I have an early reader. At just over three and a half years old, Jonathan showed an interest in learning to read. Within one month of starting to sound out words, he was reading at an early first grade level. Fast forward about a year to age four and a half. Jonathan now reads at around a 3rd grade level. He easily reads chapter books and sounds out new words independently.
But then it happened.
He hit a wall.
Suddenly, Jonathan only wanted to read books that were way too easy for him. He fought and complained when asked to read a chapter book. He wiggled and he messed around. He’d easily waste an hour working on just a page or two. And this attitude started to spill over into everything he did.
It took a while for me to figure out our new normal, but here are two things that helped us:
- Remember his age.
Jonathan is only four and a half years old. He’s a wiggly little boy; he’s not as wiggly as some but he’s still wiggly. Just because he is able to read at a 3rd grade level doesn’t mean he has the attention span of a 3rd grader. I backed off on the number of pages and clearly laid out the expectations. He is currently working his way through The Boxcar Children #2. On an average day, he reads around 4 pages rather than trying to read a whole chapter. This is required quiet time reading. He’s free to read anything else that he wants at other times of the day. - Don’t neglect read-alouds.
I had become so focused on Jonathan’s reading that I had backed off too much on reading to him. He loves to be read to and has since he was a baby. I was too concerned about fitting in his core subjects and his reading that on some days, I wasn’t reading any other books to him. When I realized this, we went to the bookshelf and I let him choose the next read-aloud from our curriculum for this year. He was so excited and chose The House at Pooh Corner. We can easily devour a chapter or more a day in a read-aloud.
These two things have brought back the joy of reading. He’s still wiggly, but he completes his reading with less fuss and in much less time – on most days!
If you have an advanced student who has suddenly hit a wall, ask yourself some of these questions:
- Are you expecting too much now based on a previous pace your student had been on?
- Are you considering your child’s age and maturity level?
- Did you stop doing something that your child really loved that needs to be brought back?
Do you have additional suggestions for working with a child who has hit a wall in reading or another subject?
Amanda is navigating the world of Kindergarten with her academically advanced 4 year old. She is a former church communications director with a MA in Old Testament Studies turned homeschooling mom. She blogs about life, motherhood, homeschooling, technology, books, faith, and more at ThePelsers.com.
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{ 28 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for the open sharing. Like you, I have an early reader (just a tad over 3) who is now reading at I think Grade 1/2 level and some time last year, I realised that she resisted to reading on her own and fussed a lot.
When I asked her what was it that she wanted to do, she told me she enjoys being read to and likes sitting my legs as I read to her. Taught me to slow down and just enjoy her as she is. Thank you for the reminder again. :)
You’re welcome Alicia. Jonathan absolutely loves to be read to. We make this a huge part of our day.
Amanda´s last [type] ..How to Have a H.E.A.R.T. for Your Kids – Introduction
I too had an early reader. I knew from having homeschooled her older brother that it was OK to let her read “easy book” and to let her re-read old favorites. Allowing readers to read books that are easy is like having the child practice multiplication tables. Yes, they already know how, but they will get better and faster with more practice.
My girl is now 10 and can read well into high school level, but she’s still just 10. There are topics I don’t want her exposed to yet, at least not in print. Science and history are tackled at higher reading levels, but school “literature” and “free reading” are kept at an elementary level for now.
So true. Content is a big deal. I don’t want to expose Jonathan to content that it too mature for him. It drives me crazy when he wants to read the same book over and over again, but he loves it.
Amanda´s last [type] ..How to Have a H.E.A.R.T. for Your Kids – Introduction
I think this is more common than we realize. After hitting her reading wall, my emerging reader loved just listening to Roald Dahl books read aloud and laughed and giggled at the stories. Her joy of reading returned.
I sometimes find that switching to easier books, or focusing on a new read aloud gives my kids a boost.
Maybe, in the glow of their success, we forget that our early readers still have to work at their reading. If they already have reading skills mastered, they should be allowed to flourish on their level and not feel that they must rush on to the next. Variety is key, too. Picture books, detailed search-for-hidden-stuff books and 3D pop-up books are good add-ons to their regular readers.
Nadene´s last [type] ..Celebrate Charlotte Mason
Good suggestions. Jonathan has loved listening to Story of the World lately. He likes the history. He’s rediscovered an interest in Magic Treehouse books again too. They are easier than Boxcar Children and have shorter chapters.
Amanda´s last [type] ..How to Have a H.E.A.R.T. for Your Kids – Introduction
This is exactly where we are at with our just turned four year old. He won’t even read one sentence aloud to me, despite reading chapters and chapters a few months ago.
He has high functioning ASD and now insists he is only reading ‘off’ (in his head).
