Learning difficulties and education

[mumgal]

Hi all - i am a family member of a child (almost 7) who has some learning difficulties (nothing officially diagnosed) and is very behind for their age.
I am very involved in this child’s life and we see child regularly and child stays over our house etc. Child is currently home ed by the mother due to difficulties with child’s behaviour at school. Which is think is a bad move, every time i ask how learning is going it’s always on the 1 same subject and then when i ask about the subject to child child doesn’t know anything apparently
Anyways.....
Child does not like reading/writing/any form of anything learning based at all.
Does anyone have any advice on how i can help support the mother from when i look after the child into getting child interested in these things.
I don’t know what is set in place at home with learning and i’m not in a place to be able to ask the mother - it’s a long story and i won’t go into any details.
I love the child to pieces and i know child would flourish with the right support set in place.
For example. Tonight before bed i read a book this is how it went ..

Me : Time to get ready for bed you can choose a book for us to read together.
Child : I don’t like books, i don’t like reading, i’m scared of books.
*Child chooses a book*
Me : Ok let’s sit down and i can read it
- child faffs around - sits down and stands up about a 10 times
- I start reading in a really interesting book voice lol
- interrupted about 5 more times with how much child doesn’t like reading
- i ignore and carry on reading
- child displays interest back a forth between telling me child is scared of books and doesn’t like listening
the book is over and i’m feeling deflated lol

I have children myself and they’ve all loved being read to. That occurrence with reading books is regular with child.
Child doesn’t like drawing or writing etc
Child doesn’t like painting because of mess
Child just like 1-1 playing with dolls cars lego etc

So if anyone had any advice on how i can help make learning fun, get interaction with learning etc i’d be greatly appreciative.

& thank you if you’ve got this far )

 

[Doc]

Do you know why the child is scared of books?

I wonder if there’s some physical reason behind it, such as dyslexia or sight problem? Or hearing problem? Or even if they read a story that spooked them?

I really feel for you. It’s hard to know where to start to unpick things.

Why not start in short bursts of different activities and build up the time spent doing them gradually as the skills and confidence grow. Good luck x

 

[Mooncalf]

The only thing I can think of with the book thing and not liking being read to, is maybe phrase it as 'I'll tell an exciting story' instead and basically retell the book but without holding the physical book, so you're telling them a story instead and maybe incorporate actions so you're standing up and sitting down, if the child struggles to sit still and listen. Basically make it as interactive as possible and see if they're a little bit more into it then. And if that works, you can move back towards 'these stories actually come from books' and 'choose a book that looks like it has a fun/interesting story'

Edited to add - you can also make up stories with their dolls/cars/lego and try and lead that conversation to stories in books if they have fun doing that