Ten Tips for Boosting Your Child ’ s Reading Skills
By Jan Pierce , M . Ed .
Becoming a reader is one of the most exciting learning adventures your child will ever experience . Many children need little more than exposure to books and they ’ re off on their own . But others need guided support as they struggle with sounds , fluency and reading unfamiliar words .
Reading is a complex process , but it ’ s vitally important to all learning . You ’ ll want to help your child build skills step by step and maintain a high degree of enthusiasm and confidence all along the way . When a child is overwhelmed by the pace of new vocabulary or the expectation to “ read faster ” there is a higher likelihood of discouragement .
Reading together regularly is the best way parents can help their children learn to read . Here are some tried and true methods to use when you read side by side with your young learner :
1 . Be sure your child is ready to read . Have you read many and varied stories , poems , nursery rhymes and a variety of non-fiction books to him ? Does she know how to hold a book , turn the pages , and follow from left to right ? Does he know the letters of the alphabet and does she know the sounds they make ? Can he recognize a few words such as his name , mom and dad , stop , go , etc .? Does she know how to write some letters on her own ? If the answer
18 | ST JOHNS Parent MAGAZINE