What if My Child Struggles with Reading?
November 10, 2021
Gena Suarez
Motherhood IS Chocolate Cake
Kerry Tittle
Relax
Beth Mora
Behind in Reading?
Roger Smith
My Third Son Was the One!
| Be sure to scroll to the bottom to enter the contest and see the freebies of the month! |
Hey, Mama!
Motherhood IS Chocolate Cake
Hey Mama,
Tough afternoon? I know. Homeschooling is hard at times. Motherhood is like chewing up and spitting nails some days. No one ever said what we do would be a cakewalk.
But this journey—overall it’s as sweet as cake, isn’t it? Bittersweet at times, but that, too, can be good. Think chocolate. A rich, delicious chocolate cake. Or, maybe coconut cream. Wonderful, delightful. That’s motherhood!
And on the days your kids just aren’t getting it . . . on those days, Mama, remember. He’s got you covered, and He’s placed you exactly where He wants you. For those who are His, you can know that His hand is always on your head. Cling to Christ through it all, Mama. Good or bad times.
And when you need a little extra love, just flip through the pages of The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine. We are here for you.
Sorting Out Reading Difficulties by Anna Buck
Read, Read, Read by Cathy Diez-Luckie
Loving Reading by Ruth O’Neil
Just one more thing, Mama (I know you’re busy) . . .
During all the craziness of life, eat a piece of your favorite chocolate (or some coconut cream!), hug your kids, and remember this:
Motherhood is sweet, hard, and sometimes bitter—but very good! Just like chocolate and coconut.
And who knows? Someday your testimony of this wild and crazy motherhood/homeschooling journey may be book-worthy. Consider it. Can the Lord use you to write a story that will lift up His name and bless other Mamas? Read Titus. Know God’s Word inside and out. You are in training, Mama, to be a mentor to an upcoming generation of Moms. Maybe an author, too. Take it seriously, and pray without ceasing. And if you’re a writer, why don’t you head over to our writer’s guidelines and check out the upcoming print magazine themes. Maybe you should query us sometime.
God’s got you, daughter of the King, and He’ll never let you go.
– gena
Kerry Tittle
Relax
I have always been amazed that none of my nine children learned to read at the same age. I have had a fluent reader at the age of 3 and a struggler at the age of 12.
If you have a delayed reader . . . relax. It’s ok. God made them perfectly for His purposes, and the best thing you can do is approach the situation with patience. I am guessing many of us lose patience because we care what others think, or we are comparing our child to another child. Just don’t. That will cause major complications in the relationship with your child.
Don’t lose sight of the fact that your child is a GIFT from the Lord! He has given you charge to nurture for Him! Instead of saying, “How can I teach my child to read?” say, “How can I show love to the Father by investing in His gift.” This mindset will change the way you approach teaching. “Lo, children are a heritage of the LORD, and the fruit of the womb is His reward” Psalm 127:3.
How to help a delayed reader (I have learned hard lessons from this!):
- Go SLOW! Let the child set the pace. Small strides are better than pushing them to the brink of frustration.
- Don’t compare. Ever. Period.
- Do not let Google or others offer a diagnosis. If you suspect a disability or poor eyesight, get professional help.
- Make sure there is a comfortable area to read that is free from colors and sounds that overstimulate.
- Share the task of reading by taking turns.
- Schedule one on one time with the child on a normal basis.
- Give the child alone time with an audiobook to read along with a physical book. It’s more helpful if the content holds their interest.
- Know your child. Don’t be so learning-focused that you are overlooking internal struggles of the child. Sometimes put the book away and talk.
- PRAY daily for them.
The Three-Point Approach
This has been the most helpful method for reading in my twenty years of schooling. Let your child struggle through the assignment (like three paragraphs). Sound out new words, and explain words they don’t know. Be sure to take your time. Then read the same assignment out loud to them. Last, let them read it to you again. I have used this approach until they began reading with no help, and they slowly weaned to just the last step.
