Ways to Help Your Child Become a Better Reader

Other excellent information including this document can be found at this website: http://idea.uoregon.edu/~ncite/programs/read.html

.. Start by reading this !

Parents can have a strong positive influence on their child's reading. Research has shown that enjoying books with a child, for even a few minutes a day, can make a measurable difference in the acquisition of basic reading skills. Everyday activities, such as a trip to the grocery store, can be turned into enjoyable learning experiences.
The following is a list of ways in which parents can encourage the development of the skills needed by children in order for them to become good readers.

CREATE APPRECIATION OF THE WRITTEN WORD

Find time to read aloud with your child every day. Parents play an important role in developing this skill by reading to children and by showing how important reading is in daily life. Try to make books available for your child to explore and enjoy.

DEVELOP AWARENESS OF PRINTED LANGUAGE

	Teach about books. When reading aloud, let your child open the book and turn the pages. Point to the words as you read. Draw attention to repeated phrases, inviting your child to join in each time they occur.
	Point out letters and words that you run across in daily life. Make an obvious effort to read aloud traffic signs, billboards, notices, labels on packages, maps, and phone numbers. Make outings a way to encourage reading by showing your child how printed words relate to daily living.

ENCOURAGE LEARNING THROUGH DAILY ACTIVITIES

	Play alphabet games. Sing the alphabet song to help your children learn letters as you play with alphabet books, blocks, and magnetic letters. A-B-C, dot-to-dots and letter-play workbooks, games, and puzzles are available at most toy stores. There are also many engaging computer games designed for teaching children letters. Make sure these toys are available to your children even when you are unable to play with them.
	*Watch Sesame Street* or other educational programs with your children.** Show them how to sing along, answer the riddles, and engage actively in its fun.
	Make writing materials available to children. Encourage children to write their names and other important words or phrases. Help them to gradually learn how to write more and more letters. At first, most children find it easier to write uppercase letters.

UNDERSTAND THE RELATION OF LETTERS AND WORDS

Teach your children how to spell a few special words, such as their own names, "stop," or "exit." Draw attention to these and other frequently occurring words as you read books with your children. Challenge them to read these words as they arise or to search them out on a page. Play word-building games with letter tiles or magnetic letters. Let them build strings of letters for you to try to read.

UNDERSTAND THAT LANGUAGE IS MADE OF WORDS, SYLLABLES AND SOUNDS

Sing songs and read rhyming books. Sing the alphabet and teach songs that emphasize rhyme and alliteration, such as Willaby Wallaby Woo and Down By the Sea. Emphasize the sounds as you sing. Play rhyming games and clap out syllables in words. Change the word order of familiar poems and challenge them to detect the error. Talk like robots, syllable by syllable.

Play word games. Challenge children to play with words. For example, think of words that rhyme with "bat" or begin with "m." What would be left if you took the "p" sound out of "pat"? What would you have if you put these sounds together: "p" and "ickle"; "m" and "ilk"; and "s, a, t". Which of these words starts with a different sound: bag, ball, candy, bike? Do boat and baby start with the same sound?

TEACH LETTER SOUNDS

Sound out letters. Point out words that begin with the same letters as your children's names, drawing attention to the similarities of their initial sounds. Use alphabet books, computer games, or word games (such as "I'm thinking of something that starts with b") to engage them in alliterative and letter-sound play. When reading books that contain alliteration and rhyme, such as Dr. Seuss books, sound out rhyming words or challenge children to do so. Play word games using sounds with syllables such as: If this spells "cat", how do you spell "hat"?

SOUND OUT NEW WORDS

	Point out new words. Say the sound while touching each letter in a new word. For example, say "s-u-n" and then blend them to create the word. Use predictable words with common sounds and spellings, e.g. use "fun" or "sat" instead of "night" or "saw."
	Encourage spelling by saying each sound in the words and then writing the letters that goes with those sounds.
	Encourage children to spell. After your children have learned to pronounce letters and words, have them match letters and sound.
	Promote independent writing. Encourage your children to write, allowing them to use inventive or creative spelling. At this stage, they will often omit letters and confuse letter names with letter sounds, producing such spellings as LFNT for elephant, BN for bean, YOTR for water, and FARE for fairy. Be sure to praise children for their efforts and products.

BUILD READING SKILLS

Help children to enjoy easy, readable stories as often as possible. Sit with them, take turns reading and encourage discussion. Invite them to read familiar words and progress to reading phrases, sentences, and paragraphs. At the end of each section or story, revisit words that caused trouble. Reread stories as a powerful way to reinforce learning.

IDENTIFY SPELLING PATTERNS

Point out similarities among words such as will, fill, and hill or light, night, and sight. Help children to learn and review common spelling pat- terns in the words they write.

TEACH TO READ REFLECTIVELY

Pause for discussion as you read. Stop frequently to discuss language, content, and relevance to real life. Explore the meanings of new words, use them in other sentences, and contrast their meaning with words that have similar meanings. Make an effort to revisit new words and concepts. While reading, pause to discuss characters, problems, and events in the story Invite children to think about how problems might be solved or imagine what might happen next. Ask children to review what has happened, drawing attention to the important elements of the story.

Editor's Note: This document was adapted from material provided by the National Center to Improve the Tools of Educators, in cooperation with the United States Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, Office of Special Education Programs

Other excellent information including this document can be found at this website: http://idea.uoregon.edu/~ncite/programs/read.html

CLICK ON THE UNDERLINED HEADINGS BELOW:-

Reading, The First Chapter In Education -

Principles For Learning To Read -

Tips For Teachers:-

Tips for Teaching Reading to Children with Learning Disabilities:

Tips for Parents About How To Strengthen Reading Skills:-