Some quick ideas to develop a child’s early reading skills

• Use an assisted reading method to increase reading fluency. Read a phrase or sentence, then have your child read it back. Move your finger along the print to help your child focus on words. Reread the passage several times. When your child recognizes the words, have them read the sentence independently. Assist with difficult words by modeling how to sound them out.
• Play games that require simple reading. You can even make up your own rules to adapt to your child’s needs. When playing Scrabble, have your child invent any “word“ as long as it follows a consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) pattern, and they can read it correctly.
• Read with your child for fifteen minutes every night. Ask a librarian to help you select interesting books at your child’s instructional reading level (i.e. slightly above your child’s present reading development level). At an instructional reading level, your child should be able to read — without difficulty — 95 to 97 words in a 100-word passage.
• If your child resists reading aloud, read to them instead and have them follow along with their finger. Do not read right before bed if it causes your child stress. Consider incentives if your child resists you reading aloud. (“First, I’d like to read this story to you, and then we will play at the park.”)

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