The team at Foundations Whole Child Development has assembled more than 50 helpful tips to help make reading with your child a positive, fun, and successful experience.
Over these past few weeks, normal routines have been flipped on their heads. So many families are doing their very best to find the balance between working from home, virtual schooling, and sometimes even making ends meet.
Through all of this, one more very important responsibility has also fallen squarely into parents' laps - supporting their children's reading development. This might seem simple on the surface, but in reality can be complex and overwhelming. We have had many families reach out to ask for tips for reading with their child or encouraging their child to read independently. The tips below represent our best thinking on ways to make reading a positive and successful experience - not only during these unprecedented times, but at any time.
We hope that this information can support you and your child on his or her reading journey. If you have questions or concerns about your child's development, or are looking for expert support, don’t hesitate to contact Foundations Whole Child Development about our Reading Assessments and customized, holistic intervention programs.
Timeless Tips: These tips, notes, and concepts can help parents and readers of all ages. Whether you are just beginning the reading journey with your infant or toddler, or supporting an independent reader striving for fluency, these tips can help!
Tips for Readers of Any Age:
Remember, Reading Should Be Fun - First and foremost, reading should be fun and peaceful. There is so much pressure put on children related to reading, that it can be easy to forget how joyful reading can be. Don’t put too much pressure on your child, or on yourself! Reading with your child can be one of the most rewarding ways to spend your time, if you let it be. If you treat it like a chore, your little one will learn that behavior from you. Kids are always watching. If you are having fun, your child will too!
Slow Down, Fast Reading does not equal Strong Reading - Since comprehension is the goal of reading, sometimes taking the pace a bit slower can strengthen a child’s understanding of what has been read, and ultimately make the entire process more positive.
Every Child’s Reading Journey is Different - Just because your coworker’s little one is on book five of the Harry Potter series doesn’t mean your child is “falling behind.” (For key reading milestones by age check out this post). Just like every baby learns to walk at a different pace, every child learns to read at a different pace. The most important thing to remember is that they can and will learn to read.
Help Your Child Develop Self-Motivation - If it feels like you are forcing your child to read, you probably are. When you make the decisions about reading for your child, you are not allowing him to make those decisions for himself. Eventually, he may lose the confidence or desire to make those decisions at all. Instead, think about how you can “scaffold” the reading process, rather than take complete control from your child. The following three tips are some additional ideas to help develop self-motivation.
Let your child pick the book - Involving your child in the decision making process gives them agency, buy-in, and confidence. Plus, they will be much more likely to enjoy reading a book they picked versus one that was picked or them or "assigned" to them.
Allow time to be fluid - Some days your child may be very interested in reading, and read for hours and hours. Some days they might not want anything to do with it, and struggle to stay attentive for even a few minutes. That’s ok. While the positive impact of daily reading is well-documented, everyone has their days. Suggest an audiobook, a comic book, or simply try again later. Keep encouraging them to read, but don't build too many restrictions or requirements around it.
Read your child’s body language and mood. You do not have to finish an entire book in one session, and force your child to sit through something they are not enjoying. If they show signs that they want to do something else - like being wiggly or extremely inattentive - you can simply pause and move on, coming back to the book later.
Reading is not a punishment - Reading should not be categorized as a chore like cleaning your room or taking the trash out. Don't overtly punish reading behavior. For example, try not to say "You can't play your video games until you have finished your reading." Instead, try saying, "We have 30 minutes for screen time today, would you like to do that before or after you read?" Try and set up reading time to be viewed as a reward in and of itself, or at least a calm and peaceful time in the day.
Reading is the journey, comprehension is the destination - Reading is the journey of navigating a story by decoding written words in the quest to eventually uncover the meaning (both literal and underlying) in those words. Reading is a complex skill, requiring countless sub-skills and cognitive processes. Therefore, it is important to be patient as your child practices and strengthens this skill. If the process of practicing reading is pressure-free, enjoyable, and set a child up for success, then the end result will be a more eager reader who also exhibits stronger comprehension. Comprehension is the understanding and knowledge derived from what has been read. Strong comprehension requires strong reading and connected fluid reasoning.
They can’t do it alone (and that’s OK) - Every child’s reading journey requires a support team of parents, teachers, and specialists. A magic reading “app” does not exist. It is the child’s own journey, but you are their guide, and you owe it to them to help them along in an empowering, supportive, way. Keep a growth mindset and a positive expectation that your child can and will learn to read.
Age and Skill-Level Specific Tips: These tips are more specific to age and level of reading development. If you want to learn more about key reading milestones by age, check out our article on reading milestones.
