I'm trying to encourage my child to read?

Question

my child lacks consentration when im trying to read or learn her stuff, i make it fun and ask her whats a fun way for her to learn but still after only a couple of minutes she's not intrested and she starts messing about. she's on that amega3 to help her concentrate
as anyone had the same experience and tryed things that work?
or any suggestions.
my child is 6 if that makes in easier for you to answer the question

NICE ONES PLEASE
no nasty comments as i will report

alot of good answers so far i rated peoples with a vote that i think are good and ill try
if you didnt get a vote in just ive already tryed or still doing ehat you have suggested
like going to the libary
they have a book case full of books they have choosen
as for omega3 you can give it to a child of 6years

still great answers alot i have tryed and still do eg library, read books my self shout out word and pictures i really try allsorts of diffrent things and i dont do them all at once as i think that will lose intrest because nothing will feel new to her.i did go to this dyslexia site called dore i printed out a test to do then i have to fill it in then they do the results for you they even ring you had a call tonight but they gunna ring back as i was busy witht he kids doing pancakes. keep the answers coming there really great
and thank you to all that answer, ive really go t some fresh ideas that i want to try
and it going to be diffivult to pick a good answer

my daughter also has her own library card

Answer 1

I had the same problem with my daughter and I came up with this little trick, try it and see if it works.
You see we all know that at bedtime all children play up no matter how tired they are and don't want to go to bed.
Now this is your golden opportunity to implement my little master plan but you must be patient.
Offer to read her a bedtime story but don't ask her to help you read the book with you just show her the pictures and make the story sound as interesting as you can. Remember it's bed time and your daughter doesn't think she's tired.
But we both know she is so you will have all her attention.
Read to her every bed time even when you move to the next part of my plan.
It won't be long before she gets used to you reading to her at bed time, not only that but children no matter there age are not silly and she will knows that to (a) get your full attention and (b) be able to stay awake longer she must play the game (it's just a play on words and not to be taken liturally).
After a short period start to play dum and when she asks you to read her a bed time story tell her you have this new exciting book but you find it hard to read and ask her if she can help you read it. Believe me she will jump at the chance, now your on your way to fooling her into full time reading.
During the day pick up a magazine newpaper or even instructions on a packet of her favourit food she is going to have for tea and tell her you are having difficulty in reading it and say to her that as she helps you read her bedtime storys would she mind helping you make sense of the magazine article or recipe ect.
Never try at first to fool your child into reading childrens books because it won't work, be patient, take your time and the rewards will be great, remember children are no fools.
Once she feels that she is helping mummy to read she will find it great and as her enthusiasum grows you can then implement the last part of my plan.
Tell her that she is getting so good at reading and helping mummy maybe she would like you to buy her some books so she can learn to read lots more things and then when mummy can't read something she can read it for you.
Try this plan and take your time and wait for the changes to take place naturally and don't worry you will spot them as they happen and before long your daughter will be more than eager to learn to read.
Oh one more thing reading should be fun and exciting so even if your reading the most boring thing like cooking instructions for her favourite food make it seem exciting.
All the best,
Andrew D

Answer 2

What I did to encourage my daughter to read, starting in kindergarten, I took her to the library and took her to the kids section and let her go through and pick out some books. She picked out all sorts of books and because "she" picked them out, she was very interested in them. Also, get a library card in her name, so she can feel very grown-up!! This might spark some enthusiasm and she may look at reading with a little more excitement. I took my daughter every week and we made it a huge event -- talking about it a couple days before, taking her for a treat afterward etc.
I would encourage very short stories since her attention span is naturally not very long. I wouldn't be too concerned about the lack of attention span at such a young age. As another person suggested, all children develop differently and each child learns differently. Some love the academics of school, other children rather be out playing, but both have the capability to learn, just in different ways. Reading is obviously a basic fundamental so the only thing you can do is make it as exciting as possible for her.

Answer 3

There are loads of ways to make it fun.

We played a very loud 'say the word/sound' game with the key stage words on cards.

You can get a full list of key stage words that she should be learning or able to read from school-I then bought some fluorescent filing cards and a little box and wrote all the words in thick black marker pen. I added the days of the week, months of the year, phonetic sounds,(like 'sp', 'ee', 'sh', 'st' etc) and simple punctuation marks.

It's just a case of sit in a circle, with the cards in the middle(or an adult can turn them over) and whoever shouts the word out gets the card. Whoever has the most wins.
We invented it because my eldest wasn't keen either but the sounds were really important-because he now works out words the 'old fashioned' way-by sounding them out.

