As a parent, there are very few times when you do not worry about your children. Are they getting enough vitamins and nutrients? Do they play video games for too long, or watch too much tv? Are they having a hard time at school? Why is my five year old not reading like the rest of his class? If the last question is bothersome to you, do not be alarmed. There are plenty of reasons why some kids are late readers. Here are a few reasons to help determine why your little one may not be reading yet.
Visual-Spatial Learner
If your child is a visual spatial learner, it can be more difficult for them to pick up reading. Particularly because visual spatial learners memorize things. So while looking at a word your child is likely not thinking about the phonetics he is looking at, but instead he is memorizing the word in front of him.
Poor Vision
Do you find that your child sits close to the tv, in order to see it more clearly? Does he hold things close to his face, or bump into things from time to time? Another reason some children struggle with reading is due to poor vision. Think about how difficult it would be to stare at words that are blurry. Not only can it be frustrating, but it can also be discouraging, and make your child want to focus on other activities than reading.
Reliance on Others
If you have a routine with your child that involves snuggling up and reading stories together before bed, chances are that your child simply is not ready to give that up yet. There is nothing better than bonding with mom or dad, and it is possible that your child is worried that if they can read on their own, that there will be no more story time with mom or dad.
A Bigger Problem, Such as Dyslexia
If you aren’t familiar with Dyslexia, it is when a person has difficulty learning to read or understand words. Dyslexia doesn’t affect the general intelligence of a person, it just makes it harder to pick up basic reading tasks because numbers, letters, and symbols get mixed around.
If your child is a late reader, try to have a little patience. It is VERY frustrating when you’re trying to help. However, keep in mind that they are probably equally frustrated.
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