Tips on Helping Your Child Become a Successful Reader
By: Azza Ibrahim December 13, 2020 Edited on November 3, 2024
Reading a book with your child everyday builds a lifelong love for reading. Also, the fact that you set aside a time every day to read with or to your child, sends the message that reading is not just a luxury; it is a must to create the future leaders, thinkers, and inquirers of this world.
Here are some tips to help you make your child a successful reader:
For a start, it would be a great idea to talk to your child’s teacher to see where your child is with reading, what strategies need to be focused on, and what skills need to be improved.
Other important sources of information are parents of children in the same class, to give you feedback on books they have read to or with their children.
The library is a great place to go to for advice or book recommendations. Also, librarians are the best people to let you know the dates for bookfairs, book clubs, or reading competitions in the school, so that you can have your child participate.
More importantly, we should not forget your child’s choices. You should always ask them about books they want to read, and what they think about the books you recommend to them. Please do not discourage them if they pick a book that is higher than their reading level. You can read the hard part, and leave them the easy parts. Also, reading a book more than once would never hurt. On the contrary, this is one way to build their vocabulary.
Sharing your own experience as a reader when you were young is another smart strategy.
Never say it is too early to read with your child. As a matter of fact, children are able to identify letters at a very early age. Have you ever noticed that your child was able to recognize the letter “M” in the McDonald’s sign long before they could even talk? Always grab your child’s attention to the familiar signs on your way to school or the club, or to the ads when you go shopping. Encourage your child to spot them whenever you see them. Keep repeating the sound of these letters over and over again. Research has proved that children who are still to attend school would be great receptive readers. Those who were read to by their parents before joining school make better learners in the future.
Never compare a child’s reading ability to others. As with all the other activities from walking to talking, reading can vary from one child to the other. All you need to do is just keep fostering letters and sign recognition.
Allocate a place in the house where books are visible and handy to your child.
Always keep a diverse collection of books at home. Reading a graphic novel or even an ad in a magazine can be a good choice. Have your child join you on your trip to the bookstore or to the library to pick books.
Diversity also includes books in your native language.
If your child chooses to read independently in some cases, encourage them to do that and discuss what they read later. You can set a good model for your child by picking a book and reading silently yourself.
Always pick the time when your child is not tired, hungry, or sleepy.
To make reading more interesting, you can :
Fix a reading spot, if possible. If your child chooses to snuggle next to you to read, encourage them to do that. If you see that they start moving around, stop reading. Always be adamant about the fact that reading time should be a quiet time. This strategy has proved to work really well.
Do not assign a long time for reading. It is better to have an interesting 20 minutes reading time, than a boring one hour. Start with a few minutes and let the reading time get longer gradually.
Always stick to your daily reading routine. If you break that routine for any reason, go back to it as soon as you can.
Alternate the reading parts with your child.
Ask your child to make connections to characters they have met, things that have happened to them or have seen in real life.
Encourage your child to make predictions about the book. Kids are often more eager to keep reading to find out if their predictions were correct.
They can even try creating an alternative ending for the book, making them active participants rather than passive listeners in the reading experience.
Give your child enough time to look for clues. Useful places to do that would be the book cover, the title, or even parts of sentences they have read before.
If your child comes across a new or difficult word, just have them figure out what it means from the context and keep reading, but do not stop with every difficult word. Reading should flow smoothly as much as you can.
A word of praise for your child’s reading makes them thrive. Words like “good” “great” are not the best choice. Replace them by constructive comments, like “I like how you are putting expression to your words”.
You do not necessarily need to read at home, while you enjoy the comfort of your sofa in the living room or with your child in their bedroom. You can do that outdoors. In Egypt, we are blessed with fine weather almost all year long, offering us more opportunities to spend time outdoors. Also, most of our children are playing more than one sport at the club. In fact, some of them are even members of national teams, which would mean that reading will most probably be between their training sessions. Well, not a problem! Just find a quiet spot, put your phones on silent and read with or to your child.
Always think of that time as the most precious one, where all your attention is to be given to that activity. It is a time where you are not just reading to your child; it is one where you are interacting with them.
See more strategies to get your child into a reading routine here.
More on reading routines at home.
In conclusion, it is not about where you are reading with your child. It is about how you do that; what initiatives you take, and how you make your child feel special during this experience. It not only creates the magical bond with your child, but helps shape their personality in a very profound way.
It works wonders. Believe us!!!
Happy Reading!!!
Works Cited
"Becoming a Reader -- Helping Your Child Become a Reader." US Department of Education, 3 June 2012, www2.ed.gov/parents/academic/help/reader/index.html. Accessed 15 Dec. 2020.
"How to Help Your Child Learn to Read | Tips and Tricks for Parents." Children's Articles, 2020. Penguin, www.penguin.co.uk/articles/children/2017/how-to-help-your-child-learn-to-read.html. Accessed 15 Dec. 2020.
Lowe, Kaye. "Parents' Guide to Helping Children with Reading and Writing at Home." Primary English Teaching Association Australia, 2020, petaa.edu.au/w/Teaching_Resources/Parents_guide.aspx. Accessed 15 Dec. 2020.
A Parent's Guide to Helping Children Read. Springboard for Children, www.spirejunior.co.uk/documents/parents-little-guide.pdf. Accessed 15 Dec. 2020.