Photo by: MistoAcrilico
Can you remember learning to read? Me neither. The process is slow and steady, for both parent and child. However you can assist your kids at home to ease the toil and get your child reading fluently, faster than you can say ‘library.’
Most parents (and adults in general for that matter) won’t need me to tell them that children are not best known for having long attention spans. In light of this, it’s imperative that when reading is concerned, your kids are not only interested in the reading materials, but the material has the capacity to sustain your child’s interest for the duration. Choose a book with colourful pictures to keep things fresh, or a magazine about their favourite cartoon character.
Get your child involved in the selection process by scheduling a weekly trip to the library. The routine will give your children something to look forward to as well as a time frame to complete each book in. On completion, give rewards such as their favourite sweet treat to keep them motivated.
Children often mimic the actions of their parents and carers, so it’s vital you set a good example. Read newspapers, recipe books, TV magazines, anything to inspire the young ones to want to do the same. Every little helps!
Make a habit of encouraging your child to read aloud. Join in and keep things fun by putting on different voices. Make the story and vocabulary more memorable by inviting your child to repeat the funny phrases. Ask questions relating to the story or the pictures to push them to read between the lines.
Always remember that with reading patience is the key. Your child won’t learn to read overnight! Treat errors tentatively and break more difficult words down into easy, manageable chunks. Return to any mistakes at a later date, to reinforce the correction and monitor progress. Rewarding success will boost a child’s confidence, a crucial part of successful learning.
Today, the greatest obstacle may well be distractions. The kids of the 21st century are surrounded by a million and one other things to do than read. Technology is largely responsible for this. However use this to your advantage and disguise reading practice as playtime. Do this by downloading interactive reading apps on to your mobile for them to play, particularly effective for reading on the go. Or else invest in children’s e-books for your Kindle.
So there you have it, a few tips for you to assist your kids learning to read. With any luck they’ll even keep the young ones occupied long enough for you to enjoy a good book too!
Do you have any other suggestions? What has worked for you? Comment below to help out your fellow parents.
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Laura Beecroft has had her head in a good book for an eternity. She blogs to make bookworms out of you all and she writes for Carrot rewards
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