When (and how) did reading click for your kid?

[Anonymous]

Asking because I'm trying to figure out what was the tipping point for my daughter. She is in 2nd grade. She goes to a school that doesn't actively teach the kids to read until 1st grade. All last year, reading was a chore that she complained about and struggled with. Then over the summer, she suddenly "got it." At the time, we were listening to a number of books on tape -- did this make the difference? Or was she just ready? Or did she just decide to apply herself? Anyway, I guess it doesn't really matter what the reason was, but I'm still curious. How did your kid achieve reading fluency? Was it a sudden thing, or was it more gradual?

[Anonymous]

My oldest was 4 and just started reading one day. Totally set us up for failure with the second one. DC2 was obstinate about reading and couldn't care less that his pre-K friends were reading at Dr. Seuss day. In K, he figured out that it was the key to getting positive attention from his teacher (whom he loved), so he started trying. It was touch and go there as he would balk at any efforts by DH and I to read with him (or to him!) at night. This past summer, he really came into his own and started reading more. Then, as he entered 1st grade this year, he decided he wanted to read chapter books. I told him that he'd really have to take his time and get through them. He has so far. He just WANTS to and I think that's the big difference. The better he gets at reading, the more he wants to do it.

DC3 is in pre-K now and is enjoying reading the BOB books, so he will probably become fluent within the next 6-9 months...just to keep up with DC2, I have no doubt!

[Anonymous]

OP-I taught first grade when reading was not really taught until then. An awful lot of kids clicked around January and then "took off." (Our cutoff was Dec 31 by the way).

[Anonymous]

My kids both "clicked" in first grade. One took off like a rocket--GT--the other did just fine but the advance was more gradual.

[Anonymous]

My child had fluency at different levels at different times. She first enjoyed reading short Bob type books at 3, but we would have her read one to us and then I would read her a picture book of her choice. She would listen for hours if I let her. At four, she enjoyed reading Frog and Toad, and I read her nonfiction with pictures. At five, she enjoyed reading anything about princesses outloud, and I read her books like Siddhartha and Secret Garden. Now, she will spend hours reading to herself just about anything. But, I still read to her daily - generally a day of a daily Bible (we are agnostic/athiest, but it is a book everyone should know) and a chapter of a book we will both love. For us, it was about piquing both skills and interest at the same time, through different methods, and making sure she understood that there was an amazing adventure to be found in books if she ventured into them.

[Anonymous]

This thread is encouraging. Our DD is in first grade and she's not there yet. I was looking forward to the end of this year when will hopefully be able to read well on her own (and enjoy it)... I think we just really need to focus on it this year. Problem is, like PPs, she gets so frustrated when she reads with DH and I.

[Anonymous]

My DD started reading during the spring of 1st grade, a couple months before her 7th birthday. She went from knowing only a few sight words and laboriously sounding out words to reading chapter books in the span of about a week. It really did happen overnight. She's now in 4th grade and probably the best reader and writer in her class. Now we have our DS currently in 1st grade and he's really struggling with learning to read. It just isn't happening right now. We certainly practice at home a ton, we read to him, and lhe listens to lots of audio books. I'm hoping that it just clicks for hiim, too, during the next few months.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This thread is encouraging. Our DD is in first grade and she's not there yet. I was looking forward to the end of this year when will hopefully be able to read well on her own (and enjoy it)... I think we just really need to focus on it this year. Problem is, like PPs, she gets so frustrated when she reads with DH and I.

Hang in there PP. I'm the OP of this thread and what you describe is our situation last year. I kept telling myself to be patient and allow things to happen, but it is hard. Even at the end of 1st grade she wasn't really into it, which is why her switchover this summer was so surprising. We read to her all the time, so there was never any question that she likes books. But getting her to read them by herself was a different story entirely. One thing I have learned is that she prefers to read to herself than to us because she doesn't like making mistakes out loud.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My child had fluency at different levels at different times. She first enjoyed reading short Bob type books at 3, but we would have her read one to us and then I would read her a picture book of her choice. She would listen for hours if I let her. At four, she enjoyed reading Frog and Toad, and I read her nonfiction with pictures. At five, she enjoyed reading anything about princesses outloud, and I read her books like Siddhartha and Secret Garden. Now, she will spend hours reading to herself just about anything. But, I still read to her daily - generally a day of a daily Bible (we are agnostic/athiest, but it is a book everyone should know) and a chapter of a book we will both love. For us, it was about piquing both skills and interest at the same time, through different methods, and making sure she understood that there was an amazing adventure to be found in books if she ventured into them.

OP here. We are agnostic/athiest too, but I like the idea of reading the Bible because I agree that everyone should have some familiarity with it. What books of the Bible do you read or have you read?

[Anonymous]

My DD just started 1st grade and I'd say it started to click with her this summer.

[Anonymous]

DD went to a non academic preschool and wasn't reading at all before K. Just knew her name and most letters.

Reading started to click for her towards the end of K. At the beginning of 1st she regressed at first and grumbled at even the easiest of books. She struggled to read anything at all.

But then last week she received a challenging book as a gift. She sat down and read this very long, tough book. I helped with a few words, but she just tore through most of it herself. She's been on a reading spree ever since and has been really challenging herself with books I didn't think she'd touch for another year or two.

So for her it happened in spurts with some steps forward and some steps back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child had fluency at different levels at different times. She first enjoyed reading short Bob type books at 3, but we would have her read one to us and then I would read her a picture book of her choice. She would listen for hours if I let her. At four, she enjoyed reading Frog and Toad, and I read her nonfiction with pictures. At five, she enjoyed reading anything about princesses outloud, and I read her books like Siddhartha and Secret Garden. Now, she will spend hours reading to herself just about anything. But, I still read to her daily - generally a day of a daily Bible (we are agnostic/athiest, but it is a book everyone should know) and a chapter of a book we will both love. For us, it was about piquing both skills and interest at the same time, through different methods, and making sure she understood that there was an amazing adventure to be found in books if she ventured into them.

OP here. We are agnostic/athiest too, but I like the idea of reading the Bible because I agree that everyone should have some familiarity with it. What books of the Bible do you read or have you read?

This is a great idea. I'm also atheist and I've always struggled with biblical references in literature. So even I should read it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My child had fluency at different levels at different times. She first enjoyed reading short Bob type books at 3, but we would have her read one to us and then I would read her a picture book of her choice. She would listen for hours if I let her. At four, she enjoyed reading Frog and Toad, and I read her nonfiction with pictures. At five, she enjoyed reading anything about princesses outloud, and I read her books like Siddhartha and Secret Garden. Now, she will spend hours reading to herself just about anything. But, I still read to her daily - generally a day of a daily Bible (we are agnostic/athiest, but it is a book everyone should know) and a chapter of a book we will both love. For us, it was about piquing both skills and interest at the same time, through different methods, and making sure she understood that there was an amazing adventure to be found in books if she ventured into them.

Not on topic, but what version do you read? My very religious mom has given us both a kids KJV and also a overly-simplistic Bible stories. I'm looking for something more in the middle, without the agenda. We are nonreligious, but do want them aware since we are culturally Christian.

[Anonymous]

For DC1 is was the 2ns half of 1st grade. It never happened for DC2- we discovered he had dyslexia in 2nd grade. Both were AAP eligible. Reading is not highly correlated to intelligence.

[Anonymous]

We basically followed the learn to read in 100 easy lessons but used other resources for the same lessons.