Insights: Help your child learn to read

Reading is a fundamental skill for children. Young students learn to read in the early grades, and then they read to learn in every grade after that. 

Reading is essential for learning, and it is a good predictor of future success in school. Research shows that students who don’t meet grade-level standards by third grade risk continuing to fall behind and become at-risk for not graduating. 

“Reading proficiency by third grade is the most important predictor of high school graduation and career success. Yet every year, more than 80 percent of low-income children miss this crucial milestone” http://bit.ly/39sRPqZ

Reading tips for remote learning

Learning to read can be a challenge for some students, and it is even more difficult in a remote environment. Fortunately, there are many ways parents can help young children learn to read and older children improve their reading skills. 

Effective reading practice focuses on vocabulary, print motivation (building an interest in reading activities), print awareness, storytelling and narrative skills, knowledge of letters, and phonics. 

Opportunities for reading are all around us. Parents can find practical ways to reinforce reading skills during daily tasks, such as shopping, news consumption and navigation during travel.

The Northwest Evaluation Association’s list of general reading and writing improvement strategies provides a list of tips to help parents help their children become confident readers. Parents can select two or three of these strategies to use all year long: 

General strategies: 
•	Read to your child. Have your child read to you if possible can.
•	Model good reading habits by reading in front of your child.
•	Visit the public library frequently. Join summer reading programs.
•	Have your child write the menu for dinner.
•	Have your child locate letters and words on food containers.
•	Have your child help write a shopping list and check off items as you shop.
•	When traveling, write words in a grid and have your child color in the boxes as they see the words on signs.

Vocabulary
•	Notice street and store signs and talk about what they say and mean.
•	Have regular conversations with your child. Vary your vocabulary.
•	Talk about the people you see and the types of jobs they have.
•	Talk about the colors and shapes of things you see.
•	Provide word searches or crossword puzzles. Find printable puzzles online.
•	Read a challenging book aloud to your child to provide exposure to higher-level words.
•	Label objects around the house with sticky notes.
•	Describe objects using a simile or metaphor (e.g., the car is as red as an apple, or the clouds are like cotton balls).

Word study
•	Practice synonyms and antonyms by saying a word and having your child say a word that means the same or the opposite.
•	Say a letter and have your child name the letter that comes just before that letter. Have your child name an animal or food that begins with that letter.
•	Circle words in a newspaper or magazine that start with the same letter or are in the same word family (e.g., words ending with –ing or –unk). Color the consonants blue and vowels red.
•	Practice writing spelling words in shaving cream or pudding smeared on a plate. 

Comprehension
•	Use audiobooks to follow along with text as you read.
•	Read newspaper articles with your child and discuss events in the news. 
•	After watching a movie, have your child retell the movie from beginning to end in the correct order with details.
•	When reading together, after each paragraph ask the child ‘wh’ questions (Who? What? Where? When? Why?) to see if they understand.
 
Writing
•	Encourage your child to keep a journal (for travel, family events or feelings).
•	Encourage letter writing, pen pals, and thank-you notes.
•	Have your child write a conversation using correct punctuation. The conversation could be between favorite TV characters, characters in a book or members of their family.
•	Encourage students to write to their Congressperson to ask for information or share their views. Their office staff will often respond to letters that request information or ask questions.

Read more at http://bit.ly/3iVZRLY.

Additional resources
There are many resources online to help your child build her reading abilities. Google terms such as, “tips for parents to help kids read,” will yield many pages of resources. Below are a few examples:

• Pay-based activities that build reading readiness: Edutopia
http://edut.to/3csCto6
• 11 ways parents can help their children read: Reading Rockets
http://bit.ly/2YBVug5
• Ten things to help your struggling reader: The Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity
http://bit.ly/2NGSkoR