Fluency Practice

Here is a list of even more activities you can explore at home to build your child's fluency.

*Play Karaoke by finding a Karaoke song on Youtube. Print out the lyrics and read through them with your child. The first time, you read them out loud for your child. The second time, read with your child while following along. The third time, have your child read through silently, underlining or highlighting words he/she doesn't know. Discuss the words. Time to turn on the Karaoke and sing along. See Youtube video example above.

*Turn the captions on and the volume off of a TV show. Have your child read the captions out loud.

*Record your child reading on your phone. Playback the recording for your child to listen and reflect on his/her reading.

*Help your child choose a book at his/her reading level. This should be a book in which your child is able to read nearly all of the words without having to stop to sound them out.

*When reading a longer passage or book, take turns reading paragraphs or pages. Take on the roles of the different characters. Read it once again, taking a different role.

*If your child gets stuck on a word, provide the word, or ask your child to try to sound it out quickly and then read on. The idea is to keep the story flowing smoothly. When working on fluency your child should not have to be figuring out the words.

*Teach your child to read several words at one time (called “chunking”). You can do this by putting phrases on cards and having your child put them together to make different sentences. You can use highlighters to mark the groups of words you want your child to “chunk” together.

*Try what is called “echo reading”. Read one sentence aloud with appropriate expression. Have your child imitate or repeat the text you read. Pick sentences that are silly and enjoyable for you to model and your child to imitate.

*Find a book of poetry your child is interested in. Jack Prelutsky and Shel Silverstein have several poems children really enjoy. Nursery rhymes are fun, too! Try echo reading with poetry. Choose a poem with a good beat, and have fun reading it with a different rhythm and expression. Try a different accent or try like you are tired or really, really happy. Have fun with the poems! Make up your own silly poems to read.

*Your child may enjoy audible book reading. Have your child read along as they listen to a recording of a book read by a fluent reader.

*Remember these three easy steps for working together on fluency:

-I do it. (Adult models the reading.)

-We do it. (Adult and child read together.)

-You do it. (Child tries on his/her own.)

*Reading and rereading easy books is a great way to build your child’s reading fluency. Have your child select a favorite book and read it aloud two or three times. This approach, called repeated readings, is one of the best ways to promote reading fluency.

*Have your child practice reading a simple book to share with a younger sibling or another young child. Once your child is able to read the book fluently, ask them to share it with the other child. Both children will benefit from the reading experience.

*Use paired reading to build reading fluency with your child. First, you will read a poem or short passage to your child. Then, you and the child will read the poem or passage together several times. Finally, have your child read the poem or passage to you.

*Review basic high-frequency words with your child to make sure your child knows these words automatically. Knowing these common words on sight will help to improve your child’s reading accuracy and rate.

*Choose a comic strip from the newspaper or online. Read the comic strip aloud, using expression. Then ask your child to read the comic strip aloud. This is a fun activity to do at the breakfast or dinner table with the daily newspaper.

*Have your child practice reading a text aloud while riding in the car or on the bus. Your child will stay busy and entertained, and this extra practice can make a big difference in your child’s reading fluency.

*Set aside reading practice time every day. Even five minutes of reading fluency practice using any of the activities listed above will help to develop your child’s reading fluency.