If I could stress anything . . . I’d say take your time! Enjoy your child, and don’t identify him or her as the “slow reader,” not even mentally. This is the reason we homeschool! Pour prayer, love, time and encouragement into them!
And relax. You got this.
About the author
Kerry Tittle is a mother of nine children and a 20-year homeschool veteran. She was the owner of ReformationKidz with her husband Rob until a tornado destroyed their home and business in 2014, taking the lives of Rob and two of their daughters, Tori and Rebekah. Kerry is the founder of Refined Family, which is created to encourage others to find hope in the gospel in the midst of trials.
Beth Mora
Behind in Reading?
What do you do if your child is behind in reading? Repeat after me, “There’s no such thing as behind.” You can’t force a child to read no matter how hard you try. Now, take a long, deep breath, and lay aside whatever pressure or guilt you may have, and let’s focus on your fantastic child.
A child’s reading ability reflects their God-given individuality. Take it from me; I’m a mom of eight adult children. Each child learned to read at a different age. Some were early readers, some average, and some late. But regardless of when they started reading, they all read well and achieved their dreams. Goal met.
I’ll be real. With my “delayed readers,” I worried. I fretted. I researched. I questioned everything I was doing. Should I switch curriculums? Should I stop homeschooling? Should I get him tested?
By the grace of God, I slowly began to understand and value my child’s unique individuality; I exchanged my fretting for a renewed joy of learning with my child. Here’s what I did . . .
Fall in love with learning again:
I fed his natural curiosity with whatever subject crossed his mind. We spent time observing, classifying, and discovering the world God created. We enjoyed learning together.
Love the written word:
We read wonderful books every day filled with adventure that sparked his imagination.
Maintain their self-esteem:
I couldn’t completely protect him from others questioning his inability to read, but I could encourage him and speak well of him in front of others. I refused to discuss my frustration with anyone except with my husband or trusted friends.
Be diligent with short reading lessons:
I continued with daily short reading lessons using a multi-sensory, phonics-based reading program that progressed according to his ability.
Write books:
This was an odd discovery for me. I helped him write stories by taking his dictation, and then he would add his own drawings. He was so proud of his book that he would practice reading his own story over and over.
My dear friend, take heart; your child will learn to read. So fill your child’s early years with pleasant learning memories.
About the author
Beth Mora, creator/teacher-on-camera for Here to Help Learning’s Homeschool Writing Program (grades 1-6) and homeschool conference and women’s events speaker, loves blog at Home to Home. She serves up HTHL’s Writing Tip of the Week for those teaching their kiddos to write. Everything she does, whether laughable or heart gripping, is done to honor One. God’s grace is the salve that has healed her own life and is what she offers liberally to others.
Visit sailawaylearning.com or call 865-376-7005!
Roger Smith
Pillar of Knowledge
Roger Smith – My Third Son Was the One!
Our first two children made us feel like pros when it came to homeschooling! They were fast and easy learners and could read “in ten easy lessons.” But we faced a shock when we were ready for the third child to learn to read.
His ability to read on time would be a sign of our success, and “we knew how to do this.” The pressure we felt caused us to put pressure on our son.
Do you think that helped him to read? Of course, not!
Slowly, we came to realize that reading was less about us, and more about him. We learned that not all children have the neurologic ability to read at the same time, just as they cannot all walk or talk at the same time.
AND IT IS NOT A MEASURE OF THEIR INTELLIGENCE.
Today, the child that had great difficulty learning to read by age 9 is as successful in life as those that read easily at 5. We learned through our struggles that our job was to prevent a “failure mindset” so he was unafraid to read when he was neurologically ready.
A John Maxwell quote is fitting here: “When handling yourself, use your head. In handling others, use your heart.”
About the author
Dr. Roger Smith is a family doctor in rural Louisiana, where he and his wife, Jan, raised four adventurous children who are all grown, making their own mark in the world. He speaks and writes on parenting issues and produces brief videos that can be found on Facebook @ParentingMattersNow.
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Contest Corner
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