How to get a 7 yr DS to read!

[SingleMum01]

My DS has 2 reading books from school per week - he's a free reader.

He can read well (I think) although needs help with some words.

He reads one or 2 sentences, then the concentration has gone!

We usually read at bedtime, he'll read a page, then I'll read a page for a chapter. Then I read to him. Thought about changing the time of reading, but don't know when, he's starving when he comes home from school so that wouldn't be a good time, he then wants to play and I think thats fair enough as he's been at school all day.

Tips in encouragement please. I'm tearing my hair out as I know he can read if he wants to.

[slng]

I get books from the library for DS1 - he's only just started to read and can read his school reading books quite well but needs help with some words. Perhaps if he gets to choose his books he'd be more interested? I'm not particular (neither is he) with what books he is reading as long as he is reading and happy. (He chooses books about aliens and reads them happily without me.)

I understand what you mean about time of reading. I feed him some junk food high-calorie stuff when we get in and then we do all the homework and reading. If he's not particularly tired we'll read more at bed time, but we usually do spellings then.

Sorry for rambling.

[sdr]

I agree with slng - could be the books. My DS8 often struggles with ones he gets from school. He'd much rather read factual books or true-life type stories most of the time.

Try the library and get him to choose, then perhaps you could talk to his teacher. Even comics are reading.

[slng]

Yes, comics. DS1 has a go at reading the Beano too. And Ben 10. And anything that has words in it.

[MrsMorgan]

Ds is a reluctant reader but I got him some 'I can read' books for his birthday and now we read some of his school reading book and some of one of the I can read books.

He loves them because they do ones about Batman and Spiderman etc, and there are different levels.

Have also got a set of Star Wars reluctant reader books for him for xmas.

[SingleMum01]

They sound good Mrs Morgan. Think I'll try getting him to choose his own at the library.

He will read his annuals Beano/Spongebob - he tends to like stuff with pictures and usually the school books don't have them.

Was just getting a bit concerned cos 2 of his friends who are in the same year but younger love to read and have read their holiday books already! I'm happy with his level of reading, although I don't want him to fall behind. Just want to encourage him to read without nagging!

[merrilyverily]

You could try bribery/blackmail. 30 mins reading = 30 mins on playstation or whatever. limiting tv time gives time for reading. have a set time when you both read separately, particularly in school holidays; a treat when he gets to the end of a book; just make reading a priority. I'm a secondary school teacher and the key to becoming 'educated' IMO is whether a pupil is a really fluent reader. it's worth persevering with. good luck!

[KurriKurri]

Poems come in nice small chunks, my DS used to love any that were funny, or slightly rude - Michael Rosen and Alan Ahlberg spring to mind.

[mowcop]

my eldest is 6, she comes home with 2 or 3 books at a time. Normally one from the ORT scheme, one factual and one she has picked. When this first started in September I was thinking she had to read all 3 every night(bit thick), but have since found out the teacher only expects them to read 5 pages a night. Maybe if he only did a bite size chunk he might do better? Little and often sort of thing, although that's not easy when they only have 3 and a bit hours between school and bed!

[choosyfloosy]

Reading in the morning? I used to love reading the paper over breakfast - obv haven't done that since ds was born but hoping one day to rediscover it! Actually why not read the newspaper with him? he could do the headlines or picture captions.

[SingleMum01]

mowcop - is that 5 full pages a night. That was my next question - we probably read a chapter each night - alternate pages, so he probably reads 2 or 3 full pages a night. Is that enough? its tough enough to get him to read that much.

[Rainbowinthesky]

Dd is y1 and 6. By the time we get home it's usually after 6pm and on one day nearly 6.45 so no time to do reading before we get into bed.
She starts off by reading a book if short, if a chapter book she'll read a chapter. I read somethign to her - again a chapter if a chapter book or a book if it's short. Then I read my own book and she reads a different book of her choosing until she is tired and we decide together to stop reading.
If she's really tired I am lucky to get her to read one page.

[JeffVadar]

My DS was the same. He could read perfectly well, but just did't see the point.

It was non-fiction that really got him started; he loves natural history and loved the book I got him called Wild, Wild World (or something). He is now 10 and devours boorks, non-fiction and fiction, like there's no tomorrow.

Personally I think that making him read when he doesn't want to can be counterproductive. It will just make him associate reading with being a chore rather than a pleasure and will make an even bigger obstacle to get over later.

I used to get DS to read the odd word during story time, signs and posters when we were out and about, newspaper headlines etc. Little and often! And don't take any notice of what other children are doing; that way madness lies .

[bosch]

Non-fiction works for my ds's too. Even when ds2 (aged 6) only wants to look at the pictures, I can read out bits to him to try and interest him in the facts.

Also, give your ds the choice of when to read. I try (when I remember) to persuade mine to read/do other homework when we get in from school so that I don't have to battle with them later when they are tired.

When I forget and homework is at 7 o'clock, esp on Sunday, I could kick myself for not getting them to do it earlier.