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9 year old cant read


9 Year Old Struggling with Reading: Homeschooling Toolbox

Reading is a language skill that is taught to children early on in school. However, with school closures all across the country due to the coronavirus pandemic, many children are now in danger of not getting that reading instruction that is so important.

The children that are already struggling with reading are now in greater danger of not getting the extra help they need. However, there are different tools you can use at home to help your struggling reader get through their reading hump and actually enjoy reading.

Most kids are able to read fluently and independently by age 7-8 years old or 2nd-3rd grade. However, some kids might struggle well after this reading benchmark. If you have a 9 year old struggling with reading, there are strategies you can use at home to get them to their reading level.

Why is my child having a hard time reading?

While most children are able to read by age 7-8 years old, there are some that are just late bloomers.

Experts emphasize that if your child is still not able to read fluently or independently by this age to not panic but to be aware of signs that your child is struggling. Some kids might be frustrated with their lack of reading skills compared to their classmates. They might avoid homework or just not want to go to school altogether.

There are many different reasons why your child is struggling with reading. Here are some 3 things to consider if your 9 year old struggles with reading:

  • Reading instruction they are receiving
  • Underlying problems such as vision or dyslexia
  • Reading experience and background

Let’s take a closer look at each one of these issues. 

Reading instruction  

One reason your child could be struggling with reading is the instruction they are receiving. Every child learns differently, so your child might not be getting instruction that fits the way that they learn.

Some kids are more visual or spatial learners while others are more oral or auditory learners. Talking to your child’s teacher can help you get a sense of the methods and strategies they are using in the classroom. You can then supplement with more tailored practice at home.

Underlying problems 

There could also be problems your child is struggling with that might not be so apparent. They could be having actual physical issues such as vision or auditory problems that are making it difficult for them to learn to read.

A learning disability such as dyslexia might also be an issue or they could be struggling with their concentration. These are underlying problems that could be affecting their reading progress and thus their overall learning.

Experience with reading

Another major factor to consider is their overall experience with reading. Children who come from families that read often during free time or frequently keep books at home are likely to be more successful readers.

You might also want to consider your family history . Is there a pattern in your family of struggling readers? Many students who struggle with reading even at an older age have a family history of struggling readers.

How can I help my 9-year-old to read?

Reading can be frustrating especially for children who are behind their reading level. Also,  9 year olds are beginning to read more advanced texts in school.

This means that not only do they need to be able to understand what they are reading but also need to be able to think critically about them. Reading is becoming a skill that they are using to learn, not a skill they are trying to learn.

We present you a Homeschooling Toolbox that parents can easily implement to help your child get back on track to their reading level: 

  1. Read to and with them – Reading to your child gives them a model of good reading. Reading with them helps give them the individual support and guidance they need. This also helps create a bond that can help motivate them to practice reading more often.  
  2. Schedule family reading time – A key part of practicing reading at home is to keep it consistent. When you schedule reading time at home, this shows your child that reading is something to prioritize and enjoy. 
  3. Keep a wide variety of books at home – Sometimes a child might be struggling with reading because the level of books they are reading is either too hard or too easy. Instead of only keeping books that are at or below their reading level, you should also have books that are one or two levels above. This gives them the option to stay at a comfortable pace or to challenge themselves. 
  4. Let them choose their reading materials – Instead of choosing the books for them, you can let your child choose the books they read. This keeps them interested and invested in reading more. 
  5. Discuss their reading with them – Talking about what they are reading shows your child that you are interested in their progress and can encourage them to continue reading. This is also a great way to practice and check on their reading comprehension . If they are able to talk to you about what they are reading, then they are able to actually understand and think about what they are reading. 
  6. Gamify reading – A big factor in helping older kids to get out of struggling with reading is to make reading fun for them. Technology and web games are a big part of their world so incorporate that aspect into their reading practice. Using reading apps such as Readability can make reading fun and interactive. Readability provides original materials at various levels, so the app can adjust to your child’s reading progress. It also provides real-time feedback, so your child can know exactly how to improve.

All these at-home strategies can help your child improve their reading even while they are at home during school closures. The key to maintaining their reading instruction at home is to be patient and encouraging.

