How To Nurture Good Independent Reading Habits for Your Child
Reading should be a leisurely, enjoyable activity, but regular reading practice is also meant to build fluency, vocabulary, and understanding of progressively more advanced texts. This is all in preparation for the varied and great demands of reading non-fiction academic material in school as well as building a life-long love for reading. Instilling regular habits and working together as a family to meet goals will get your child on the right track.
1. Create a routine. Help your child make this a habit. Sometimes reading at the same time every day is the best practice. Some kids, like adults, like to read at bedtime, but comprehension may break down as your child becomes sleepy. If they read in bed, going to bed earlier than their bedtime is a good idea. Keep a reading log to record how well they are sticking to the daily practice.
2. Provide a quiet, comfortable place to read. It's hard to concentrate with the TV on, music playing, or the phone ringing. Ask your child where they feel most comfortable. Sitting, reclining on pillows, or even lying down is fine as long as they are still able to concentrate. Be sure there is adequate lighting. Also, be sure to get regular eye exams for your child should they need reading glasses. Sometimes when children are reluctant to read, it is because their eyes feel strained. Settling in to read should be a cozy, special time when children can let their imaginations go.
3. Be positive, but firm when it comes to regular practice. Use a positive, not nagging tone when it comes to reading practice. Be flexible, but firm. You want the time spent to be productive- you don't want them just staring at the page, but it may take them a few minutes to settle into their book. The time that they can concentrate and the ease with which they can ‘get into' their books will improve and increase over time, so have patience. It may seem at first like your child is only spending five minutes or so actually reading, but keep at it.
4. Teach your child to use a bookmark. It may sound obvious, but many kids lose their spot and can't remember where they left off. Keeping that bookmark tucked in place will help them to pick up with their book at any time and be less disrupted by pausing their reading. Sticky notes work very well because they don't fall out and because they can stick it right underneath the line where they left off. Almost anything works as a bookmark and it certainly isn't necessary to buy one from the bookstore.
5. Talk with your child about what they are reading. Be sure they are actually reading, which means comprehending the text. After they read ask them retell the story. This should include: characters, setting, and events. You can also ask them to tell you the ‘who, what, when, where, why, and how' of the story. The more details they include, the more apparent it is that they are following the story and engaged in it. (Hopefully they will want to tell you more and more!) When they pick up their book again, ask them what was happening when they last read. If they are reading a non-fiction book ask them for three facts that they read or the main idea of what they read with three specific details.
6. Don't abandon books very often. It may take several pages or chapters for your child to become engaged in their book. Encourage them to stick with the book. It will likely catch their interest at some point. However, once in a while, a book is really not what they expected or not a good level. Then it may be time to abandon the book.
7. Have your child read aloud to you occasionally. Oral fluency is also important to your child's teacher. You will notice if they are reading with a high level of accuracy or not. Encourage them to use expression in their voice; even exaggerating the dialogue of different characters can be fun. It's okay for them to ask for help with a word; however, if you notice that they struggle to read more than 5% of the words (about 5 words on a page of a typical chapter book) this book may be too difficult for your child right now.
8. Stock up on new books regularly. Go to the library regularly. Going back to favorite authors or series is a great way to continue their momentum, but also encourage your child to try different genres and new authors. Be sure your child is reading both fiction and non-fiction.
9. Have a special place for their books. You may not have room for an entire large bookshelf, but your child could have a basket or a box for their book collection. Keep it out of reach of younger siblings who may not know yet how to care for books. Even if the majority of their books come from the library, try to build a small collection of books that your child can keep. Non-fiction books on favorite topics are good choices because they will likely go back to them again and again.
Excerpts taken from, “How To Nurture Good Independent Reading Habits for Your Child”, By: Susan Niz, M.Ed.