We also play lots of non educational games, like snakes and ladders(still good for adding and counting though), ludo etc because starting, playing and more importantly, finishing a game builds concentration immensely. Woolies do some brilliant games really cheaply-get her to choose perhaps?(It doesn't matter what it is as long as there are rules and it's 2-4 players)

Play instead of the TV(but don't make an issue of it)because telly is dreadful for encouraging bad concentration habits. As are video/PlayStation games so try and limit them on the quiet.

Once she's guessing the words etc and has a slightly longer concentration span then try junior scrabble(easy side first) and watch her come on in leaps and bounds.

Don't worry too much about it-kids are easily distracted at that age but continue with the omega 3 capsules(they are PROVEN to help concentration) try oily fish, loads of fresh veg and 10hrs+ sleep a night too-makes a huge difference believe it or not!

Read with her for 10mins in the morning-she'll be more awake and hasn't been concentrating at school all day. Reading at bedtime(until she's fluent) is not a good idea-you read to her instead from a book with short chapters, one chapter a night(sneaky concentration building).

We've done all of this and the older ones, both 7, have had omega3 for about 2yrs now,(known as super brainy pills in our house), since I saw the in-school experiment on Panorama.

Just persevere (gently) and you'll see improvements-you don't need to label your child as anything other than a typical 6yr old!

Answer 4

i'm sixteen, I own 3 books- all style books. i'm doing English at a point (2 years greater than what I must be.) and that i'm getting A*'s. even though, how many books have I study? hundreds. I say that without brag or exhilaration, yet actually hundreds. I used to love examining. won't be able to STAND it now. the sole books i will study are those that are put in my arms for English literature and the unusual classic. some human beings purely are not relatively vivid, some human beings by no ability would be, no count number how tricky they attempt. Intelligence won't be able to get replaced. it relatively is nurtured and stepped forward, yet somebody who's a thick guy or woman will consistently have a low intelligence. i think of this grow to be an excuse to b*tch and brag approximately your grades.

Answer 5

Have you tried any of the interactive learning DVD's or computer games? I know you probably want her to sit on your knee and read but this might be a way of getting her interested. There are loads on the market. Alternatively, you could go for books that need coloured in or something like that. It would keep her entertained whilst still looking at the page. Also, let her buy a book from a kids books shop (or Amazon if you don't have one near by). They are always more interested in things they pick themselves. If she doesn't want to read then maybe reading to her at bedtime. Finally be patient. If you try to force the situation she will just start to see it as a chore.

Good luck

John

Answer 6

Some children find it very hard to sit still and concentrate. It doesn’t necessarily mean there is something wrong with them. All children develop differently. And they also all learn differently. You can make reading easier for children who love to be active by including active play in the reading. If she can read or even if she is only at the sounding out stage, when she gets something correct, wether it is a sentence or a word (depending on her level), she can have a run. Depending on your set up, it could be up a hall, around a kitchen table, or even taking your reading outdoors. You can add to this by having a stopwatch and they can see if they can best their run time. If you child isn't into running, maybe skipping or some other activity. You can build up the time you expect them to concentrate for. Diet can also be a problem. I know that if my kids have any food colours, additives or preservatives I can expect no concentration. I also found that with one of my children that when he started having a millet cereal that his concentration and memory improved. Wondering if it was a coincidence, I took him off it and then when they dropped put him back on it. Surprisingly, they improved again. Try not to push her because it is easy to turn learning into a chore. Also look out for questions and things your child wants to find out about. This could be a possible stepping block for books your child might want to read. Some children prefer non-fiction to fiction or even books about favourite TV characters.

Answer 7

When you are out together encourage the child to read shop signs on the High Street the well known ones, spell out the letters, point them out on the TV ads, give lots of praise. Flash cards can be useful. Read the child a story every evening. Buy comics, read anything that your child shows an interest in, the cornflake packet in the morning. It's early days, don't be anxious.

Answer 8

Hi crystaluk :) Sounds like you've got a problem there. Only thing I can think of is to take her to someone who diagnoses learning disabilites. Could be as easy as dyslexia and that's a common problem lots of people have. A 5 year old child I know had very similar problems to what your describing. Once he was diagnosed, we could all breath relief.

I don't know why you have a 6 year old on a concentration product but that again, speaks dyslexia to me.

You'll figure it out, she'll be ok.

Answer 9

Is there any chance that she has dyslexia. There is a very broad spectrum for this condition & it is not a label of disability. I have a friend with 2 kids both with mild dyslexia. Once they were diagnosed and started getting help with it, they have both improved enormously with their reading.

If concentration is a problem then diet could be a factor. Some kids react really badly to some additives so check her diet & try to cut out sweets and highly processed food.

Answer 10

It's not easy especially with DVD's, computer games etc. Making it fun, take her to the library, let her pick a book. What has worked for me, reading a page in turn and found what really works is for me picking the page with the most writing on, that way they think that they are winning. Has she seen you reading a book?