At first I was suspicious. I didn’t believe he was really reading, just looking at pictures. He loves fact books though and keeps coming out with things like ‘Pluto has it’s own moon which is called Charon. Did you know that it’s the coldest planet?’ So I guess I just have to trust him that he is reading it.
So hard.
This homeschooling thing is so new to us and I’m never sure if I’m doing enough!!
As we started reading this happened to us. I asked him why he was fighting and he said if he learned to read I wouldn’t read to him anymore… OUCH! So we have to bring that back in more. We ARE bringing that back in more. He is doing much better and I am excited to see is progress. :) Thanks for sharing and for reminding me!
Jennifer´s last [type] ..Monday Moments
You’re welcome Jennifer. I think Jonathan may have had some of the same fears, I think read-alouds are more important for far longer than we realize.
Amanda´s last [type] ..How to Have a H.E.A.R.T. for Your Kids – Introduction
This is happening to us right now! I would love to hear some more book suggestions though to help get through this. While my son’s attitude is starting to decline, I think it’s because we can’t find suitable material… not because of his interest.
I went to our local library on Friday and asked the librarian for help and luckily I had time to look over the selections he choose before bringing them home. I asked for books with a nice balance of text and pictures at a 3rd or 4th grade reading level. He recommended the Horrible Harry books, and another similar series. While they seemed good at a glance, these were indeed horrible!! The kids depicted were rude and snotty. Plus many of the events took place in their school (which most of our kids can’t relate to). And at the end of the day… I feel these types of books are the reading equivalent of TV. Not the way I want to introduce him the world of “grown-up” reading!
So oddly enough, I ended up leaving the library with a pile of graphic novels. They had the Wizard of Oz and Excalibur. Also a longer version of Jack and Beanstalk, plus a few others. Not what I was hoping for, but the vocabulary in them was more advanced, they had plenty of pictures to keep his interest, and he is happily reading them on his own.
His favorite book right now is his Children’s Bible. Every page has a nice, large color picture, but a good block of text. Also it is 400 pages long, but that doesn’t intimidate him because it is broken up into short sections. Is there anything else like that out there? Even if it is nonfiction… as long as it is an enjoyable read!
Jonathan loves our Beginner’s Bible which is something like 500 pages. It has lots of pictures and is written around a 1-2 grade level. Some of our favorite books right now are The Boxcar Children and The Magic Treehouse series.
Amanda´s last [type] ..Journey Through Ephesians – Starts Soon!
I will definitely check those out! Thanks!
First: provide a text-rich environment. Books, kid magazines, trips to library. Find out what they are interested in: people, places, animals, science, history, thru field trips, the web, daily life.
Be ready to trade your plan for theirs. I thought, 15 years ago, we’d go with “Bob Books.” I showed them to my son, he said, “Those aren’t reading books. They have no color in them.” AH! Revelation: my kid needed color, interest, etc. He is Visual and Kinesthetic!!!!! I went with Usborne Books and some early readers, as well as Alpha-Phonics just to make sure we had the phonics covered.
My first born is hearing impaired- we were told he would be 9 or 10 before he would read, as he had missed all those sounds… But he WANTED to read. And more than that, he NEEDED to read! We just started teaching, and took him where he was at, provided books and away he went. No ‘minimum number of pages,” or any of that. I didn’t want him to look at reading as a job.
Some days, when reading aloud, I would end right at an exciting place. My kids would beg to continue. Yes, moms can use tactics to increase the desire for more reading.
Second son had a more difficult time with learning. We just started teaching, took him where he was at, provided books… eventually he got it because he matured, his vision-brain-desire all moved together.
At about fifth or sixth grade, all of my boys joined a “reading club” organized with other homeschoolers. The group met once a month in homes. Each student hosted once a year, chose a book from the “Assigned genre,” provided a snack and it was facilitated by a dad. Minimum output, maximum return. One hour or discussion, one hour of fun with friends, read a book, discuss, dad interaction. This format introduced my boys to books they otherwise would not have read, new genres, and they were in social settings with other guys talking about books. Their book clubs continued into high school- depending on academic workload, jobs, for participation.
(Note of warning: when trying to add to group, keep it manageable size so that everyone can share. Also, we found less enthusiasm among boys who were not homeschooled.)
Son #1 is high school senior with over 20 college credits completed, being touted by many colleges.
Son #2 just finished first semester of fulltime college classes as a junior in high school with a 4.0 GPA.
Son #3 “eats” history texts, memorizes speeches by famous Americans on his own, critiques books and can’t wait for the next book club to meet.
Great tips and experiences. Thanks for sharing!
