-
Parents, here are some ideas.:
When reading with your child, make reading fun. Read everything together. Take turns during your time together. Let them hear you read and let them hear you struggle with reading. Show them that reading is not easy but it will get easy the more we practice. Let them hear you stop and ask questions about what you have just read.(I wonder why the male lion does not hunt for food?) Have them read the TV guide, recipes, directions, newspapers, roadway signs, magazines, and of course books. Show them that reading is embedded in every thing we do. Ask questions - who, what, where, why, how,--about what they read. You can have them retell what they just read in their own words to you and check to make sure they are understanding.
When your child is reading to you, encourage them to track the print with their finger. (unless they are reading fluently which means -being able to read without difficulties, smoothly, and in a storyteller voice). Reading with their finger in a scoop manner may help them with their fluency and encourage tracking with their eyes. We will move beyond this skill this year, but some children still need this technique. Their bodies are not yet developmentally able to track with their eyes. It will come with time.
When your child successfully decodes (reads an unfamiliar word by blending letter sounds) the new word, they should go back and reread the sentence. This will practice fluency, comprehension, and create sticking power for the new word in their brain.
Encourage your child to reread familiar texts, poetry, rhymes and their writings over and over again. Each time a child rereads, they develop a deeper appreciation for the story and sense of accomplishment. If they feel success while reading, they will gain confidence to tackle the more challenging books. Encourage them to read EVERYTHING!
Read to them in silly voices and encourage them to pretend to be the character. This is great for sports. They can be a sports broadcaster. If reading is fun...they will want to do it. I read to them in monster, singing, mouse, cowboy, whisper and loud voices. They love it and I catch them practicing other reading in the voices they like.
When your child is reading to you, if they are becoming frustrated...stop. You can either begin to read to them then have then reread the sentence or just pick an easy reader and continue with that book. They do a lot during the school day and sometimes tackling harder books at night is too much. Rereading familiar texts is a great way to boost their confidence and moral.
READ! READ! READ!