Many kids today are already stressed about the coronavirus disease. Positive feedback can help your child’s mental health. In order to motivate them, it is important that they see the progress they are making with reading, even if it is minor.

It can be easy to rely on endless screentime and video games when your children are stuck at home. However, making sure they are using educational apps and games can help them not just maintain their reading skills but also make them better.

You can easily implement all the tools above through a reading app like Readability that will help your child reach their reading goals and have fun in the process!

When to actually worry that your kid still can't read

Kids learn to read at different speeds. But at what point should you actually start to worry? Here are the red flags to watch out for.

Most people view reading as a mysterious skill that becomes knowable when, as in a cartoon, a light in the brain suddenly turns on. In reality, reading happens as a series of steps that begins with letters and sounds, and grows to include words, sentences, paragraphs and chapters that contain ideas, plots, stories.

Some kids just get it—they seem to be reading naturals and are practically self-taught by kindergarten, or they’ll learn it in school no matter what method a teacher uses. For other children, it takes more time to decode language by making the connection between letters and sounds, and different teaching styles may be needed before it finally clicks. “Kids really have their own pathways to reading, and sometimes it just takes it a little longer or a different way for it to click. And then when it does it can take off incredibly. It just needs to make sense to them,” says Marianne McTavish, associate dean of teacher education at the University of British Columbia, and a senior instructor with emergent learning and literacy in the department of language and literacy at UBC.

However, experts agree that by grade two, kids should be well on their way to fluency with books. “That’s a watershed year,” says Steve Truch, the Calgary-based founder and director of The Reading Foundation, an organization that runs remedial programs in Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto for students who are struggling with learning. If children are still having a hard time, he says, “Parents need to have a serious look at it.”

Not all seven- or eight-year-olds who are struggling to read have bigger issues going on, though. Here are some red flags that your kid might experience more challenges than the average student:

1. Struggling to read + a family history of reading challenges

The most common indicator that a child will struggle with reading is whether they have a family history of reading or learning issues, or dyslexia, says Truch. “We do know from research in the last 20 years that there’s a heavy genetic component to reading difficulties,” he says. “So for example, one child in the family with a reading issue means there’s a 50 percent chance for the next sibling to have it as well. ”

2. Struggling to read + previous speech delay

Even if a language delay is addressed and dealt with, Truch says reading difficulty related to the delay can still surface later on. When kids learn to read, they need to hear differences in sound—what experts call ‘phonological awareness’—and they need to grasp how language works. “For those who receive speech therapy and now speak and articulate well, the issue with reading will be related to lingering weaknesses in phonological (phonemic) processing,” says Truch. “Being able to articulate a word doesn’t mean the child can segment or blend the phonemes of that word. That is a processing level that is deeper than the articulatory level.” This is why a delay in language acquisition can precede a reading delay.

3. Mixing up letters and losing skills

Repeatedly mixing up similar letters (for example, b and d) can be a red flag if it goes on long enough. It’s still fairly common in grade one, and even into grade two, but look at it more closely if you get past age eight, says Truch: “Children who struggle with reading have more reversals for greater lengths of time, sometimes even into adulthood. ” Forgetting word spelling in previously mastered words in early elementary (grades 1-3) is another common sign there may be a real reading issue.

4. Avoiding reading at all costs

In preschool and kindergarten, the majority of children love being read to and can’t get enough of books, letters and numbers. Most want to grab a crayon and start trying to print their name. It’s the opposite in kids who go on to struggle with reading, say experts. “They don’t have a curiosity about being introduced to letters as they’re getting towards school age,” says McTavish, noting that it’s iterative. “If you don’t do well at something, you don’t want to do it. So those kids who enjoy being read to get more out of it; those who don’t get left behind.”

But the likelihood of your child falling through the cracks to emerge illiterate at the end of grade school is pretty low. Schools typically screen children for learning problems as early as kindergarten, notify parents, and begin an intervention program so those kids can catch up.

Experts warn there’s also a fine line between awareness of a delay and going overboard in an effort to close the reading gap. Parents sometimes panic and begin pushing their reading avoiders in an effort to motivate them, which can backfire. “Parents tend to really focus on the decontextualization of teaching reading. They get the flashcards, they drill them on the alphabet, have them write the letters. Yes, those are skills the child needs, but that can also take the joy out of reading altogether,” says McTavish. “So you get into a situation where the kids will just balk.”

