by Ms.Tirtza Koren Gal
Reading together can be one of the greatest bonding experiences a parent and child have. Of course, teaching your child to read in a homeschool environment can be stressful and overwhelming for you and for your child— after all, reading is an artificial process and the exact opposite of natural speech. What if during this already difficult process your child begins presenting with an aversion to reading? How can you effectively intervene to encourage your child to engage in reading and enjoy the experience?
Assess your child’s emotional needs: is he or she intimidated by reading? Is the anxiety presenting due to self-consciousness or concern that he or she can’t perform well? Try providing constructive encouragement, not adulation, to give your child a realistic and true confidence in his or her abilities. For example, instead of saying "You're the best reader in the world!", give him or her specific encouragement on specific tasks: "You did this exercise very well." This kind of grounded sense of achievement can build lasting self-confidence that can make a big difference in the long run.
Determine whether a learning difficulty is at play: Is there a learning difficulty present that may be compounding the problem? Do you believe that there may be signs of dyslexia or some other reading disorder present? Try to determine where in the reading process the difficulty is occurring. Is it a matter of decoding? In other words, is your child having a problem "translating" the sounds on the page into the spoken word they represent? Does he or she even understand that this is, in fact, what is supposed to take place in reading? Or is the difficulty a matter of comprehension? Your child may be able to decode the sounds, but then is unable to really grasp the line of the narrative or string the words together into a larger concept. There might even be a retention difficulty at stake, which could relate to an attention disorder. Investigate all three areas and try to zero in on the source of the problem.
Use your child's interests to focus him or her on reading - This one is very straightforward. We all know how much more children are engaged in a subject if that subject is tied in to a primary interest of theirs. For example, a child who is really into cars will be that much more likely to orient on a reading session if the book being read is about cars. Engage your child with subjects that appeal to him or her. You can also try explaining to your child that reading relates to their interest in the larger world; for example, if his or her interest lies in cars, you can point out that reading is essential to everything from operating a vehicle to building a vehicle to repairing a vehicle, and so on.
Give your child's reaction respect - Don't belittle your child's stress or his or her negative reaction to reading. Saying things like, "Well, you have to read" or "It doesn't matter if you don't like it" will get you nowhere. Acknowledge your child's frustration; give it voice- this will go a long way toward helping them work through the emotion. Then follow up by providing constructive ways to work through the frustration.
Consider consulting with a professional - You can't always do everything on your own! Sometimes a problem needs the help of an expert, especially if your child's frustration stems from something like a speech delay or a attention disorder. Ask your friends and neighbors for recommendations and reach out to a professional in your area for advice and guidance.
Ms.Tirtza Koren Gal is the founder of SkillaDo and the EasyPhonics™ reading program. Her mission as a teacher is to empower children by teaching them to read and control texts, allowing them to build strong self-images as readers and achievers. You can read more about teaching children, children & learning, and children & reading at the SkillaDo blog.
Reading together can be one of the greatest bonding experiences a parent and child have. Of course, teaching your child to read in a homeschool environment can be stressful and overwhelming for you and for your child— after all, reading is an artificial process and the exact opposite of natural speech. What if during this already difficult process your child begins presenting with an aversion to reading? How can you effectively intervene to encourage your child to engage in reading and enjoy the experience?
Assess your child’s emotional needs: is he or she intimidated by reading? Is the anxiety presenting due to self-consciousness or concern that he or she can’t perform well? Try providing constructive encouragement, not adulation, to give your child a realistic and true confidence in his or her abilities. For example, instead of saying "You're the best reader in the world!", give him or her specific encouragement on specific tasks: "You did this exercise very well." This kind of grounded sense of achievement can build lasting self-confidence that can make a big difference in the long run.
Determine whether a learning difficulty is at play: Is there a learning difficulty present that may be compounding the problem? Do you believe that there may be signs of dyslexia or some other reading disorder present? Try to determine where in the reading process the difficulty is occurring. Is it a matter of decoding? In other words, is your child having a problem "translating" the sounds on the page into the spoken word they represent? Does he or she even understand that this is, in fact, what is supposed to take place in reading? Or is the difficulty a matter of comprehension? Your child may be able to decode the sounds, but then is unable to really grasp the line of the narrative or string the words together into a larger concept. There might even be a retention difficulty at stake, which could relate to an attention disorder. Investigate all three areas and try to zero in on the source of the problem.
Use your child's interests to focus him or her on reading - This one is very straightforward. We all know how much more children are engaged in a subject if that subject is tied in to a primary interest of theirs. For example, a child who is really into cars will be that much more likely to orient on a reading session if the book being read is about cars. Engage your child with subjects that appeal to him or her. You can also try explaining to your child that reading relates to their interest in the larger world; for example, if his or her interest lies in cars, you can point out that reading is essential to everything from operating a vehicle to building a vehicle to repairing a vehicle, and so on.
Give your child's reaction respect - Don't belittle your child's stress or his or her negative reaction to reading. Saying things like, "Well, you have to read" or "It doesn't matter if you don't like it" will get you nowhere. Acknowledge your child's frustration; give it voice- this will go a long way toward helping them work through the emotion. Then follow up by providing constructive ways to work through the frustration.
Consider consulting with a professional - You can't always do everything on your own! Sometimes a problem needs the help of an expert, especially if your child's frustration stems from something like a speech delay or a attention disorder. Ask your friends and neighbors for recommendations and reach out to a professional in your area for advice and guidance.
Ms.Tirtza Koren Gal is the founder of SkillaDo and the EasyPhonics™ reading program. Her mission as a teacher is to empower children by teaching them to read and control texts, allowing them to build strong self-images as readers and achievers. You can read more about teaching children, children & learning, and children & reading at the SkillaDo blog.
