If your child is learning to read, spend time with them and a book!
A good book might be one of your favourites when you were little, a book they are interested in, or a ‘just-right’ leveled book that your child’s teacher has sent home for them to read. The best thing to do when learning to read is to simply spend time reading. Everyone gets better with practice!
When your child comes to a word they don’t know, here are some prompts that might help them figure out the word:
- Check the picture (Isn’t everything easier with a picture? There’s a reason picture books have pictures – that’s how kids learn to make sense of what they read!)
- Look for chunks (i.e. sit, mat, standing)
- Get your mouth ready (Sometimes having that first sound helps you figure out the new word!)
- Does that word look like another one you know? (i.e. If you know play, you might figure out day.)
- Try again! (Putting everything together one more time often helps make sense of a section.)
The three biggest questions to think about when you are reading are:
- Does it make sense?
- Does it look right?
- Does it sound right?
If your child is reading and stops at a tricky part, ask one of those questions – and have your child try again. We always want what we read to make sense – and if it doesn’t the first time, we have to go back and try it again!
Finally – have fun! Reading should be enjoyable. Sometimes we read a cookbook or a report to learn something, but often we read because we want to! Have fun when reading with your kids, and make it an important part of every day!