What can parents do if they suspect a serious reading delay?

Ultimately, if you see signs your child is struggling, your first step is to speak to the school. “Advocate for your child if you believe that something is not quite right,” says McTavish. “There are resources available—be persistent.” Truch agrees. “Most of the time a parent’s gut feeling is correct,” he says. “Whether you label the child with a learning disability or not, they need an intervention.”

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Dyslexia - a disease or a norm. Corrective exercises

Have you noticed that your child has more difficulty learning to read and write than others? He can't remember the alphabet and sits for hours to read a couple of words, and your efforts to fix the situation turn into a lot of stress for both of you? Chances are your child has dyslexia.

But do not rush to despair. In this article, we will explain what this violation is and what to do to help your child learn to read and write on an equal basis with others.

Get comfortable and let's get started.

Is dyslexia a disease or a norm?

First, let's understand how the dyslexic brain works. You know that our brain consists of left and right hemispheres. The left is responsible for logic, language, speech, reading, numbers, consistency, rationality. And the right one is for imagination, intuition, feelings, images and spatial thinking.

Dyslexics have more active right hemisphere and frontal lobe. And when reading, it is more difficult for them to focus on the letters, link them into syllables and words, and understand the meaning of what they read.

For these children, letters in words look like hooks and are remembered as pictures. That is, in order for a dyslexic to learn a word and attach a meaning to it, he needs to remember the picture from the hooks in great detail. And then he already guesses what might be written there. As a result, reading turns into torment and takes a lot of time and effort.

Is dyslexia normal? On the one hand, no. Because it interferes with normal development. But on the other hand, dyslexics are absolutely normal children who, outside the learning process, are no different from their peers. Their brains just work differently.

Moreover, it is among dyslexics that most of all geniuses and outstanding people are. As proof of this, such names as Marilyn Monroe, Albert Einstein, Walt Disney, Hans Christian Anderson, Vladimir Mayakovsky, Quentin Tarantino and several others.

How do people with reading and writing disorders become famous writers, actors and directors? Logically, this is hard to believe. But in fact, this is because dyslexics are very good at making up for their lack in life. They are more diligent and purposeful than ordinary people, because they want to prove to themselves and the world that they are no worse than others. And as we said, because their brain works differently.

Yes, of course, we understand that this is not easy for you. After all, the child falls behind in school, is subjected to ridicule by classmates and pressure from teachers. His self-esteem drops and he withdraws more and more into himself.

Therefore, the sooner you start to act, the easier it will be for your child in the future.

Symptoms and causes of reading and writing disorders in children

Of course, it is quite difficult to detect dyslexia in a small child. Violations appear when the child begins to prepare for school or already goes to the first grade.

Here are the main symptoms that indicate dyslexia:

  • the child cannot recognize letters that he already seems to have learned;
  • swaps letters in words while reading;
  • jumps from line to line;
  • guesses more than reads;
  • writes mirror;
  • does not understand where is left and where is right;
  • does not learn the rules and makes many mistakes in words;
  • makes mistakes even when cheating;
  • is in the clouds in the classroom and does not understand what the teacher is talking about.

But at the same time, the manifestation of one or two signs does not mean that others will necessarily appear. Everything is individual here. But even if one of the symptoms appears, you should not relax either.

CAUSES OF DYSLEXIA:

You are probably asking yourself: “Why did this happen to us? What could have led to these violations? Let's try to answer your questions. But you will have to strain and remember the past.

1. Heredity

You may not know this. But if at least someone in your family or spouse's family suffered from dyslexia, then this can be inherited even after several generations.

2. Problems during pregnancy and childbirth

There are a variety of options: infection during pregnancy, placental abruption, anemia, post-term pregnancy, cord entanglement during childbirth, etc. As a rule, the consequences of these problems appear later time.

