How Can I Help My Child Read and Enjoy Reading?

Many parents are frustrated because their child is a struggling reader or is not interested in reading. They wonder what they can do to help their child become a better reader. There is actually a lot parents can do to help their child read better. As a parent, you are in a highly strategic position to help your child be a better reader because:

• your child spends more time with you than with most other people
• your child looks up to you
• your child will likely model your behavior
• your child will listen to you (well, usually)

1. Model reading at home.
2. Keep interesting reading material around the house.
3. Have a designated family reading time.
4. Read in fun places.
5. Read print around you wherever you go.
6. Visit your library regularly.
7. Play games.
8. Read to your child daily.
9. Ask your child questions about his book.
10. Create book projects.

Make sure your child sees you reading often. Whether it be reading the news with your morning coffee or reading a book or magazine for pleasure after dinner, the main thing is for your child to see you reading regularly.

It's also important for your child to see that you benefit from reading, such as by gaining valuable information about how to care for your family pet, or by simply gaining pleasure when you read a book of funny anecdotes. When your child sees your eyes light up with new knowledge you've acquired from a book, or hears you break out in laughter by the words on the page, he learns to view reading as a positive experience.

If you don't think it matters whether or not you read at home, think again. Your child is watching you and will model your behavior.

Magazines, books, maps, pamphlets, brochures, and other text that you keep around your house can elicit enough interest in your child that he will grab it and explore it. This is what you want, so keep a lot of it around!

Engage your child in dialogue related to the reading material, such as talking about an upcoming getaway to the mountains as you look at a map together. Show your child the itinerary you plan to take, and the places you’ll pass along the way. Then, when you actually take the road trip, your child can point to these places on the map as you pass them on the road.

Tap into your child's personal interests. What does he enjoy? Trains? Soccer? Guinea pigs? Gather material on that topic and keep it in a visible location in your house.

Have a designated family reading time and place when everybody in the family reads. For example: At 7 - 8 pm every evening, everyone in the family selects something to read and hangs out in the living room together. Make it special by preparing hot chocolate or another treat to enjoy as you read. Wrap it up by having everybody share something they learned or enjoyed in their text.

Encourage your child to read to you or to a sibling or a pet during this time.

Reading in fun places such as under a shady tree on a nice day or on a picnic bench at a park will help your child associate reading with pleasure. The next time you plan a picnic or a trip to the park or the beach, ask your child to select a few books to take along. Take a few of your own books or magazines as well, so that you can read simultaneously.

Help your child create a fort at home where he can hide away and read with a flashlight. If he has a treehouse, let him read there. Deliver milk and cookies to the hungry reader in his hideout.

Wherever you are, encourage your child to read what is around him.

Examples:

• store signs
• restaurant and fast food menus
• street signs
• license plates
• store labels

Reading signs and labels in his immediate environment within the context of everyday life will boost your child's confidence because reading becomes more meaningful to him. A menu is not just laminated cardstock; it contains options of delicious foods and tasty drinks. A license plate is not just a metal plaque on a vehicle; it give us clues on where the driver is from. A store sign helps us locate the place where we can buy sports equipment or toys or whatever it is we are looking for.

Visit your local library regularly. Many books have accompanying CDs. Listening to the narrator read the book as your child follows along on the page helps him become a better reader because he learns to associate the sounds of the words with their visual representations.

Help your child locate books on topics of high interest to him. If he is old enough, encourage him to get his own library card. It's free!

Make sure you check something out too each time you visit the library.

Play fun games with your child that involve words and reading.

Some examples:

• When you are on the road, ask your child how many different state license plates he can find, or how many words he can find beginning with the letter c (or any other letter). Just make sure it doesn’t distract you from driving!
• Board games
• Card games

Read to your child daily. It doesn't have to be at bedtime. Just find a time that works for you. Ideally, reading together should begin when your child is very young. Picture books with rhyming and repetition have been proven to be very successful in helping children learn to read. The ongoing rhyming and repetition, coupled with colorful images, serve to reinforce letter sounds, endings, and sight word recognition.

The parent-child bond can be strengthened while reading together and can cultivate a deep fondness in your child for reading. Never underestimate the power you have as a parent to help instill a passion for reading in your child.

You can start by reading the whole book to your child. As your child acquires some words, pause before the words he knows and allow him to read them or allow him to complete the sentences. As he acquires more words, take turns reading one page each. His confidence will soar as he realizes he is reading words, and then entire pages, on his own.

Ask your child specific questions about his book after he reads, and show sincere interest in knowing about his book. Make sure the timing is right, such as after dinner when you are more relaxed. Take the time to really listen to your child as he responds.

Some questions you might ask:

• What is the book about?
• Who are the main characters?
• Who is your favorite character? Why?
• Who is your least favorite character? Why?
• What is the setting of the story?
• Is there a conflict? What is it?
• Are you enjoying the book? Why or why not?
• What is your favorite part in the book so far? Why?
• What is your least favorite part in the book so far? Why?

Allow your child's responses to your inquiries to guide you as you ask additional questions so that you engage in a natural dialogue with your child about his book. Your child's responses will tell you how well he is understanding what he reads.

After your child finishes reading a book, create a project associated with the book. For example, make puppets of the characters out of socks or popsicle sticks, and put on a puppet show of a scene in the book. Create a diorama box for the book, or make a craft associated with the book topic.

Your child's enthusiasm for reading will increase tenfold if he knows there will be a fun project he gets to make after he completes the book!