Apples of Gold

"Keep me as the apple
of the eye..."
Psalm 17:8

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~Apples Of Gold~

Sep. 30, 2009
~Better Late than Early~

My son, Jonah, was a late reader. My dd (his older sister) learned to read on her own just before she turned 5, so I was alarmed. I read a book by John Holt called Better Late than Early and I relaxed & just read him lots of books. I stayed calm when he was 6 and still couldn't read. I started to worry again when he was 7 and still couldn't read & didn't even want to try. But, he loved to listen to stories & I had him listening to good quality books on tape & CD. His imagination was great & he narrated to me all sorts of great stories that he made up.

Well, he didn't learn to read until he was 8-but he was still limited & didn't choose to read much on his own. I'd say he really improved when he was 9, but still didn't read much independently-same for age 10.
Now he's 11. He reads. A lot. In the last 2 weeks, he's read 4 chapter books(3 Hardy Boys & Snow Treasure). And he listened to 3 stories on CD-Tom Sawyer, Where the Red Fern Grows & Peter Pan.
And he's also doing his other schoolwork, chores & playing.
Yesterday he said to me, "Mom, do you know of a boy that loves to read so much that he just finished a book that he couldn't put down?"
I looked up, smiled and said, "a boy in THIS house?"
He smiled.

Here he is reading a book in the 4-wheeler trailer. He finds the most unusual places to read. And our dog, Freya, usually chooses to keep him company.
I'm SO glad I followed the advice in the above mentioned book. I'm so glad I didn't force him to read before he was ready.
If you're exeriencing this late reader phenomenon, don't worry! Waiting really does work! Just hang on & you'll see.

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Sep. 30, 2009 - Thanks for the encouragement!

Posted by PuddleJumpers

My son who turned 8 this summer just took off on reading too, he struggled a lot last year and we just decided to be patient and now you can't stop him! He is not into too many chapter books yet, but he is loving to read and that was my goal all along! Loved the picture of your son reading...that's great! Thanks for the encouraging post!
Lori
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/henhouse

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Oct. 4, 2009 - Very cool

Posted by basketflat

Wow! That is so cool. Rachey is a late reader compared to Natalie. She is starting to sound things out at six, but defnitely not on the same schedule as her sister. That is so cool that he just took off all at once. I would have really been getting concerned around age 9 or 10. I'm glad you didn't over-react and just kept reading to him and narrating with him. So awesome. Really. And you know Rachey may just turn out to be an avid reader like Natalie.

Cathy

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Oct. 5, 2009 - Untitled Comment

Posted by erbcmichele

Thank you, thank you and thank you again for sharing. My son can read but doesn't really care to. He is almost 10. thank you again for the encouragement!

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Oct. 17, 2009 - Untitled Comment

Posted by loobylou1971

Brilliant! This is what home learning is all about - every child is unique and has different learning styles.
Well done for being so patient.
(my eldest two didnt start to read until they were 8)

Lou x

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Oct. 21, 2009 - Untitled Comment

Posted by Homeschooling6

Wow! We went through exactly the samething (except I panicked more. I haven't read the book yet) right down to the Hardy Boys & Snow Treasure books. Even the same cd's. LOL.
It wasn't until the end of his 4th grade year did he really start to read. Now at age 11 I he reads like crazy.

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Oct. 22, 2009 - Untitled Comment

Posted by IllinoisLoriH

Oh, that just warms my heart! What a great thing you've done in sharing his story...I'm sure it will be a blessing to many!

God Bless,
Lori (aka Plans4You)

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