3. Smoking, use of alcohol or drugs before or during pregnancy

Everyone knows that it is desirable to plan a pregnancy. And everyone knows that at least six months before conception, you need to give up all bad habits and undergo a complete medical examination. But does everyone do it? Of course not! Everyone has their own reasons for that. But in any case, children pay for the mistakes of their parents.

4. Problems and diseases in a child in the first years of life

There are also different reasons: concussion, traumatic brain injury, infectious diseases (rubella, scarlet fever, chickenpox, whooping cough, poliomyelitis, measles) and neuroinfections (encephalitis, shingles, meningitis, botulism, neurosyphilis).

Of course, finding the cause of dyslexia in a child will not fix the situation, but at least you will stop being tormented by the question “Why?”. Now let's move on to practice.

Types of dyslexia in primary school children and corrective exercises

Dyslexia - dyslexia is different. Therefore, we will separately go through each of its forms and give specific recommendations.

1. OPTICAL DYSLEXIA

Occurs due to a violation of the formation of a spatial-visual representation of the shapes, size and color of objects. A child with optical dyslexia cannot draw a letter from a model or from memory, does not recognize it, and cannot add missing elements to it if necessary. It is very difficult for such children to master reading and writing, so a special approach is needed when learning.

Corrective exercises

  • Learn the letter

Here we work on spatial-visual perception.

Place the child with his back to you and draw a letter on his back with your finger. So repeat the pattern until he guesses the letter.

This exercise is good for developing imagination through sensations. When you draw letters on a child's back, images appear in the brain that it attaches to a particular letter, thereby remembering it better.

  • Transformer letters

Do not do a lot at once - 3-4 pieces will suffice. Ask the child to look carefully and try to remember the shapes and arrangement of the matches in letters. Then ask him to close his eyes and remove the match from one letter.

The child's task is to find the damaged letter and complete the missing element.

This exercise trains memory and improves letter recognition.

2. PHONEMATIC DYSLEXIA

A child with phonemic dyslexia spells words, confuses sounds, rearranges letters and syllables in words. Yes, this is exactly the case when reading is not only the most useless activity for a child, but also unbearable torture.

Corrective exercises

  • Cross out the letters

The exercise is suitable for children who already know the alphabet.

So, take an old unnecessary magazine or book and ask the child to cross out all the letters "T" in one paragraph in 5-10 minutes. And next time, ask him to cross out all the letters "T" already on the entire page. Then gradually ask to cross out not one, but two letters in a paragraph, and so, as the speed of the child increases, add more and more letters.

This exercise will help your child concentrate better on letters and make fewer reading mistakes.

  • Count the sounds

Here you just read the word to the child and ask him to count the sounds in each word.

This exercise will allow the child to learn to identify sounds by ear and not confuse them in words.

3. MINISTIC DYSLEXIA

Or, in simple terms, semantic dyslexia, manifests itself in the difficulty of mastering all the letters and the inability to distinguish them. The child has a speech memory disorder, and he cannot connect the sound and the visual image of the letter.

Correction of this type of dyslexia requires exercises that develop interhemispheric symmetry, auditory-verbal and visual memory.

Corrective exercises

  • Find the extra syllable So that there are several syllables in front of the child: “PI”, “MI”, “ZI”, “VI”. And one of the cards should be with a different vowel, for example, "BA".

    Then ask the child to find the extra syllable and explain why it is extra.

    • Add the desired syllable

    So, you and your child have all the same cards with syllables. Now think of a word that ends with one of these syllables. For example, "bor-BA" and read it without naming the last syllable. The child must find the desired syllable among the cards and add it to the word.

    Thanks to these exercises, visual and auditory memory is trained.

    4. AGRAMMATIC DYSLEXIA

    A child with agrammatic dyslexia has a pronounced speech impairment. This is manifested in the incorrect naming of the number, gender and cases: “he went”, “grandmother had”, “they say”, etc.

    Corrective exercises

    • Say the missing word

    The meaning here is that you are reading fairy tales or poems already familiar to the child and intentionally skipping words.

    For example:

    Kind Doctor….

    He is under …. sits.

    Come to him for treatment

    Both the cow and ……

    The child should try to name the missing words correctly. The exercise works on automatic memorization of cases, declensions, numbers.

