Dear Parent,

Thank you for your question.

It sounds as though you are a busy mom! Juggling homeschooling with several children at once can be difficult. That's why I'm glad that you are combining some grades and subjects. I know that it's not all that easy to do, but I think at this point you will need to keep giving him that one-on-one attention that he needs with his reading. If you think that he needs more individual attention, then you should trust your instincts and keep providing that for him. You can still teach your two children together, but in terms of his reading, you will need to teach him separately.

First I would concentrate on getting him up to his reading level. You can do this in various ways, but you will need to find the areas in which he has trouble reading and work with those. For instance, what part about reading does he not like? Is he having difficulty putting together the sound blends? Is he having trouble with reading comprehension? You will need to go back, and find what he knows and does not know, and build up from there. You may feel like you are regressing, but this is needed to fill in what he doesn't seem to be understanding. My suggestion is that you also find independent books about particular topics that he is interested in. This will help him be interested in what he is reading. Also, there are computer programs and software that help with improving reading, when you absolutely cannot provide that one-on-one time.

One of the most important parts with fostering independence in your child, is knowing what they are capable of doing on their own, and what they really need help with. So, if you know that your child is capable of doing a particular activity on his own, then you need to expect that from the child. If you know, for instance, that your child has trouble reading the directions, then you help him with that part, but let him complete the rest of the assignment on his own. Perhaps you might attach a time limit to completing an assignment, and a reward of some sort for completing the work, on his own, on time. As the teacher, you know your child's abilities, and you can therefore foster his independence with this in mind.

God bless you and your family!
Laura Nicholson