Reading is an important part of your child’s overall health and well-being. Children who don’t learn to read well may have emotional and behavioural problems later in life. The skills your child learns early in life will help him well into adulthood.

As a parent, you can help your child develop good reading skills:

• Read to your child
  • Make reading part of every day. Even just a few minutes will make a difference. It’s also a great way to create a special bond with your child.
  • Even when your child can read alone, continue to read out loud with him.
  • Choose books that are a bit above your child’s reading level, as long as they are books that he can still understand and enjoy.
• Read with your children. Children who are learning to read need to practice this new skill. If your child is doing well, nightly home reading is a chance for her to show off. If your child is having trouble, it provides a safe place to practice with someone she trusts.
• Be a role model! One of the most important things is for your child to see you enjoying reading. If he sees you and other family members reading books, newspapers, and magazines, he’ll learn that reading is important and valuable.
• Use rhymes, games and songs. This is a great way to expose your child to other languages. Singing traditional songs and telling stories can all enhance your child’s learning opportunities.
• Ask the experts for help! Teachers and librarians are good sources of advice for books that are right for your child’s age and reading level. Bookstore staff are often quite helpful, too.
• If your child has trouble reading, choose stories that she can relate to. Look for familiar stories, and experiences that she can identify with.
• Visit the library, and create one at home. Get your child a library card as soon as you can (even babies can get a library card!). Make a library visit part of your routine. If there are more books than toys in the house, your child is more likely to pick up a book when there’s nothing to do. Consider creating a special reading place in your home that is quiet and cozy. Keep books within reach of this area.
• Opportunities to read are everywhere. Encourage your child to read street signs, the back of the cereal box, or the sports pages of the daily newspaper. Your child might also enjoy reading non-fiction or comic books. Recipes help children learn to read for detail—leaving out just one ingredient can lead to disaster!
• Limit screen time. Create time for reading by limiting the amount of time your child spends watching television or playing video games.
• Give your child a choice among books. Present a few books that are the right type and length for your child, and let him choose. If you don’t present a few options, he may not make good choices. Children might choose the biggest (or smallest) book, or the one with the most attractive cover. Students who are behind in their reading level may not want to be seen with a book that is “babyish,” so they may choose books that are too hard for them. And sometimes books for older students with low reading levels may be boring. A good strategy is to say, “You choose one, I choose one.”
• Keep a record of what your child is reading. Use an incentive chart to help encourage more reading, or keep a reading diary or simple list. In a reading diary, children can also write down their thoughts about the books. Encourage your child to keep her own reading list, which also lets her practice writing.
• Encourage writing. Reading and writing go together. Children can practice their writing skills by making lists, keeping a journal, making a catalogue of their collections, or writing to friends and family.
• Give your child some control over who reads and when. It’s important to support your child if he decides to take on a longer book. Take turns reading, perhaps alternating paragraphs or pages. Or you can “act out” the story—your child can read the dialogue, and you can narrate by reading the rest of the text.
• When you are helping a child read, focus on meaning. Reading well is about understanding meaning, not just knowing how to say the words. If your child is stuck on a word, don’t just “sound it out.” Talk about the text and ask questions. Help your child figure out the word from the context of the rest of the passage or the pictures. Try not to interrupt unless the mistakes affect your child’s ability to understand the text. At the end of the paragraph or chapter, go back to words your child didn’t know or had trouble sounding out and review them together.
• If your child is an impatient reader, choose books that have movement. Books with short chapters or “cliff-hangers” encourage children to keep reading. Use sound effects and different voices to help keep the story interesting.
• Have fun with word play. Tell jokes with puns, and play games that involve words, like Scrabble, Boggle and hangman. Do crossword puzzles together.

When to call your doctor

• If your child has trouble paying attention when you read.
• If your child was reading well but is now having trouble.
• If your child is finding it hard to remember words that she should know.
• If your child is having any physical symptoms (i.e. pain, poor sleep) as well as struggling with reading.
• If you or your child’s teacher are concerned about your child’s vision or hearing.
• If your child is becoming frustrated or depressed by his struggle to learn to read.

More information from the CPS:

• Read, speak, sing to your baby: How parents can promote literacy from birth

Reviewed by:
CPS Public Education Advisory Committee

Last updated: November 2007