Tips to Help Your Child Become a Better Reader

(And Love Books!)

1.  Set aside a special time for home reading every day.  Try to avoid scheduling a time when your child would rather be doing something else.

2.  Make reading time as pleasurable and comfortable as possible so that your child develops warm feelings for books and reading.

3.  Notice when your child seems to tire.  A book can always be finished the next day, or the day after that.

4.  Try a different way of reading:

        * Listen to a reading by your child and show the pleasure you take in hearing a good story.

        * Read along with your child when a book is somewhat difficult.

        * Encourage your child to read part of a book silently and tell you about it.

5)  When your child comes to an exciting part, ask what might happen next.  Then check to see if the prediction was correct.

6)  When your child finishes reading, talk about the story and the illustrations.  Tell each other the parts you liked and didn't like, or what the story reminded you of in your own lives.

7)  When your child get stuck on an unfamiliar word:

      * Ask the questions:  "Does it make sense?"  "Does it sound right?"  " Does it look right?"  "Does the sound of the word match the word you think it is?"

      * Wait for a while so your child can think about it.

      * Suggest that your child look at an illustration for a clue.

       * Remind your child to look at the first letter, read the line again, and make a guess that makes sense.

8)  Some things you can look and listen for when your child reads:

      * Was the reading fluent or word-by-word?

      * Do the errors make sense? (That shows your child understands the story.)

      * Do the errors look like the word in the story?

      * After an error, does the child self-correct or keep going?