Amanda´s last [type] ..How to Have a H.E.A.R.T. for Your Kids – Introduction
Your boy is four years old. Picture books are OK. I repeat: picture books are OK. There are plenty of challenging picture books for even the most advanced reader. Try William Steig. Try William Joyce. Or Chris Van Allsberg.Yes, there are less words per page. But you’d be surprised–the vocabulary is not necessarily less sophisticated. The stories are often challenging and engaging. Compelling an early reader to read books he’s not that interested in is not going to make them a better reader in the future. Let him choose his own books, even if they are what you consider to be below his reading level. Picture books are a very important and critical part of a kids early development as a reader. At four he NEEDS picture books.
There are also some very excellent lavishly illustrated storybooks in the slimmer, picture book format. And no matter what the age level, I don’t think it helps to make reading a compulsory act. Give him books that he likes and he will seek them out. Read him books that are maybe a little more sophisticated but that engage him–books that he may not be able to read on his own but that he can enjoy, like Doctor Dolittle or Peter Pan. These are nighttime reading. Bedtime stories. And read him his favorites–even even their below his reading level–over and over again if that’s what he wants. That’s how you change a reluctant reader into an enthusiastic one!
Thanks for the suggestions!
Amanda´s last [type] ..Journey Through Ephesians – Starts Soon!
Just wanted to say, I have been there and still find myself there. Our children are 1 or more grade levels ahead in every area. Daily I have to remind myself that they are only 7 and almost 5 (the other two children are 2 years and 10 months) and always to remember they are children…they need rest, breaks, mercy too.
Well said. Jonathan is about to turn 5 too.
Amanda´s last [type] ..Journey Through Ephesians – Starts Soon!
I’ve been going through exactly this for the past months. My son who was quiet a good reader before kindergarten is now 6/1st grade and could easily read chapter books but gets bored since there are no pictures. So I went back with him to the library and back to books #3-4. I still think he could be reading more advanced books but.. then again, as long as he reads I’ll leave it as such for now..
It’s all about creating a love for reading and books. We don’t want to squash that.
Amanda´s last [type] ..How to Have a H.E.A.R.T. for Your Kids – Introduction
Great post–I agree with all the other commenters. Sometimes you just have to slow down and let things happen. :)
e-Expeditions´s last [type] ..Quizlet
Yup! :)
Amanda´s last [type] ..How to Have a H.E.A.R.T. for Your Kids – Introduction
I have an early reader, too. He’s 7 now. I have him in 3rd grade reading for school, but he can easily read and comprehend books at a higher level. He’s reading C.S. Lewis books because he wants to. I read to him and my younger children everyday for storytime. Sometimes when he says he doesn’t want to do reading, I’ve found that by offering to read with him works well. He’ll read a page or two then, I’ll read a few pages. He also likes to read picture books. I encourage him to read to his siblings and he often is found reading short books to our 6 month old.
Suanna´s last [type] ..Found: The Missing Piece
My oldest has just finally hit his wall here in the past year. He has the ability to read A LOT and well above his grade lever, but his desire has turned into something he sees as a punishment as it is now “expected” of him.
Now he doesn’t want to read… I guess until he resumes that interest: books on CD, reading to younger siblings, and being read aloud to will have to do for his “reading” time.
My 7 year old is an avid reader – at last testing, he placed at 8th grade instructional level and 7th grade independent level. That was at age 6. I’m done testing. I’ve also tutored children who were way behind, caught up really, really fast and got ahead of their peers, then slowed down again.
But what I’ve learned no matter the age or the capability – if a child hits a brick wall, let them expand outwards and deeper at the level they are at (yes, that means going backward in reading level because they’re still interesting books :) ). There is just no reason to push a child ahead if they are already ahead – they have SO much time to work with because they got ahead in this area (and they could use that extra time to work on areas where they are not quite “ahead”)
Just my experience :)
A great book is a great book. A book isn’t simply an educational tool, or about reading levels–if you push your kid to read something he doesn’t want to read you’re going to kill his love of reading. A great book is a great book, and there are so many that are picture books. Again: you’ll be surprised by the vocabulary in some of the better ones. They’re not all for very early readers–this is the trend in the current picture book market, but so many classic storybooks and picture books can be challenging to a more advanced reader. Don’t make reading a chore. Let him choose. Take him to the library and set him loose on the stacks and let him take out whatever book he wants because it interests him. Put the Boxcar Kids books back on the shelf. They’re are books with fewer words, and if he wants to he can come back to them later. At his age especially, he needs to be able to choose what he reads.
I meant to say, “There are better books with fewer words”
And that photo, the expression on his face, is just painful to see. No kid that age should be wearing that expression when they read a book.