Ways to Help Your Child with Reading at Home:

Find a quiet, comfortable place to read.

Turn off the T.V. and get rid of other distractions.

Read aloud to your child. Reread favorite stories. Take turns reading. You read one page and have your child read the next page. Discuss the stories you read together. Encourage your child to read silently to him/herself. Keep reading time enjoyable and relaxed. If your child is very tired or cranky, choose another reading time.

What to do when Your Child Makes Mistakes Reading:

Use clues such as these to help your child learn what to do when he/she comes to unknown words.

v “Wait time of 5 to 10 seconds. See what your child attempts to do to help himself.”

v “What would make sense there?”

v “What do you think that word could be?”

v “Use the picture to help you figure out what it could be.”

v “Go back to the beginning and try that again.”

v “Skip over it and read to the end of the sentence (or paragraph). Now what do you think it is?”

v “Put in a word that would make sense there.”

v “You read that word before on another page. See if you can find it.”

v “Look at how that word begins. Start it out and keep reading.”

v Tell your child the word.

Most important, focus on what your child is doing well and attempting to do. Remain loving and supportive. When your child is having difficulty and trying to work out the trouble spots, encourage your child with comments such as the following:

v “Good for you. I like the way you tried to work that out.”

v “That was a good try. Yes, that word would make sense there.”

v “I like the way you looked at the picture to help yourself.”

v “I like the way you went back to the beginning of the sentence and tried that again.”

v “You are becoming a good reder. I’m proud of you.”

(These suggestions were adapted from work by Regie Routman, Language Arts resource teacher)