7 tips for making reading fun for you and your child
Link to Article as it appeared at vaudreuilPLUS.ca
Reading With Your Child At Home
School is out and summer is here in full swing. We’re ready to enjoy the warm weather at long last. Whether we’re off on a much anticipated holiday or spending time at home by the pool, it’s very important to keep up with reading practice throughout the summer. This is especially important if your child has experienced reading difficulties throughout the school year.
The Hudson Literacy Clinic encourages you to make reading time a regularly scheduled activity in your home every day of the year. Reading on a daily basis during the summer will ensure that your child continues to practice basic literacy concepts and provides the foundation upon which further literacy skills can be built. Not only will summer reading practice ease your child’s re-entry into school this September, but sharing a book is precious one-on-one time with your child at any time of the year. Reading with your child for 10-25 minutes (depending upon your child’s age) will build your child’s confidence and nurture a love for reading that will last a lifetime.
- Be sure to hold the book between both you and your child so that you both can see the print.
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Discuss the title, the cover, and the illustrations to make predictions about the story before you actually begin reading the text with your child.
Illustrations, photos and drawings act as “clues,” providing the reader with information about the storyline. Pictures also help the reader to make sense of the story. - Ask your child if he/she recognizes any “power words” (high frequency sight words) in the story as you move from one page to the next.
- Remind your child to use his or her finger to track the text from left to right. This is especially important for emergent or struggling readers.
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Encourage your child to use one or more of the following strategies when they encounter an unknown word.
Look at the illustration to help predict the word.
Say the beginning sound of the word.
Try to recognize any smaller words within the word (i.e. “biggest”).
Skip the word and continue to read until the end of the sentence. Can your child “fill in the blank,” and if so, does the word make sense? - Don’t let your child get frustrated and discouraged when stuck on a word. If he/she has made attempts unsuccessfully, tell him/her the word and then move on with the story.
- Always end on a positive note: Praise your child for trying his/her best and doing a great job!