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Reading is the most important thing your child can learn during their educational career. Here are some things you can do to support the development of good reading:
Reading is hard for many children, and if your child struggles with reading you may wonder what you can do to help her improve. According to Scholastic, learning to read is one of the most important things your child will learn in school. It is important to look for ways to help your child develop her reading skills, and these strategies can get you and your child off to a good start.
Provide Many Types Of Reading Material
Keeping many different options for reading available in your home will help encourage your child to read, reports Kids Health. Books are one option because they are readily available at bookstores and your local library and cater to the interests of children of all ages. Magazines, books on tape, newspapers, comic books, and information from the Internet are other options.
Your local library is an important resource for reading material. Your child will have access to hundreds of books, and allowing her to choose what she would like to read is likely to motivate her to practice her reading skills. Kids Health says that the library is also a good way to keep new and exciting reading material available to your child.
Read To Your Child
According to Scholastic, reading out loud to your child every day is one of the most important ways to help her improve her reading skills. Reading out loud shows your child what language is all about in a fun and enjoyable way. She will also see you taking pleasure from books and will be more likely to try reading on her own.
Play Games
Games can help improve your child's literacy skills because they are fun and engaging. Language games will help her to learn the different sounds of language and will encourage her to match the different sounds to specific letters, says Scholastic. Matching sounds to the beginning letter of a word is one game that will help your child improve her reading skills.
Sing Songs
Songs and rhymes work much the same way that games do. Your child will be interested in singing and chanting and will learn how to make connections between letters and the sounds they make, reports Scholastic. Clapping to the rhythm of a song can also encourage letter-sound comprehension.
Provide A Special Reading Place
Creating a special place for your child to go and read can help to motivate her to keep learning, says Kids Health. It is recommended that you make a variety of different reading material accessible in her special reading spot. Building in special time in your day for your child to spend in her reading corner will make reading a fun activity that she will look forward to.
Let Your Child Write
Writing can help to improve reading skills because it gives your child another opportunity to make connections between individual letters and the sounds they make. Scholastic reports that even if your child just scribbles, she is still improving her overall literacy skills. Encouraging her to help you to make a grocery list or playing restaurant are fun ways to encourage your child to write.
Make Books With Your Child
Giving your child the chance to be the author and creator of a book will encourage her to keep practicing her reading skills. Kids Health recommends providing your child with plenty of art materials and writing materials so she can get creative with her books. If she cannot write, she can dictate her story to you. Children enjoy reading what they have written and your child will be able to practice her reading skills as she reads her finished book to you.
Ask Your Child To Read To You
Spending time together reading will send the message that reading is fun. Allowing your child to choose a book to read to you will motivate her to practice her reading skills, says Kids Health. Your child will enjoy the chance to switch places and tell you a story.
Use Reading Tools
Phonics readers and other tools, such as flashcards, can help your child to make connections between letters and the sounds they represent. Scholastic recommends finding phonics readers that are simple but challenging. Encouraging your child to sound out each letter in each word will help her to be successful at reading. As she improves her sounding-out skills, she will also be improving her overall reading and comprehension skills.