How to Help Your Child Strengthen Their Reading Skills at Home
There are several ways to strengthen your child’s reading skills at home. The idea is to get your child to fall in love with reading so they don’t see it as a chore but rather as a fun activity. Private schools are quite good when it comes to encouraging children to learn to read faster. According to JSTOR, private schools outscored their public counterparts by 18 points in 8th grade and 15 points in 4th grade reading skills.
Here are three ways you can help your child at home to be more successful in their reading skills.
Have a Reading Routine
It’s important to set aside time daily to read with your child. This can go a long way in helping to improve their reading skills. Regular reading helps with vocabulary skills, reading comprehension, and helping the child to recognize words they already know. If your child is still learning how to read, you should incorporate a daily story into their schedule. This can even encourage them to continue appreciating reading on their own. With time, you should gradually shift the story reading responsibility to your child. This will encourage them to read even in your absence. You can also ask for reading routine tips from your child’s private school teacher.
Lead by Example
As a parent, you are the ultimate role model for your child. This is why your children are likely to emulate the behavior you display. If your child sees you reading all the time, they will also want to read. They will then see firsthand why reading is enjoyable. If you don’t read, children will associate reading with school, and they will not understand that it’s not just about learning. Therefore, reading from time to time will make your children understand that reading is also pleasurable, and this will push them to want to learn even more.
Help Your Child Find Books They Love
Sometimes, a child can fail to show interest in reading. This might not be because they generally don’t like reading. It might actually be because they don’t like the books that are available. Finding your child’s favorite books can be the key to sparking their interest and getting them to read more. To find out what your child likes, you can try to expose them to different types of books. The more interested your child is in a particular topic, the more chances they will want to read it. Young boys usually want mysteries, science fiction, and adventure stories, while girls might want fairy tales.
These are some tips to help your child learn to read faster. It’s important to get your child to fall in love with reading so they won’t struggle at school. If your child is in private school, you can also find out from their teacher what they show interest in so you can get better reading topics.