Enjoying the Reading Journey

I have loved watching my son to learn to read, watching him love reading. As a matter of fact, I’d probably place it on my “favorite parenting moments” list.

Getting to snuggle up next to my son while he reads to me is so much fun.

But there are moments in the reading journey that are not as warm and fuzzy. My son’s most intense struggles have been at each transition stage, putting letters together into blends and learning long vowel words.

Now that he is reading rather well, I still have occasional “trouble areas.” One of which is that my son hates to read the lists of words before stories. And I have vague memories of my own reading journey and the fits I gave my mother. This week, I happened to stumble upon a solution: I suggested my son practice the words on his own in the “cozy corner.”

He practiced the words twice before reading them to me, the day before and the day of the assignment. The result? My son eagerly practiced his list of words, and then read them to me perfectly on the first try! Not only was it much easier for me, but it was a great learning experience for him. A little independence went along way.