“Pre-Reader” (Roughly Ages 0-5)
Reading Development Milestones: Begins to recognize what a “book” is. Shows interest in stories or even just the sound of your voice. At older ages, may begin to develop letter knowledge.
Let your child pick the book - Yes even babies less than a year old can pick a book! Give your child an option of a few books, and let him or her point or reach for the one he or she wants! Too many choices can be overwhelming, so keep it to two to three options.
Take time to look at the pictures - Real reading is focused on the process, not getting to the end of the story, or seeing how many books you can read. Let them show you things in the pictures. I bet you'll find that they are seeing things you haven’t noticed before! Also, start to point out the characters emotions in the pictures - “What does his face tell us?” or “Does he look happy or sad? Why?”
Read the story forwards and backwards - This sounds simple, but can be so valuable. The information presented in the story might spark new realizations for your little one when introduced in a different order.
Allow your child to “read” the story to you - He or she might not know the words, but by using the pictures, (s)he can "read" the story back to you, probably in even more detail than what is actually written!
Let them read and re-read their favorites - Do they have a favorite book? Do they recognize any words in that book? Can they repeat a whole page to you? Fantastic. Read that book - again and again and again. They are naturally beginning to decode the story and feel drawn to that specific book - lean into it. We know that reading "Madeline" for the 35th time in one week can be exasperating, so if you need a way to add some variety you can substitute a name, character, or key fact when reading to them, and allow them to point out the difference for you. Afterwards, laugh about it together! (Ex: from "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" - Say, “The very hungry ELEPHANT," and allow your child to say, "No, the caterpillar.")
Let your child fill in some blanks while reading - ask them what happens next in one of their favorite books and see if they can provide the answer.
Allow your children to interrupt your reading to ask questions (with purpose) - Questions are amazing tools to help children build comprehension, but we all know how fond of asking endless questions little ones can be. Set up a signal for them to display, or designate a time for them to ask questions and make comments, like at the end of a line or a page. You can say, “I love to hear your thoughts and questions. How about, when I look up from the page, that is your cue to share?”
"Beginning Reader" (Roughly Ages 4-7)
Reading Development Milestones: Recognizes some written words. Is familiar with some letter sounds. Understands the flow of a story when read aloud. Has a desire to read. Can read some “decodable” books (books with short vowel patterns and limited sight words).
This is such an important phase of literacy development. Tips from the previous section are still relevant. Reading skills are built upon each other, so tips and tricks can be built upon each other, too!
Let your child pick the book - Involving your child in this process builds her confidence before the book is ever opened, gets her excited to read a book she chose herself, and helps develop self-motivation.
Point out patterns within the story - Call attention to structural patterns when words or phrases repeat (Ex: Chicka Chicka Boom Boom). In books that have a particular rhyming pattern, have your child predict the rhyming word. (Ex: from “Madeline” - “In an old house in Paris that was covered in vines, lived twelve little girls in two straight ___”)
Don't push independent reading before they are ready - When a child feels emotionally and mentally prepared to try reading independently, he will either attempt it himself or ask for your help. These are both signs that he actively wants to begin learning the skill of reading. It is much easier to teach a child to do something if it is something he is interested in already. By forcing children to learn a skill too early, they can become frustrated and push back against it. Think about how you feel when a superior at work demands for you to complete a task you aren't prepared for (and asks you to do it in front of them and all your peers)!
Set your child up for success in independent reading - When your child is expressing interest in reading herself, start with "decodable" readers meant for children who have learned their short vowel sounds and some sight words. Elephant and Piggie books are great, Dr. Seuss books are classics, and even some poetry can be fun to introduce her to reading.
Balance reading simple, decodable books with “High-Quality Literature” - Decodable books are great for children who are developing beginning reading skills and show signs that they are mentally and emotionally ready to attempt reading. That being said, they are often not “high-quality literature”, and (quite honestly) can be boring if they are the only thing your child is getting to read. At this age it is so important to model the enjoyment of reading and allow your child to discover the magic of good books.“High-Quality Literature” makes you think and feel - it opens your eyes to something new, or brings vivid images of another time and place to mind. Build confidence with decodable books and build interest with "High-Quality Literature." Remember, a lot of picture books can be considered “High-Quality Literature,” you do not have to push straight into chapter books. Many picture books are written at a 5th grade level or higher.
When reading to your child, begin to explore more complex chapter books - This is the age and level of development when your child will begin to enjoy hearing you read more complex chapter books to them. This can be fantastic to help develop schema that support comprehension once they begin reading more independently. Our only piece of advice is stop and think - will this be a book that they might enjoy when they are a bit older? Can they connect to the characters and the plot in the text? Reading a series too early may take some of the magic out of it when your child is developmentally ready to fully enjoy that series. Don't be afraid to start a book and check in with your child to see how they are enjoying it.
