Reading Tips

The more a child reads, the better reader he or she will be. Things that parents can do to encourage reading are:

  • Model reading – let your child see you reading
  • Encourage all reading – magazines, directions, even comic books reinforce reading skills and help the child to practice these skills
  • Make regular visits to the library
  • Help your child to select books that reflect his or her interests (sports, animals, etc)
  • Read aloud to your child – even older children like to hear a good story
    • Try to choose books and topics that you both enjoy
    • Read slowly and try to stop to talk about the book and answer questions
    • Look for new or unusual words
  • Have your child read to you and make it a fun time! Don’t be afraid to supply some words for your child. Reading should be fun, not a chore.

If a young reader gets stuck:

  1. Wait and see if they work it out.
  2. Say, Try that again.
  3. Say,Look at the picture.
  4. Say, Think about what would make sense.
  5. Say, Read the sentence again and start the tricky word.
  6. Tell the word.

If young readers make a mistake:

  1. If the mistakes make sense, don’t worry about it.
  2. If the mistake doesn’t make sense, wait to see if the reader will fix it.
  3. Say, Try that again.
  4. Say, Did that make sense?
  5. Say, Did what you read look right and sound right?

Tell the correct response