“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
― Dr. Seuss, I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!
Oh, if I could only impart the wisdom of Dr.Seuss into the mind of my 7 year old struggling reader. Oh the places he would go!
He loves the idea of reading but he detests the process, the work, the decoding of words, the making of sentences. He loves stories and living inside stories, it is where I find him most but they are the kind that already live inside his mind, no words neccessary.
How do I teach him to read, this boy that lives in the stories? It is one of the things I admire about his childhood, his passion for stories, for the story. Is it just the age? Or is it something else, something deeper that I can not see and that even he can not understand?
I wonder if he sees the words differently than they are written… if they appear a little backwards and displaced? I know this is possible, this reading disease called dyslexia.
Or it could just be that this wild soul just needs a little more time to mature in the world of words and reading. I am thankful though, the stories live on in him no matter if he can read or not.. because stories are apart of who he is, because he is surrounded by them and by those who do read and who love to read. He is a lover of books and one day I know he will be a lover of words, a lover of the Word which gives life to all other words.
If you have any encouragement or insights for this mommy-teacher I would embrace them with much enthusiasm!
::
Kelli,
My opinion is to just give it some time. You described my 7 year old daughter perfectly. She loves the stories but struggles with the words. The reading process can be a struggle for her. I was afraid she would lose interest in reading and books all together. Although slow, I can see progress! Hang in there, it will come! Just keep it fun and take all the time he needs.
In Christ,
Kim
Thank you Kim!
I wish I had some words of wisdom but I don’t (I think that is actually a line from Steel Magnolias, LOL). I have only had to teach one of my 4 kids to read (Thank you Lord!). Jackson has done really well with the Handbook for Reading from A Beka. He has mastered the 3 letter words (CVC) and now we are working on long vowels and 4 letter words. I found the best way was not to sound out the words, but to work with blends…for example, not to say cuh-ah-t (c-a-t) but to say cah-t (ca-t). So he learned the vowel sounds first (the short ones), then the blends like ca, sa, ba and so on, then you add an ending letter, like t. Anyways, a fellow homeschooler on campus suggested this and it worked for us. You may already be doing something like this but I’d thought I’d share.
We sure do miss y’all! I think we are coming in at the end of February but y’all need to come see us and go to the zoo before your membership expires!
This is beautifully written and describes my thoughts about my 7 year old perfectly.
Even today I was wondering if something was wrong, if he was just rushing, if he just slips and tries words backwards or if he just needed to mature more. He’s come a long way but…..