Helping your child learn to read

Helping your child learn to read

Parents' level of involvement when it comes to the first steps a child takes towards learning to read can be a great indicator of his/her future success in school. Parents who actively read with their child make acquiring the abilities required for independent reading much easier. Here are a few tricks to help your child learn to read.

1. As you read, slide your finger under the corresponding words. This will help the child make a connection between the pictures he sees and the words that you read. This strategy also helps the child develop the ability to read one line at a time.
   
   
2. Read a chapter title and encourage the child to predict what will happen. Regardless of your child's reading level, he/she must be able to imagine how the story may unfold. This strategy will help him/her recognize and understand a book's timeline; he/she must be able to look back on what has already happened and anticipate what could happen next.
   
   
3. Practice reading aloud. It can be difficult for a child to recognize the appropriate rhythm and intonation for reading aloud. Eventually, all children are called upon to read aloud in a classroom setting. For this reason, it is important to give an older child the opportunity to practice. One way of practicing is to take turns reading paragraphs or to have the child read the lines associated with a specific character.
   
   
4. Ask questions. Reading comprehension is a competency that is developed in school. Your child will be asked to answer questions that will become more and more complex as the years go by. Beginning to practice answering questions at a young age can be helpful. Whenever you finish reading a story, ask the child to share what he/she understood with you. If possible, ask him/her to establish connections between the story you just read and other stories read in the past or personal experiences. This will help the child understand the story.
   
   
5. Reading and writing go hand in hand. Ideally, every time you help your child read or read to your child, a writing activity and discussion should follow to help him/her develop the competencies required for these three inseparable activities. The same neural connections are used for reading, writing, and speaking. If your child is too young to write, have him/her dictate what he/she understood and write his/her words in a journal.

In conclusion, keep in mind that reading is like a sport...it requires daily practice!