In my last post, I suggested several strategies for helping your child with homework. Several readers contacted me, asking for tips on helping your child with reading. So here we go!

FIRST OF ALL . . .
Keep in mind that there are different reading skills and all of them are important. Decoding involves actually breaking the words down phonetically and mapping each letter symbol to its sound. (For tricky words, like “though,” you can still map it but you point out the part of the word that doesn’t match the letter sounds. Decoding words also involves reading words accurately. For example: there is a big difference between the word “barn” and the word “bran,” so having your child go back and correct the word is important.

Fluency involves reading at a good pace (not too fast and not too slowly or “choppy”) and reading with expression.

Vocabulary involves knowing the meaning of the words in the sentence.

Comprehension is the goal of all reading. Your child should be able to say what happened in the last page, paragraph, or sentence. If not, they need to use the first strategy for fixing comprehension: reread.

The #1 way to help your child become a reader is to read to them. Make reading a social and joyful activity. Read what your child wants to read, even if they want to hear the same book over and over. Even if they cannot decode yet, they are learning vocabulary, the syntax of sentences, and building background knowledge.

The next most important way to help your child become a reader is to model that you are a reader yourself. Read in front of your child and talk about what you like to read.

Require reading time every single day in your home. This should be in addition to the reading they do at school. Create a comfortable, quiet, relaxing place for reading. Consider having everyone in the family read their own book/magazine at the same time. Turn off the TV and any music besides instrumental music. Start with 15 minutes and try to increase the time. Have your child bring a book with them to doctor or dental appointments and show them that reading while you wait is a great use of time.

Don’t panic if your child claims they don’t like to read. It could be because reading is still a tedious task that takes a lot of energy (because of decoding or fluency issues). But it could also be because they just haven’t found the book that “hooks” them. I’ll share tips for helping with decoding and fluency later.

But here’s what to do if your child claims to not like reading.

IF YOUR CHILD SAYS THEY JUST DON’T LIKE READING

*Do not lecture about the importance of reading (they already know that it’s important and this will not make them like it more).

*Ask them why they don’t like it! Sometimes kids will say they don’t know, but other times they might have very specific reasons why.

*If they claim to not know why they don’t like it, ask “could it be. . .” questions, such as:
~could it be that it’s hard to break down the words?
~could it be that you don’t understand what some words mean?
~could it be that you don’t understand what you’re reading?
~could it be that the book you’re trying to read is too hard right now?
~could it be that the book you’re reading isn’t interesting to you?
~could it be that you’re trying to read fiction but nonfiction is more interesting to you? (or vice versa)

If they claim that the book is not interesting/boring/they just don’t like it, here are some tips:

*If they don’t have a choice (the book is on a mandated summer reading list, for example), then offer to read the book with them. They may never like this particular book, but you can at least make reading into a more social activity for your child.

*Explain that most fiction books do take a bit of time to get into the action. The author has to give the background info on the characters and they need to set up the problem for the plot to flow. Therefore, you’ve got to give the book a chance by reading the first few chapters (or the first 50’ish pages) before giving up. Here again, you could offer to read with them until they get into the book.

*Often kids will say something is “boring” when the problem is actually that they don’t understand what is going on. Help them clarify what part is difficult for them.

You might use the “could it be” questions above or you could try some of these questions:
~is the story happening now (realistic fiction), in the past (historical fiction), or in some made-up universe (science fiction)?
~who is the main character? What is he/she like?
~who are other characters in the book? What are they like?
~how do the characters interact with each other?
~what’s the problem for the main character? Why is that a problem for them?
~did they cause the problem or did something happen to them that they couldn’t help?
~what are they doing to solve the problem?

A helpful guide for these types of questions is SWBST – Somebody Wanted (who is the main character and what are they trying to do), But (what happens to get in their way), So (what do they do to solve the problem), Then (how is the problem resolved).

Remember to keep this conversational! It’s not an inquisition. 🙂

*Give it up! Seriously, it’s okay to quit reading something that you just don’t like. There are lots of great books out there and life’s too short to stick with something that you don’t like.

*Think about what your child likes to watch on TV or what movies they like or what books they have enjoyed hearing read to them. Use that information to find a book or two that might be similar. Librarians are great for this, but you can also google “books similar to . . . “ and see what you get!

*Have your child try reading kids’ magazines, graphic novels or audiobooks.

*Find a book series that your child will like. Books in a series are one of the very best ways to get your child “hooked” on reading.

Here are a few favorite series, recommended by kids!
A to Z Mysteries
Judy Moody
I Survived . . .
Magic Tree House
39 Clues
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Amulet
Harry Potter
Percy Jackson

See below to get the full list!

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TIPS FOR TEACHING DECODING, FLUENCY & COMPREHENSION

*Read an easier book along with your child. You might read a page or paragraph and have your child read another page or paragraph.

*As your child reads, help them map the letters to the sounds. If it's a multisyllabic word, you might even cover up a chunk of the word and help your child decode each syllable.

*When they get to words that have a tricky part, help them map the letters to the sounds on the parts of the word that they can. Then tell them the tricky part. For example: the word "said." They can map the sounds for /s/ and /d/ at the beginning and end of the word. For the tricky /ai/ part in the middle, tell them that we pronounce this word "said" so in this word the /ai/ says "eh." Have the practice it a few times and move on.

*Do NOT let your child just skip over words that are hard. Go back and use the above strategies for figuring out the word, then praise them for persevering and using strategies. Skipping words will lead to confusion later in the text.

*If your child is reading slowly or in a choppy way, ask them to first listen to you read it. Tell them that reading should sound like talking. After you read a part of the text, have them echo your reading. Then both of you could read it together (choral reading). You might need to do that two or three times until your child’s reading sounds like your reading.

*If your child is not reading with expression, interrupt them to ask, “how would the character say that?” You might even model how to read it with expression and have your child reread.

*Vocabulary - if your child asks you what a word means, do not make them look everything up in a dictionary! They will quit asking you and you’ve missed the opportunity to teach word meanings. Just tell them what the word means. If you are not completely sure of a definition yourself, or if the definition is complicated to explain, THEN suggest that you look up the word together (or ask Alexa!). Praise your child for asking! If your child does not ask the meaning and you wonder if they know it, stop them to ask what they think that word means and correct any misunderstandings. Make word learning fun!

*Comprehension -- you do not want to turn this into an interrogation. But you do want your child to keep the purpose of reading in mind: getting meaning from the print (decoding words and reading fluently are in service to comprehension). Therefore, after a portion of the text, or after a big exciting part, ask your child to tell you what is going on in that part and then ask them questions like “why did the character . . .” or “what do you think might happen . . .” Keep it conversational.

If you’re reading a book together (either because the child has to read the book or because you are choosing to read the book together), use the above tips but here are some more:

*Model how you stop and think about what you’ve read. Don’t make this too obvious, just be natural with it. Where do you stop and wonder about what is going on or about what the author just said? Think out loud and invite your child to share their thinking too.

*Model how you stop periodically and take a break by wondering or asking questions or looking back to find a part that has something to do with what you just read.

*If you’re reading a book with lots of characters (Harry Potter series for example), keep a running list of character names and possibly add some brief description/explanation of who they are. (Harry Potter example: Dursleys - Harry’s Muggle family; Ginny - Ron’s sister; Snape - mean teacher.)

Above all else, you want to make reading a fun, relaxing, enjoyable experience for your child.

If you are interested in learning more about the Science of Reading, download my recommended book list here!