Reading is one of the most important skills we can foster in our little ones. For some children, reading is a challenging and sometimes discouraging venture. Fortunately, there are several ways parents can encourage and aid their children in becoming independent readers. Red Apple Reading would like to offer a few strategies you can employ to help your young child become a flourishing reader.
My husband and I used to make fun of the couples in restaurants who stared longingly at their phones rather than each other. Over plates of over-priced food, they gazed at their screens while never making eye contact with one another. We vowed never to be that couple. Then, we each got a Smartphone…on the same day. Looking back, that may have been one of the most transformative days of our marriage.
Whew! Your child can finally read those library books on her own. Your job helping with reading is finished, right? Not so fast! Many parents fall into the trap of thinking they no longer have to participate once their child learns how to read.
We have a school-year tradition at our house. Every night at the dinner table, we go around the table and have each child tell about the best and worst parts of their day. Occasionally, someone will have had a particularly bad day and won’t want to discuss it, and of course, we don’t push it, but most of the time, we get the usual complaints—bad food in the cafeteria, an anxiety-producing class presentation, or an overly strict teacher. Most of the time, it makes for good dinner conversation, and we all end up laughing it off. Every now and then, though, I’ll hear something that raises my eyebrows in curiosity or makes me grimace with concern.
We all want to help our children succeed in school, and this includes promoting good literacy skills such as reading and writing. Although the two go hand in hand, reading is perhaps the most important skill a student can have. After all, good readers make good writers!
No matter where your child is in the process of learning to read or advancing his reading skills, there are things you can do at home to enhance his learning and give him the boost he needs to excel. Here are some tips to help you assist your emerging, beginning, or proficient reader develop the skills he needs in order to take reading to the next level.