by M. Ranard, M.Ed.
800 words
As a professional tutor, I meet with many distressed parents who aren’t sure where to turn when they learn their child is a struggling reader. While they are motivated to confront the issue, they rarely recognize their own role and ability to be instrumental to their child’s reading achievement.
What is the single most important step parents can take at home for remedial reading help or to enrich their child’s reading?
The Secret is Reading Aloud
Read aloud with your kids absolutely every opportunity available. Make the opportunities happen. Not only will hearing stories allow your child to experience different forms of language, rhythm, and sound, it will inform them on topics they would not otherwise learn about. Hearing your pleasant voice reading (not lecturing, not nagging) is calming and lends itself to a chance for connection. Here are some of my favorite tips for getting the most from story time.
1. Lose the insecurity that you’re not an entertaining reader.
It may seem counter-intuitive, but you honestly don’t even have to be a good reader to be effective. In fact, if you are a slower reader, this could actually be more beneficial to your child. She will hear the words more clearly.
2. Choose engaging material to read.
It is okay if you are not a naturally theatrical person, but reading aloud is not a time to be a shy performer with your kids. For younger children, select fun to read books with repetitive phrases and rhymes so kids can begin to join in and finish your sentences. Read with feeling and emotion. Pause in areas it makes sense for children to anticipate what is coming next. Let yourself get silly or dramatic.
3. Make connections consistently outside of the story.
Good readers don’t just stay focused on the words and plot of the story they are reading. They think about connections outside of the story to better comprehend what they are presently processing and reading. You can help your child develop this habit by pausing at moments and asking questions. For example, “James in our story thinks he would rather be a kangaroo. What do we know about kangaroos?”
4. Begin reading aloud before their first birthday.
Your baby is not too young for books! Focusing on pictures helps eye muscle development, and each time babies hear a word, it becomes more securely anchored in memory. You will never regret making time to read aloud.
5. Never underestimate the power of board books.
Have lots of board books on hand and in the toy box for toddlers. Brightly illustrated books without words are excellent for making up stories, pointing to objects, and repeating vocabulary. Let your preschooler imagine and recite a story about the pictures to you. Board books build fine motor skills as well, and kids find great pleasure in turning the pages.
6. Acknowledge that you must make time to read.
Many parents cannot see how they will possibly squeeze more reading from their busy lives. But you must realize it is simply too important to neglect. Research reveals consistently that preschoolers who are exposed to lots of books and conversation perform better at school.
To find more time for reading, you may have to subtract something from the family’s daily routine. Instead of watching TV before bedtime or rest time, reach for a book. Develop a habit of stopping at the library regularly—perhaps each time you go to the grocery store or every Saturday morning.
7. Read to them regardless of their age and even if they’re not struggling.
Reading aloud helps your children develop a love for literacy. As parents, we need to keep encouraging older kids to read. With older children, read books together—you’ll be surprised how much joy this brings you both. Sometimes tweens become temporarily turned off to reading and forget the magic of books they are missing. Think about reading together the latest series made into films so you can discuss discrepancies and casting choices.
8. Practice what you preach.
It’s important that you model reading for them. If you set an example and allow your kids to catch you reading—even if it’s a recipe or magazine—you’ll be setting the stage for compliance. We all get too much screen time, especially just before bed, and quiet time spent reading is a much healthier way to unwind.
Child literacy expert Nicola Morgan writes, “If something isn’t fun, children won’t do it. And they have BRILLIANT ways of avoiding what they don’t want to do: such as pretending they can’t. Or making you feel guilty. If your child doesn’t enjoy it, he won’t try. If he finds it hard, he will think he is not good at it. Your job is to make it fun and easy.”
M. Ranard has a master’s of education degree and is passionate about helping students become better readers. She is a freelance writer with blogs at hellolovelychild.blogspot.com and hellolovelyinc.blogspot.com.
70-word sidebar/AWESOME READ-ALOUDS
Preschoolers
Have You Seen My Cat? by Eric Carle
The Stars Will Shine by Cynthia Rylant
Sheep in a Jeep by Margot Apple
Lower Grades
Freckle Juice by Judy Blume
The Unfinished Angel by Sharon Creech
Million Dollar Throw by Mike Lupica
Middleschool
Scat by Carl Hiaasen
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
Granny Torrelli Makes Soup by Sharon Creech
Highschool
Graceling by Kristin Cashore
Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
Leviathan by Scott Westerfield
Resources:
Morgan, Nicola. The Child Literacy Centre. www.childliteracy.com.
