How you can help your child to read
Just as parents should spend time each day talking to and with their young child, they should also spend some time each day reading to their young child.
Reading skills are essential to learning all other subjects taught in school.
The better the reading skills children have, and the earlier they have them, determines how rapidly and how well they will achieve in school.
Reading to younger children
Just as parents should spend time each day talking to and with their young child, they should also spend some time each day reading to their young child. This spurs interest in books and as children become toddlers and pre-schoolers who want to imitate their parents doing all kinds of things, reading will become one of them.
Parents need to read in a manner that generates enthusiasm and curiosity. They also need to talk with the child about what they are reading to promote in depth comprehension. Reading time should be fun as well as a time for bonding and learning.
Reading with older children
Once your child can read, reading time shifts to listening to the child read and taking turns reading with them. Parents should continue to talk with the child about what is being read.
Once children are readers, get a library card or join a book club to increase the reading material available. Subscribe to a children’s magazine that is geared to the child’s interests and age level. You could start a book of the week for younger children and a book of the month club for older kids and teens where both parent and child read the same book and discuss it when they have both finished reading.
If your child struggles to read
Some children have more struggles than others learning to read. Some children are simply ready to read later than others. Some may be six before they are fully capable of learning to read. This is due to the fact that there are multiple skills necessary to learn to read and they each have their own developmental timeline which can vary greatly from one child to another and yet all are within normal limits.
Some children may have what are known as specific learning disabilities such as problems with auditory or visual perception, delayed language development, impairment in working memory or processing speed.
If your child is reading below grade level you should talk to the school or your child’s doctor about getting an educational evaluation to determine if your child has learning disabilities. Some children may have a condition known as Dyslexia that will require a comprehensive reading program to provide the necessary support and instruction.
Some children may be able to ready and able to read but have a learning style that is not in sync with the teaching methods used in their classroom. You can talk to your child’s teacher about possible supplemental instruction or tutoring.
