Strategies for Teaching Reading

I wrote this article to give some strategies for teaching reading to your kids at home. These tips will help make learning to read a fun, positive, and meaningful time.

As a speech-language pathologist, I am a language expert. As a mom, I am a worrier. It is so hard not to worry about every step in a child’s development. If you want more information about phonological awareness and pre-reading skills, you can have a look at my article.

There are so many strategies for teaching reading at home while having fun! The most important thing for you to remember is that learning to read takes time and patience. No “read now” button will instantly transform your child into a reader. But if you take time to practice every day, these strategies for teaching reading will decrease the pressure and stress.

Below, I have eight strategies for teaching reading at home. I will expand on these below so you can know when and how to use them when reading with your child.

8 Strategies for Teaching Reading at Home

1. Make Reading Fun

This is the most important strategy for teaching reading. No matter how your child is progressing, creating a positive association between them and books will ensure a lifelong love of books. Reading can be a special time between parents and children, and even older siblings with their younger siblings. Everyone can be included.

2. Use the Illustrations

Illustrations provide excellent cues for what is happening in a story. Let your child look at the pictures on the page to help cue them as to what the text is saying. If they are struggling to read a word and there is a picture cue on the page, point to it and ask a question that will lead them to the answer. Ex: “Who is that?” or “What is she doing?” This strategy for teaching reading is a great step for kids to be able to monitor themselves. Do the pictures from the story and the words the child is reading match? This step is the beginning of self-monitoring.

3. Give Prompts

You must give kids the opportunity to make some mistakes when they are learning to read. When a child makes a mistake, you can give them prompts to help them recognize that they have made a mistake. You may begin by pointing to the error and asking them to try again. Initially, you will want to show them where the error has occurred to decrease frustration. If they cannot fix the mistake, tell them the correct word and move on.

4. Repeat Back

One of the strategies for teaching reading is to repeat back what the child has read–mistakes and all. It is easy to make mistakes when first learning to read. When you repeat back what they say, it encourages self-correction. They will know that a sentence does not make sense, and they have a chance to fix their error.

5. Ask Questions

As your child becomes a more proficient reader, ask them questions to ensure they understand what they are reading. Reading and comprehension are necessary for a child to become a proficient reader.

6. Practice Sight Words

One important strategy for teaching reading is practicing and reviewing sight words. These are words that do not follow the rules of phonics and cannot be “sounded out.” These are high-frequency words that will help kids improve their reading fluency (eg, she, he, said, the). You will often hear some sight words referred to as “word families”(like the -ar family).

7. Ensure Books Are the Correct Level

It is a delicate balance to ensure your child is reading books that are at the correct level. You do not want the books to be so easy that they are boring, but you also don’t want the books to be so difficult as to be discouraging.

If your child is reading independently, they can look through old favorites or read books they will have success with. If you are reading with your child, the book should not be so difficult that it will cause frustration. You want your child to associate reading with fun, together time.

The library is a great resource to keep books fresh and new. You can start by reading some of the book and having your child read words or parts of the story if it is slightly difficult.

8. Be Patient

Initially, reading may take a very long time. Children may have to sound out every word at the beginning, and that is perfectly normal. Kids pick up on your cues. If they see that you are bored, they will not want to read. As they become more proficient, they will still make errors! The learning curve can sometimes be like a wave– quicker reading with more errors and slower reading with fewer errors. It will take time to become a proficient reader. Continue to be patient during this reading journey.

Frequently Asked Questions

Epilogue

Have you used these strategies for teaching reading? Were they helpful? Let me know if the comments