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Reading fluency is very important. We want our children to read as easily as they speak. There are few things you can do with your child each night to help with reading fluency.
Help! My child does not like to read! How can I help them?
There are a lot of misconceptions when it comes to helping your child read. Forcing your child to sit and silently read a book might be turning them away from reading. There are so many things you can do to encourage reading and make it fun so that eventually they actually want to pick up a book and read independently! Follow these simple tips and you will see your child plunge into reading all on their own.
How do I help them while they are reading?
The Do’s
- Help sound out words by “chunking” (des·per·at·ely)
- Help sound out words by trying different sounds (invite)
- Give them time to try
- Ask questions for informational text: Who? What When? Where? Why? How?
- Ask questions for fiction: Main characters? Problem? Solution? Lesson?
- Be positive. Say “great job” and “try again”
- Read together
- Reread a phrase or sentence to them and have them repeat
- Use expression .!? and try different voices
- Enjoy reading
The Don’ts
- Pick books that are too easy or too hard
- Let them get frustrated
- Cut them off
- Rush their reading
- Set a concrete time to finish
- Let them go on reading for too long without checking for understanding
- Assume they don’t need help
- Force them and make it a chore
Choose Appropriately Use the 5 finger rule
- Open a book and have them read one complete page.
- If they do not know 5 or more words, the book may be too difficult.
- If they know all the words, and make very little errors, the book is too easy.
- Help them choose books that they are interested in. Discover their favorite topic or genre (fairytales, adventure, science, technology, animals, etc.)
Comprehension
Understanding what they read is very important. If a child does not understand what they read, they may not enjoy reading to the fullest and may have a hard time being successful in school. Here are a few things you can do with your child at home to help with comprehension.
As your child reads to you, as him or her questions about what is being read. Make sure your child is thinking while they are reading. Ask open-ended questions not yes or no questions. For example: How do you think the character feels about what just happened? Encourage your child to make a “movie” in his or her head as they read. If a child will picture what is being read, they are more likely to understand it.
READ READ READ!
Encourage your child to read everything! Newspapers, magazine, cereal boxes, books, everything! Also encourage them to ask questions about what they are reading. The world is a big place for kids and they are curious; use your experience to help them learn!
Non-book Reading
Encourage reading together with your family anywhere and everywhere! Here are some examples of places and things that have text that you or your child can read out-loud and discuss: flyers and bills in the mail, billboards, street signs, store ads, receipts, cereal boxes and other food labels, instruction manuals, words on TV, computer, or tablet.
Create a Text Rich Home
Fill your home with reading materials. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to do this.
- Utilize your local library. Let them explore the library and choose a variety of texts (books, magazines, newspapers, comic books, etc.)
- Goodwill and thrift stores are great places to purchase materials at a discount.
- Check online. There are many people out there willing to sell or give away their children’s books because they’ve out grown them or they’re just trying to clean house.
