Good reading skills will serve children well in nearly every area of life. From grammar school to higher education to the working world, solid literacy can prove tremendously helpful at every stage of development. Like many important life skills, reading is best learned at a young age. The younger the child, the more time they have to hone their reading and writing abilities. However, not all children are equally proficient when it comes to reading. While some kids effortlessly soak up reading lessons, others feel overwhelmed and retreat into themselves. If your child has shown difficulty in building reading proficiency, the following tips may prove helpful.
Make Time to Practice with Them Every Day
The time-tested adage "Practice makes perfect" is particularly applicable to building reading comprehension. When it comes to a vital life skill like reading, daily practice is needed to heighten proficiency and make kids comfortable with the idea of reading on their own. However, since most young children lack the inclination or follow-through required to stick to a daily reading schedule, the onus is parents to step in and add the necessary structure. Even if your child has considerable trouble with reading, daily practice can ultimately result in comfortable proficiency - provided, of course, someone is around to oversee practice sessions and chart progress.
This doesn't mean that your child will need to engage in hours of reading practice each day. In addition to being excessive, this is liable to turn kids off of reading and make reading practice seem like a bothersome chore. In most cases, one hour of solid practice per day should be sufficient to bring them up to speed. At a subconscious level, most children crave structure, so try to be consistent regarding the time of day practice sessions occur. For example, if reading practice typically occurs before bed or right after school, make a conscious effort to stick to this schedule.
Select Suitable Reading Material
When teaching children how to read, it's imperative that parents and educators select age-appropriate reading material. If a text is too advanced, kids are likely to grow bored and find it difficult to comprehend the material. Suffice it to say, this is hardly conducive to helping them develop an interest in the written word. When shopping around for the right texts, look for material that emphasizes close reading and is easy to comprehend. The more comfortable a child feels with the material, the more progress they're likely to make.
Make Reading Seem Like Less of a Chore
It's easy to see why so many children associate reading with schoolwork. Since a good portion of the school day is spent reading and listening to people read, most kids understandably equate reading with being in class. One way parents can address this problem is allowing children to select reading material that's of interest to them. So if none of the material you provide seems to resonate with your kids, head down to the nearest library or bookstore and task them with picking out at least one book that interests them. If nothing else, your kids are sure to appreciate this level of trust and independence.
Set a Good Example
Young children often expect parents to practice what they preach. Since kids tend to fixate on fairness, a parent failing to live up to standards they set for their children is typically not something they look upon favorably. With this in mind, make a point of regularly reading in your child's presence. Many kids imitate behaviors they observe in their elders, and if your child sees you immersed in a good book, magazine or newspaper, reading is likely to become a more attractive activity in their eyes.
Like many other valuable skills, children learn how to read at varying paces. Although some kids are able to read and write with ease, others experience consistent difficulty with regard to literacy. Instead of allowing children to remain stuck in a rut with subpar reading skills, parents are urged to nip literacy issues in the bud. The longer kids struggle with reading, the more difficult proficiency can be to attain. With this in mind, parents whose children are experiencing reading problems should put the previously discussed measures to good use.
