Parents frequently ask what they can do to support their child’s progress with reading. And I always say that the MOST important thing we can do for kids to, is to empower them so that they become independent and strategic readers.
What this means is that we want to teach kids multiple strategies to put into their “bag of tricks” so that they have something to pull from automatically when they get hung up on a word or a sentence or a passage. Kids most often get stuck in two ways… they come to a word and can’t pronounce it or they don’t know what it means when they read it. Either way, their comprehension starts to break down.
What we want to do is give them the tools they need so that after plenty of prompting and practice they’re able to automatically, and with ease, apply the right strategy at the appropriate time.
I have lot’s of really cool tricks up my sleeve to help your child become independent and strategic! But below are a few tips that I recommend you use as you’re reading a book with your child. And if you aren’t currently reading with them or don’t have enough time, PLEASE do whatever it takes to make the time!
It is IMPERATIVE to their success… 
Twenty minutes per evening is all it takes to help build a strong literacy foundation for your child that will last a life time. Be sure to choose books that your child is interested in, that way they will be sure to be engaged and actively listening/reading. Not only will you be helping to create a foundation for literacy, you’ll be bonding with your child in a way that no other activity can offer.
Reading can be so much FUN! And when kids catch the “reading bug” they will never
be able to get rid of it! That’s the goal… we want kids to fall in
love with books so that they read on their own without being told to do so.
And most importantly, identify which learning style is most dominant in your child. Right brained children aren’t truly ready to read until they are 8-10 while left-brained kids are ready at 5-7. See my other posts on this topic.
Practice makes perfect but ALL in FUN!
Please feel free to email or comment below with any questions or concerns.
email: kac527@aol.com
cell: 407-923-3627
I’m always happy to help!
Kelly xo