Hi folks-I'm new to this forum so thanks for making it happen. I have been unschooling my twin boys, almost 8, since the beginning and love it. Generally all is well and we tend to have more fun than anything, but recently I have become a little concerned about one son who, though he has read simple books and was seeming to proceed fine with reading, has lately become quite despondic about reading, is not interested in trying anymore, and gets quite upset if I try to push it.
To clarify, I have mostly let them discover reading on their own, believing in intrinsic motivation and all that, and both my partner and I have provided support and guidance along the way in terms of learning the basics (letter sounds,sounding out words,etc.) Nither child showed a great interest until recently, when there was a reading based raffle at the local library. They both read several books over the summer, and since the beginning of September one son has become increasingly excited about reading and has now tackled a chapter book.
The other though, has not seemed to progress , as I said, and seems angry at the idea that he might need to push through a tough spot to get to the fun stuff.
I feel a conflict between my general unschool philosophy,
and fears that
a.) he is refusing to continue because he feels left behind by his brothers progress
b.) the more time passes, the lower his confidence will be, esp. as all his friends read
c.) he may pass a "magic" time frame after which reading will become increasingly difficult...(??)
I have heard several vague stories about unschooled boys not reading until nine...?
Also, I sometimes wonder about dyslexia, although he seems able to interpret the words just fine when he puts in the effort...
Has anyone had similar experiences/have some words of advice??
Thanks so much!!
To clarify, I have mostly let them discover reading on their own, believing in intrinsic motivation and all that, and both my partner and I have provided support and guidance along the way in terms of learning the basics (letter sounds,sounding out words,etc.) Nither child showed a great interest until recently, when there was a reading based raffle at the local library. They both read several books over the summer, and since the beginning of September one son has become increasingly excited about reading and has now tackled a chapter book.
The other though, has not seemed to progress , as I said, and seems angry at the idea that he might need to push through a tough spot to get to the fun stuff.
I feel a conflict between my general unschool philosophy,
and fears that
a.) he is refusing to continue because he feels left behind by his brothers progress
b.) the more time passes, the lower his confidence will be, esp. as all his friends read
c.) he may pass a "magic" time frame after which reading will become increasingly difficult...(??)
I have heard several vague stories about unschooled boys not reading until nine...?
Also, I sometimes wonder about dyslexia, although he seems able to interpret the words just fine when he puts in the effort...
Has anyone had similar experiences/have some words of advice??
Thanks so much!!