6yo struggling to blend letter sounds… HELP!!!

When my oldest was about 6 she was in a private school and the principal there told us about a recent survey that showed that children who learned to read early (4ish) and children who learned to read later (7-8ish)  all tested at approximately the same reading level by the time they were 10.  What a gift that little snippet of information was to be to me and all ten of my children!!  

Six is young.  Six is too young to worry.  I’m not a reading expert, but I would just keep allowing her to have success in her reading.  Some of my kids loved the BOB books, one of mine loved Dick and Jane.  Public libraries often carry those and other early reading helps.  

I would also recommend reading Ruth Beechick’s little book A Home Start in Reading which gives good, common sense advice about teaching reading.  I also like Peggy Kaye’s book Games for Reading.  Those are often available in libraries as well.  

Here’s an excerpt from a blog where a mom talks about Ruth Beechick’s approach to reading.  I find it helpful:

Wait till the optimum time, and that’s probably a lot later than most of us are starting. Dr. Beechicksays that a good average age for girls to start reading is six-and-a-half; for boys, seven-and-a-half. That’s average, so it means some will be ready earlier than that, some later. Other well-known educators have been preaching this for decades (Raymond Moore and David Elkind come to mind), but most mothers are too anxious to listen. If you start teaching a few sounds and your student doesn’t catch on right away, then it’s too early. Wait. There is absolutely no benefit to teaching reading early– but there is tremendous benefit in waiting until the optimum time.

My 6yo dd is in speech therapy because she still doesn’t pronounce some letter sounds/blends when speaking. I became concerned when her little sister was easier to understand, hence the ST. To my great surprise, the only sound the therapist is working on is f. Apparently, it is totally normal for children at the this age to not be able to blend some sounds together…like “th” and others. Please give yourself some time and relax. Gently work at it, but do not stress. When the time is right, she will blossom.

Oh, and the comparison… My SIL public-schools her children.  And the teachers are fabulous and she just can’t believe how much they’ve learned and child #1 is reading at an 11th grade leve (in 4th grade) adn doing math at a 5th grade level…..And child #2 is not far behind……  How I HATE talking to her about school!!!! 

I finally resigned myself to just not talking about what we’re doing.   I listen politely to how fabuolous the school and teachers are and how her children are just doing wonderfully.  And then I try to change the subject.

*L*  Does anyone have any better ideas for dealing with FABULOUS public schools and advanced children?

From my limited experience and talking to other moms, it seems blending problems are normal. My DD6 had problems and now does fine with cvc words. 100 EZ lessons helps with the “say it fast” game. Have them sound it out, and then say it fast. It’s practiced with words, reading, and sounds. I.e., say “eeeee”, say fast, “e” (long e). Say mmmeeettt. Now say it fast, “meet.” The same process is used in reading words. It has actually helped us…as much as I abhorred the thought of using that dreadful book.

Saraschools, you have a lot of great ideas and encouragement here on this thread. Jeaninpa’s post had me nodding over and over again. I have DS10, DS 8 and DS6…they all started reading at different ages and all spent a different amount of time/energy on the blending stage. It is REALLY individual! The Ruth Beechick book I happen to love is The Three R’s. The chapter on reading is AMAZING, so clear, so much reassurance. Most relevant to you: she talks very specifically about the blending stage and how it is the most important stage, and sometimes – the one that takes the longest. She then states not to move on to anything else until blending is solid. She also states without reservation that often 6 is too young, and that sometimes if we push it, we can possibly makes things worse by confusing the child! I am using Ruth Beechick’s strategies and AAR at the moment with DS6 and AAR mentions this as well about the age 6 issue. Most certainly my eldest two were closer to 7 before it “clicked”. Second son was well over 7. It’s totally okay.

On the comparison thing – and giving yourself permission to take your time – just my opinion, but I really feel that time and patience might actually do more than a new approach or a different book. I realize this is hard when you feel “eyes” on you. Try to stay strong on this. For what’s worth – I volunteered in PS in 2nd grade before I pulled my kids and I’ll tell you a secret I learned: the reason public schools designed a system where reading starts SO early is because it’s going to take them THAT long (K to 3rd grade) to teach THAT many kids to read (and keeping in mind they are of different ages to some extent). The PS setting is also a place where there is VERY little time for one-on-one instruction. So again, it takes longer and so, they start earlier! They also have to sift through the challenge kids, identify and implement remedial reading strategies. If this ALL weren’t enough, they need to deal with summer breaks every year and all the “forgetting” kids do between K and 1st and then again 1st to 2nd. Again, all of this necessitates the need to begin reading instruction before age 6. Sure, some of the kids, including your nieces, will be on one end of the scale (learning to read quickly and therefore “early”… right at age 5-6), but many (many!) others are in the middle of that scale (age 6.5 -7.5) or the slower end (7.5-8.5…still considered normal).

A practical tip I can give you would be to switch up your lessons to every second day. I was hesitant to do this with my DS6, thinking with a whole day’s break in between lessons he would surely advance more slowly …. but I was completely wrong. He approached his lessons even more fresh and has become more productive! It’s as though that day of rest is spent storing up and considering what he’d learned the previous day. So perhaps one-day-reading-lesson, and then one day only read-aloud by you and a bit of copywork. The variety might be just the thing, and certainly this is a very CM-friendly strategy.

HTH some! Blessings and good luck, Angie

PS – Karen, do we have the same SIL ?! Your second paragraph above “I finally resigned myself” is EXACTLY where I landed this past year with that side of my family. And in fact, in just staying quiet and not engaging in the conversation beyond polite responses, I’m actually way more at peace about the whole thing now, too.