3 Ways To Grow Bigger & Stronger Readers

Reading is a meaning-making activity. The whole purpose of reading is to make sense of the text and understand it. Children who are learning to become strong readers need to be immersed in literacy early on in their lives. There are routines you can establish at home to help your child become a strong reader and hopefully foster a love for reading at the same time. I have a few simple suggestions to help you support your child’s reading at home.

Read to your child

Reading aloud to our kids was always a favorite time in our home. My husband and I read all different genres to our boys to identify their likes and dislikes. Not only is this a special time to bond with your children, but reading aloud serves a purpose. Children need to hear fluent reading daily. Good readers automatically change their voices to match the text’s tone by emphasizing certain parts like sad or exciting events. As skilled readers, we naturally read in a way that conveys meaning through the rise and fall of our voices at appropriate parts.

Children learning to decode text and simultaneously making sense of it need repeated opportunities to hear smooth, phrased reading. Younger children will mimic this practice to sound just like you!

Often parents will tell me they no longer read to their older children because they are already adept at reading. This could not be more opposite of what needs to happen. Reading to your older children exposes them to vocabulary beyond their reading comprehension and opens up meaningful discussion along the way. Reading to older children looks a little different. The text could be an article about something of interest or a blog post about the latest video game trends.

Whatever the topic, keep reading to your older child to send the continued message that literacy is vital in your home. 

Read with your child 

It is likely that your child brings home leveled books from school to read aloud to you. A teacher selects easily decodable text at your child’s reading level. Listen to her read aloud to you with minimal interruptions. I get it. You want to jump in and tell her the tricky word or finish the sentence, but try to refrain! It’s okay for your child to struggle a little with a word or a phrase under your guidance. Instead of telling her the tricky word, you can remind her to look for parts she knows or break apart the word into chunks. In a picture book, you can suggest she look at the picture to help with a word.

As children get older, the meaning of the text confuses them, so offer a bridging comment to get them through. Ask a thought-provoking question: “What do you think is motivating the character to act like this?” If you listen to your child, read a novel that deals with mature content such as bullying or family issues and offer your insight into what you think is happening. Your comments will help your growing reader make his connections to the text. 

One of the most important things to consider when listening to your young reader is how often you jump in and how quickly. Give your child space to make mistakes and fix them herself. And sometimes, you have to let minor errors go so as not to interfere too much with the reading process. If your child reads “steps” for “stairs,” that’s an issue. This means he might not be looking through the whole word.

If your child inserts the words “a” or “the” and it makes sense in the big scheme of things, I wouldn’t worry. You don’t want your young reader to feel uncomfortable reading aloud in anticipation of your constant correction.

Trust me, I know how it feels to want to correct every single mistake your child makes or tell them the tricky words, but you have to give readers space to grow.

Let your child read independently 

Routine plus choice = independence. Independent readers will emerge when children are given a choice to read something of interest with nobody interrupting them, probing them for meaning, or making them write in response to reading.

Build time into a child’s reading life where they have a cozy spot to read with minimal interruptions. You may want to ask your son what he’s reading about or comment to your daughter about the topic she’s delving into, but parents, hands off during this time.

Well, not completely hands-off because I have some suggestions for children reading independently of you. If your child is in elementary school, it is appropriate to expect him to read a minimum of 20 minutes independently. It’s also appropriate for an emerging reader (pre-school) to invent a story with pictures. Remember, you will be reading books to your child and listening to him read leveled texts, so allow this time for exploration.

Older readers in middle school should have an established home reading routine and maintain a minimum of 30 – 60 minutes a day of on-task reading. I do not, however, recommend setting a timer! In my experience, kids will wait the timer out or focus on “minutes” rather than the adventure that awaits them in a good book. 

What if my child doesn’t like to read?

Over the past 16 years of teaching, I’ve encountered many different types of readers, including my own two boys. I have taught the kind of kids who walk to lunch reading a book or beg to read during recess for enjoyment. Contrarily, I have taught others who struggled to read and comprehend and did not love to read. In my experience, the reluctance is often a result of the brainpower some of these children use, and it’s frankly exhausting for them.

Reading isn’t always easy for kids, so you have to be patient. Parents of reluctant readers, don’t give up! You can do some things to get even the most reluctant reader engaged in the process.   

Tips for engaging reluctant readers 

• Download E-books 
• Listen to audiobooks
• Use a flashlight in a dark room
• Create a cozy reading spot designated only for reading
• Change the scenery once a week and go to a coffee house as a family 
• Go to the library 
• Read alongside your child
• Read under a tent 
• Involve a sibling or a neighbor
• Offer easier books to ease processing
• Have your child write to an author for advice 
• Start a book club in the neighborhood with friends
• Do not dismiss your child’s interests (graphic novels, comic books, manuals, etc…just let him read) 

One final thought, and this comes up a lot with parents. Should you “reward” children for reading at home? I will say this to you – you know your child better than anyone in the world. If your child is extrinsically motivated by rewards and this works for your family dynamic, do what you think is best. But my opinion is that the reward lies in the treasure that lies ahead or the information gained from an informational resource. There is no tangible reward that can take the place of all that a good book has to offer. 

For an additional resource about how to help your child read at home, click on the readwritethink image below. It is one of many online resources for parents, but it’s a place to start.