Reading skills are vital to survive in the 21st century. Today, children need to access and understand written texts, both on paper and digitally. However, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, current research shows students are struggling to develop basic reading skills. To bridge this gap between what children need to develop and where they are in skill development, children need to establish solid reading practices with fun activities that are not boring or difficult to carryout. Here is a list of five tips to help children and parents alike continue to improve reading skills.
- Practice: Set a 15 to 30 minute time when everyone reads together silently every day. Seeing adults read will inspire children to read. Just 15 minutes of daily practice will help increase reading fluency. If you don’t want to read silently, consider reading out loud to children as this will help with reading comprehension, vocabulary, and the decoding of words. Whether the children are preschoolers or preteens, silent or aloud reading will increase a desire to read independently.
- Accessibility: Have reading material wherever you go. Have reading materials accessible in cars, bathrooms, bedrooms, family rooms, and especially by the entertainment unit. Establishing reading as an integral part of children's lives is a key component to inspiring life-long readers. When you can, have them read often such as directions for games, weather reports, listings of movie times, and other practical everyday information. Also, make sure they always have something to read when they are waiting for appointments or riding in a car. There are many free books available online in both electronic and print versions.
- Be a good role model: Your positive reaction has a great influence on how hard children will work to become good readers. Make sure to give them genuine praise for their efforts. Work as a team by inviting your children with you to the library every few weeks and gather new reading materials, or by helping them explore online to find free reading books or gather new information on a subject of their choosing.
- Think outside the box about what is considered reading material: To help children improve their reading skills, include other reading materials such as textbooks, computer games, books-on-tape (audiobooks), menus, cookbooks, and anything else with print that is available. Games can be especially good choices because they let children have fun as they work on their reading skills.
- Early identification of a reading difficulty: The earlier children receive help, the more likely they will become readers. Find out what reading skills they should have at each grade level. The school's curriculum or main office will have this information or contact a speech-language pathologist for more details. Make sure children receive necessary help from teachers, speech-language pathologists, or other specialized educational services as soon as you discover a reading difficulty. Remember, reading difficulties do not magically disappear with time.
The Speech-Language Institute has a team of speech-language pathologists dedicated to assisting children with reading and literacy issues. They will evaluate your child’s difficulties and create a customized treatment plan to address their specific needs