"Emergent Reader" (Roughly Ages 6-9)
Reading Development Milestones: Is developing a strong sight word vocabulary. Reads environmental text like billboards and store signs. Tries reading your texts, emails, and mail (gulp!!). Expresses interest in chapter books and more complex text.
Tips from the previous section are still relevant. Reading skills are built upon each other, so tips and tricks can be built upon each other, too!
Try tackling some early chapter books - When your child is ready, find some "simpler" chapter books for them to try co-reading with you or reading independently. There are many great options, so try and present a few that relate to topics your child is interested in. Some of our favorite examples are: Dory Fantasmagory, Ranger in Time, Cam Jansen, LOL Detective Club, Nate the Great, Dragon Masters, Eerie Elementary, Bad Guys, Princess in Black, Mae and June and the Wonder Wheel, Zoey and Sassafras, A-Z Mysteries, Magic Tree House, Mercy Watson.
Don't stop "reading" with your child - Even if your child is beginning to read independently, still take the time to sit down and read actively with your child. Whether or not you are reading with your child or he is reading independently, you can show interest (and check comprehension) by asking a combination of clarifying questions (where answers that can be found explicitly in the text) and critical-thinking questions, like: Why do you think he or she did that? How does that make you feel? What do you think is going to happen next? What would you do in this situation? Young readers love sharing the stories they are navigating with their new-found skills, and they will draw confidence from the interest you show.
Try different genres - Even as adults, we all have a favorite genre or genres of books. Give your child the chance to find their favorite genre. Try fiction, nonfiction, fantasy, science fiction, or mystery books to see what piques their interest.
Fluent Reader (Late Elementary and Beyond)
Reading Development Milestones: Fluently reads and is comfortable with multiple genres.
Tips from the previous section are still relevant. Reading skills are built upon each other, so tips and tricks can be built upon each other, too!
Continue reading aloud to them - Most older kids still enjoy read alouds. It is also a special experience you can share with them. If they do not want to be read to anymore, try asking them if they would like to read aloud to you. If they don't seem interested in either, you can create a “book club” with your child, where you both independently read the same book, and take time during breakfast or before bed to talk about the book you both are reading.
Check comprehension - Keep asking those critical thinking and comprehension questions! This helps your young reader connect the information they are gaining from reading to larger concepts, and builds inferential skills and fluid reasoning capabilities.
Mix up “type” of books - A similar story can be presented in a totally different way just by switching up the "type" of book. Try mixing up traditional novels with graphic novels, interactive books, or even audiobooks.
Keep a balanced literacy diet - Even if your young reader loves a certain type of book, don't rely too heavily on that one type. Different types of books can be very entertaining for young readers, but each one allows them to strengthen different kinds of reading muscles. Specifically, we get a lot of questions about graphic novels. Our take is that, as long as you are comfortable with the content (not too bratty, too violent, too mature), then let graphic novels be part of your child’s literacy diet. Most of us do not choose to read Charles Dickens or Shakespeare every time we pick up a book. Graphic novels are fun reads for children, and can be part of a balanced literacy diet! However, we do not recommend that graphic novels be the only book type that your child reads for a few reasons. One major reason is that graphic novels do not exhibit the same text structure as a traditional novel. While this is not implicitly a bad thing, graphic novels sometimes do not include vocabulary that develops the setting, or even major plot developments, etc. Much of this is done through the pictures of graphic novels. While children can learn a lot from pictures, it is paramount that that they learn to develop mental imagery while they are reading written words.
Stay engaged in their reading journey - As your child strengthens their reading skills, it can feel like she no longer "needs" your support, but nothing could be further from the truth. There will be reading challenges she needs help with, and she needs to feel comfortable continuing to come to you for help with those challenges. Continue scaffolding self-motivation development. Continue checking comprehension. Continue reading "with" her. Continue asking questions and showing interest. Continue encouraging and empowering her. You are her guide and her number one advocate.
As a parent, you play a huge role in your child’s reading development. Reading is a complex skill that takes years of practice, instruction, support, and encouragement to master. Just like learning to read can be a daunting task for a child, supporting that journey can be a challenge for parents. But, remember that you are not alone - your child's support team includes their teachers, specialists, and many others who will help him or her along the way. We hope that these tips help make reading with your child a fun, enjoyable, and positive experience for everyone involved.
If you have any concerns about your child's reading journey, or are looking for support - Contact Us to Learn More About Our Reading Assessments and Intervention Programs.
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