    5. SEMANTIC DYSLEXIA

    Or, in simple words, I look into a book and see a fig. This is a form of dyslexia in which the child reads absolutely normally, but does not understand the meaning of what they read. That is, his mechanical reading does not turn into conscious.

    Corrective exercises

    • Explain the meaning Then ask what he understood. If nothing, then read again yourself and ask again, at the same time explaining to him incomprehensible points.

      For analysis, it is better to choose more complex sentences so that the child can present a more detailed picture.

      • Anagram text reading

      For example: “Eahl Gerka through rkeu. Vdiit Gerka in rkeu rak.

      According to the results of research by scientists from an English university, we do not read the letter, but the whole word. The main thing is that the first and last letters in the words are in their places.

      Such texts can be searched on the Internet and printed out for classes.

      Practice has shown that such simple exercises can help a child move from mechanical to conscious reading in 2-3 weeks.

      General advice for parents of children with dyslexia

      Most importantly, dear parents, be patient and treat your child with understanding. Do not scold, do not reproach and do not press. He needs to feel that you are on his side.

      Accept the situation as fact and take action. In addition to self-study at home, be sure to take your child to a psychologist, psychotherapist and speech therapist. Doctors will conduct special tests to determine the form and severity of dyslexia.

      And if you do not have such an opportunity or you have no time to study with your child on your own, try reading lessons in our online school. 90% of success in the fight against dyslexia and in education depends on teachers.

      A special methodology, an exciting class format and experienced patient teachers will help your child learn to read correctly, quickly and consciously. Your child will love reading with all his heart and will keep up with his peers.

      Why does our method work? Because while working with different children around the world, we not only learned to look at the world through their eyes, but also learned to think like them.

      Want to see how things are going? Sign up for a free trial lesson! We also invite you to watch the materials of our webinar on early learning to read.

      Patience to you and success!

      ⠀

      See also:

      7 simple games to learn letters

      Why is it important to teach a child to read by syllables?

      Reading and speaking: how to instill in your child a love of books

      My child cannot read at 10 years old

      My child cannot read …

      #1

      #2

      #3

      9000 #4000 #

      #5

      #6

      9000 #7

      90IPARIS 2021, 08:54

      #8

      Just a passerby

      I switched at 9, some of us still read almost by syllables. Not that it's normal, but lately it's been a frequent occurrence

      #9

      Hell228

      Same situation and not some, but most

      #10

      #11

      #12

      Ulyanа0003

      For such a flagrant disgrace, you urgently need to be deprived of parental rights! You are not taking care of your child! It is a crime! School is a school, but first of all, the parents should deal with the child! You should be publicly punished for this!

      #13

      Guest

      We have the same situation, neither teachers, nor doctors, nor speech therapists help, and they don’t want to work with me. I’m just in despair, that’s all I tried it, it's no use.

      #14

      Ulyana

      For such a flagrant disgrace, you urgently need to be deprived of parental rights! You are not taking care of your child! It is a crime! School is a school, but first of all, the parents should deal with the child! You should be publicly punished for this!

      #15

      Ulyana

      For such a flagrant disgrace, you urgently need to be deprived of parental rights! You are not taking care of your child! It is a crime! School is a school, but first of all, the parents should deal with the child! You should be publicly punished for this!

      #16

      Guest

      What did you do for 10 years? Have you noticed the child? Is it a surprise to you that at 7 he has to go to school and at 7 be able to read?

      #17

      Guest

      We have the same situation, neither teachers, nor doctors, nor speech therapists help, and they don’t want to work with me. I’m just in despair, that’s all I tried it, it's no use.

      #18

      Guest

      My child is 8 years old and we still can’t read by syllables, we started talking only from the age of 6, we study with a speech therapist, we are observed by a Neurologist and every six months we go through rehabilitation in a sanatorium. The older children graduated from school well, and they learned to read from the age of 5 and 6, but the younger one has a different physiology, and even a difficult birth affected the child's condition.

      #19

      Guest

      This is a mentally retarded child

      #20

      Ulyana

      For such a flagrant disgrace, you urgently need to be deprived of parental rights! You are not taking care of your child! It is a crime! School is a school, but first of all, the parents should deal with the child! You should be publicly punished for this!

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