if they can read, they will be able to understand what signs and foods say. Even the TV Guide can be a good starting point, as they will be able to read when their favorite shows are airing! One of the stumbling blocks to this is where there are no visual illustrations that help your child understand what the words say - for example on food packets and toys. However, toys often have instructions that must be read, and if you work with your child to read these rather than just tell him what they say, you are encouraging him to read himself. Make sure that the instructions are simple, however, before sitting down with your child to read them; some can be confusing, even for an adult! One source of easy reading material is on boxes of baking mixes, such as those that make cookies or muffins. These usually have only four or five steps to complete the baking, and each step is little more than one sentence. If you buy something that is connected to a merchandising campaign such as a Disney movie or TV show that your children enjoy, you will find that they are more interested in reading the instructions because they want to see the finished items. Reading to your children has both advantages and disadvantages. On one hand, you are showing your children how exciting it is to be able to read; and if they can read themselves, they can read a lot more each evening. However, on the other hand, you are doing the reading and all they have to do is listen to get the same story. One way to help with this is to have your children read one page per night, and you read the rest, but make sure that you read a book at beginner's level so that you are helping them realize that they can do this. Leading by example will also encourage your children to read. If you read, and your children see you reading, then they will be more interested to learn. Even reading magazines is a great way of piquing your children's interest, as you can say, 'Listen to what it says here,' and then tell them something from the magazine that they will be interested in - such as a new movie being released that they will like. Reading is one of the most important skills your children will learn, and if they have no challenges to their reading ability other than a disinterest in the learning process, spending the time to get them excited about it can be one of the most precious gifts you can give them. About the Author: Jane Saeman runs an in-home tutoring service called Aim High Tutors. Find out about how to help your students reach their full potential at http://aimhightutors.com/blog. Article Source: A Language Guide - http://www.a-language-guide.com More free articles: 1st Rate Articles - 1stRateArticles.com |
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