10 Ways to Help Your Child Read Better

Ten ways to make your child a better reader

Read and reread favorite stories with your child.

Create a personal dictionary using spelling words, classroom word lists and words from books read at home.

Have your child relate stories to personal experiences.

Explain what to do when you come to a word that you don't know:

• Read to the end of the sentence.

• Reread a portion of the text.

• Sound out the word.

• Use root words, beginnings and endings.

• Look for familiar letter pattern ("tion", "ing", "ate", "am", etc.)

Ask your child, "Does this make sense?" when he reads a word or phrase correctly.

Provide your child with a newspaper or magazine and have her circle all the words she knows or identify challenging and their meanings.

Before reading:

• Look at the titles and pictures.

• Make predictions of what the story might be about.

• Discuss what you both already know about the subject.

• Reread the first page and then ask your child to predict what might happen next.

During reading:

• Encourage your child to picture in his mind what is happening in the story.

• Ask what might happen next in the story.

• Have your child change his predictions as the story provides new information.

• Ask how a character might feel.

• Talk about the illustrations.

After reading:

• Have your child tell the story and create a new ending together.

• Retell the story from another character's point of view.

• Encourage your child to illustrate her favorite part of the story.

• Think about the story together, responding to prompts such as "I felt...", "I liked...","I didn't like...", or "I learned..."

Ask questions to stimulate thinking:

• Did this story turn out the way you thought?

• What made the story interesting?

• Is the main character someone you'd like for a friend? Why or why not?

•  Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

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