According to the National Center for Education Statistics, only 35% of 4th-grade students were reading at the appropriate level in 2019.
Developing good reading skills early on is vital to your child’s education. There are certain methods you can try at home to help your child become a better reader.
This guide will discuss some things you can do to help. Keep reading to learn more.
Create a Routine
Encourage reading at home to improve your child’s reading skills. Establish a daily reading routine to help them build on their skills consistently. They’ll improve in comprehension and vocabulary each day.
Taking the time to read as a family encourages bonding between parent and child as well. You can start by reading to them and making storytime a fun experience before bedtime. You can then switch to reading together.
Reading Aloud Can Help
As your child becomes a stronger reader, you can start to encourage them to read aloud during daily reading. Your child will have to read slowly as they read aloud, and this will give them the chance to sound out difficult words. You’ll also be there to help them decipher anything they can’t understand.
Seeing and hearing the words can help your child process texts more concretely. This can improve their reading comprehension.
Address Reading Issues Early On
Reading issues are typically developed in early childhood but aren’t detected right away. Dyslexic students, especially, struggle with comprehension and vocabulary. Look for signs of reading struggles in your child.
If you do notice that your child isn’t reading at their grade level, you should look for help right away. A tutor can help. You can also reach out to different learning centers specialized in reading issues.
Read Academy can help your child learn and excel academically no matter their learning style.
Help Them Find Books They’ll Love
Students often struggle with reading because they don’t enjoy it. You can change that by finding the stories that speak to your child.
If your child enjoys what they’re reading, they’ll want to read more. The more they read, the better their reading comprehension.
Choose books based on your child’s interests. If they’re a superhero fan, you can start by choosing comic books for them. Adventure stories are popular with young children as well.
Talk About the Reading
Another way to improve comprehension is by discussing the reading material with your child. Ask your child to summarize what you read together at home. This will help them process the themes of the story.
Ask them their thoughts on the characters and conflicts in the story. This process will also help your child develop critical thinking skills.
Help Your Child Develop Reading Skills With These Tips
You can help your child develop stronger reading skills using the tips in this guide. Read together at home and get them some additional educational support if they need it.
Check out some of the other education blogs on our site for more tips that can help your child succeed in the classroom.