5 Ways to Support Your Young Reader
Parents often ask how they can help their child build his/her reading skills. What a great question! Reading plays an important role now and in later school success.
Here are some of the best research-based ideas to help your 4
th
or 5
th
grade learner improve his/her reading abilities outside of school. Even better, they are all very simple and inexpensive!
READ!
There are multiple positive effects of students being read to and students seeing their family read. If we want our learners to read, we have to read. By reading, your learner builds positive associations with reading, is willing to take reading risks, and is exposed to significantly more vocabulary.
VOCABULARY
“The number one indicator of student success is vocabulary.” The more students read, the larger their vocabulary, and then the more texts they can understand and apply. The following games are fun, and great for building vocabulary: Pictionary, Charades, Headbanz, and Scrabble.
LISTEN
We are all SO busy, and that can make it difficult to find time to sit and read every night. Audio books are such a great way for students to listen to fluent reading, experience great books, and still get reading time in. Some great places for audio books: iTunes, Audible, Overdrive, the public library.
BOOKS! BOOKS! BOOKS!
Exposing your learner to books, in ways that show how awesome books and reading are, is one of the best ways to develop their love of reading. Go to the public library, neighborhood libraries, Scholastic book orders, or Goodwill.
CHOICE
Research continually shows us that, “Independent reading is the best predictor of reading achievement and also the best predictor of the amount of gains in reading.” Research also constantly points to the “Power of Choice.” Let them choose what they read, and eventually, your learner will know what books they like and how to choose books they will read. Ask your student, if they can choose a "Just Right Fit" book at your next visit to the library.
Happy Reading!
