Reading practice

Lately Dinoguy has been making an outward effort to read. He has started verbally reading signs, cereal boxes, books when I am around...

This past week he read almost completely on his own the book "This Car" by Paul Collicutt to me. It's a favorite pick from the library lately, both boys seem to almost have it memorized.

When he was younger (age 2-3) I used to try and get him to sound out words and practice reading and such with sites such as starfall.com and I think I overwhlemed him. When I backed off and stopped pressuring him, he didn't try and if I ask him to try reading something his response was "I can't read!" We've always read books to him and he's taken them and read them to himself but not in front of me.

So him practicing his reading skills openly in front of me is a big deal to me because I feel like he trusts me now not to criticize him or tell him how to do it. I talked with a friend about it - when he doesn't get something right I feel compelled to correct him but she said not to unless he ask or it flowed naturally in the conversation. She compared it to me getting a math paper back covered in red ink and how negative that feels and that made sense to me. Doesn't make it easier, but I now consider how I would feel if my mistakes were constantly being pointed out in things I was trying to master when the correcting urge hits.

Where has he learned his words? Reading the show guide on the TV, from computer games, from books, board games, road signs, cereal boxes... from living life and feeling the need to read. Since deciding to unschool, we haven't done a single worksheet, set of flashcards or anything that was only for teaching and learning reading. We have read hundreds of books and played games and lived life and life is full of words.

Though his Sunday School teacher today mentioned that he probably felt some pressure there as all the other kids were reading and writing now (they are in public school Kindergartens) and he had said something about how he couldn't read as well as them and she said "but you can multiply!" which cheered him up. (I'm glad for the positive comment from her in his time of need!)

He has some competitiveness in him already, most things turn into a competition with his brother, I hope he won't be drawn into competition over school things with his friends who go to public schools.