Teaching your kids to read may either prove to be a challenging feat or may come in naturally. This is also true in helping them improve in doing so. Children are all unique in their own ways, and finding the right pace for them to learn something may not be as easy to figure out on your own. Thus, we have collected here some smart ways to help you improve your child’s reading skills.
Interact with your child
- Build a background knowledge
Making reading fun is important in order for your kid to fall in love with reading. Even before opening a book, try to ask your child about what he thinks the story is about. You can read to him the title of the book and have him take a look at the picture. After which, try to ask a couple of silly questions to be able to build a background knowledge about the story. It can also be that you ask questions as you go along the story. The goal is to be able to encourage your child to have an interaction with you and the book. This is because communication and conversation is the key to reading comprehension.
- Help make connections
When interacting with your child, it is also important to help him make connections. For instance, while reading a book, ask your child if he already experienced what happened to the lead in the story. You can also share your own experiences. This is because when your child is able to make a connection between what he is reading, into something that has already happened in his life, they empathize with the characters, making it easier for them to remember the story.
- Aid in building fluency
You can read aloud together in order to help your child build fluency. This is because the fluency of your child in reading has a significant impact in his reading comprehension. Apart from reading together, you can take turns reading, much like buddy-readers do. These are considered as modelling fluent readings. You can also choose simpler books, which are easier to read and understand, making reading more rewarding for your little one, rather than being frustrating.
All in all, to interact with your child entails the need for you to talk to your child, a lot. This will expose him to a wide variety of languages which will greatly aid in his literacy skills.
Try out a reading program
Today, there are a lot of reading programs such as Children Learning Reading designed to help you teach your child to learn how to read. The Children Learning Reading Program support both scenarios in helping parents teach their children how to read, in parallel with aiding children to read by themselves. As the Children Learning Reading Program review posted on Optimized Family has shown, the program requires minimal time from parents but promises great outcomes with their children’s overall development. The teaching method used in this program is noted as phonemic awareness, which is one of the proven methods in teaching children how to read.
Phonemic awareness is learning how to hear the sounds, or phonemes, in the words. Oftentimes, young children may hear the entire word, but not how each of the letters in the word is pronounced. A great way to teach phonemic awareness is by teaching phonics to your kids, or helping them master the sound of each letter. Nowadays, there are already several teaching aids that can help young children, as well as those struggling with reading. Books, charts, cards, blocks, magnets, you name it and everything is already available and accessible. Nevertheless, a pen and paper prove to be sufficient.
Indulge in a fun, book-related activities
Apart from reading itself, there are several book-related activities that can complement your methods in teaching your child to read. Try out making some graphic organizers for story maps. You can also perform dramatic readings or ask your child to tell the story he read in his own words. Encourage him to use his imagination and change the ending of the story in doing so. If he loves to draw or paint, you can also ask him to draw the mental images he has in mind about the book. The goal is to help your child remember what he has read and encourage critical thinking.
Another book-related activity that you can try out with your child is to try and use all of his senses in reading, much like what happens when you watch a film or a movie. Encourage him to imagine the setting of the story and hear the characters speaking, in order to help him feel what the characters are feeling. You can also ask him to talk to the text because this internal dialogue will help improve his concentration.
You can also promote writing because literacy generally involves both reading and writing. While it is a good practice to have books for your child to read, crayons, pens, and papers are good supplies for writing that can be used to complement their reading skills. To encourage your child to write, begin by writing him small notes and it won’t take long before they do the same.
Make reading a regular activity
Help your child form the habit of reading by making it a regular activity in your household. You can set a specific reading time wherein you can read together or hear your child read. Try making him read a story to you aloud and if you hear words that are pronounced incorrectly, try reading the words to your child and then practice reading that specific word or phrase together. Repeated oral reading makes children better readers, especially if this is practiced at home.
Reading is a skill that may take some time to master. Keep in mind that every child is unique and while some may have the advantage of being fast-learners in terms of reading, others will surely be able to keep up nonetheless. What matters is as a parent, you are there to support your child and encourage him or her to read and learn. Cheering him on for every victory or even the roadblocks encountered in terms of his reading skills.
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
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