| This page offers strategies for how to help at home, strategies to use to
develop reading skills and comprehension, and other helpful hints to get
your children reading!
You are never too old to be read to!
Reading aloud with your children is an excellent activity to do together at
home. Reading aloud helps build the desire to read and provides children
with a model of good reading. Even if you choose 1 or 2 nights a week to
read aloud, it will help build an interest in books.
Here are a few tips:
1. Encourage participation: If there's repetition in the story, have your
children say the key phrases with you. You can also ask for predictions as
you read.
2. Get cozy: Find a comfortable place to read or make a special spot for
reading together.
3. Remove distractions: Make your reading spot as quiet as possible so that
your children are focused on reading.
4. Keep it on their level: If your children are having trouble following the
plot of a story or the language is too hard, don't be afraid to abandon the
book and find one that's more enjoyable for everyone.
Strategies for younger readers:
1. When faced with an unknown word, have your child look at the pictures.
Pictures often help readers decode words.
2. Have your children get their mouths ready to make the first sound. This
helps when they are trying to figure out the word.
3. CHUNK the word by looking for a part they know.
For example: standing If your child were having trouble sounding out this
word, you could cover the st- and the -ing with your fingers and ask them to
read 'and' in the middle. By finding a familiar word or rime (-at, -ick,
etc.), students will be better able to decode new words.
4. SKIP the word and then go back and reread. Ask your child to think about
what would make sense. This is where it is helpful to focus on beginning and
ending sounds.
5. REREAD sentences that didn't make sense or where a word was misread.
Think about if it sounds right. Reread and think about what would make
better sense.
6. THINK about the meaning of the story. Use your knowledge of the topic to
help reading comprehension.
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