Wanting to Read Difficult Books

Hi ya

Josie wrote: DS has caught the reading bug, and is now picking it us quite easily, and his confidence has grownn so much, to the point that he thinks he can read books thay are way over ambitous for him, only he still wants to give them a go, until he realises on the first page that maybe he has bitten off more than he can chew.
If I tell him that maybe I should read it, he refuses, prefering to give it a go himself. Will this end up destroying the confidence that he has gained in reading, or should I just continue to let him go, and tell him that we should read it together, so I can help with words that he does not know?

Let him do what he wants as his pace. Roger spent an hour one day looking a page I definitely knew he couldn't read when he was six. It didn't do him any harm. Just make sure Branden has access to all types of reading matter at all levels. Never underestimate what's going on a person's head. We can't begin to know what your son is doing when he's looking at a page. Even he won't know all the processes going on. If he feels compelled to have a go, let him, but let him know that often you tackle things that you're not quite ready for and sometimes you feel disappointed you can't do what you want to right now but know that simply trying is part of the journey to eventual accomplishment. Think of some examples - for me it is climbing onto the roof using a ladder and then trying to get down by myself without help - this took me years to do! My kids found it interesting as it was something that had no trouble with. Seeing other people try and 'fail' is encouraging for all of us.

John Dewey, educator and researcher wrote: "Give the pupils something to do, not something to learn; and the doing is of such a nature as to demand thinking; learning naturally results." Your son has chosen this task or reading above his ability level as something to do - trust in Dewey's words. Learning will naturally result. I love the way children naturally test their emerging abilities. If left alone to experiment and test without pressure to perform to another's expectation or arbitrary schedule all will be right.

You might find my Practical Homeschooling Series booklet Learning to Love Reading ($2.50 plus postage) a useful and reassuring guide.

love, light and peace to you all,
Beverley