He started to read a little bit just about when we left Kansas City.
We got some little reading books for him (which are much harder to find than they should be, by the way) and started working on it in April I guess.
He was making good progress. My mom made an adorable book using Blurb which really inspired him to read. He learned a ton of words working on that book. I think it really laid the foundation he's using now.
When we were in UT I borrowed the set of readers my mom used to teach us to read. While in UT I read through the first one with him. He did great.
His preschool teacher recommended that I get a little set of books called "Bob books" from the bookstore. It's a little box with about 12 or so tiny books that each have a short simple story. They build on each other, so with every book the child becomes a little more comfortable with longer words or different letter sounds.
Anyway, the whole point of this is that he finally read through the whole set.
I'm happy!
Not without a little coercion, let me tell you. I've found that the best way to get him to read to me is to make it a condition of doing something he wants. Like playing on the computer or watching a movie or having a cookie or something like that.
If I do that I can get him to read. It's not something he does often just for fun.
But hopefully that will change down the road.
And I've been rewarding him sometimes when he finishes a book or a reader with a toy or something else he's interested in. I think that's ok. It keeps him going.
That's the only reason why I work--so I can get the $ which is the reward at the end of it! Hopefully someday the reading will be it's own reward.
A couple of nights ago he read most of Hop on Pop to Kris and really did great.
I'd like to take complete credit for the reading, but I think his teacher at school last year probably deserves most of it. They went through every single letter in the alphabet and learned how they work phonetically. He had such a strong basis to start with it was almost impossible for him not to be super good at sounding things out.
I'm really excited at the world of possibilities that open up to him with reading! It's still one of my favorite activities, so I'm thrilled to see him get started.
6 comments:
Max will be the star of his new preschool. What a genius kid!
Ginna
Give a pat to Max and tell him way to go from us. I still remember you in your bed falling asleep on a pile of books when you were just very little.
Love to you all
Dad
That is so exciting! Way to go Max! I can remember when Brennan started reading. Now I can't get him to stop or any of my kids for that matter.
You really are a great mommy ya know that????
"That's the only reason why I work--so I can get the $ which is the reward at the end of it! Hopefully someday the reading will be it's own reward."
Won't it be fun when we all have enough $ that work is rewarding itself too! hehehehehe
I think that Max's mom has helped him too. I mean we are going to attribute Scooter's success to all the reading we've already done from the picture books you gave us!
It will take a little while yet before the skill takes on the vision of story. I wanted that for you guys from the beginning, but learned that being able to read is different than becoming a reader. Being engaged by a provocative narrative comes later - as the concept of story grows in the brain through experience and through the realization that one thing may lead to another. Max is young yet for that.
Some males never really catch that vision. Some do. We'll see what happens with master Max as the years go on.
See Dick run.
Yawn.
See Dick stumble - will he fall off the cliff?
Better.
It is impressive that is is such a good reader. It was so cute to hear him read when he was here this summer. Way to go Max. Give him hugs from us.
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