Thank you! Here are my 5 favorite reading strategies that you can use with your child:
1. “Do a picture walk.” This is for a child reading a picture book, or a chapter book with pictures in it. Looking through the book prior to reading it gives the child an idea of the story, and will help her prepare for reading the text.
2. “Look for chunks in the word.” Have the child look for smaller chunks in the word. For example, if the word is ‘blend’ and the child knows the word ‘end’, he can read ‘end’ and then add the ‘bl’ to the beginning of it.
3. “Trace and say." Have him put his finger at the top of the first letter, trace the letter with his finger, and then say the sound the letter makes while he’s tracing it. Once he does it for all of the letters in the word, have him sweep his finger under the word and put the sounds together.
4. “Does that make sense?” This is for when a child is reading a sentence or paragraph, and she misreads a word or two. It prompts the child to think about what she is reading, and if it does not make sense, she needs to go back and re-read it.
5. “Skip the words you don’t know, then go back”. While the child is reading, have her skip over the words she does not know. When she is finished reading the sentence or paragraph, have her go back and read the text again. Often, the words she DOES know will help her figure out the words she does not know.
1. “Do a picture walk.” This is for a child reading a picture book, or a chapter book with pictures in it. Looking through the book prior to reading it gives the child an idea of the story, and will help her prepare for reading the text.
2. “Look for chunks in the word.” Have the child look for smaller chunks in the word. For example, if the word is ‘blend’ and the child knows the word ‘end’, he can read ‘end’ and then add the ‘bl’ to the beginning of it.
3. “Trace and say." Have him put his finger at the top of the first letter, trace the letter with his finger, and then say the sound the letter makes while he’s tracing it. Once he does it for all of the letters in the word, have him sweep his finger under the word and put the sounds together.
4. “Does that make sense?” This is for when a child is reading a sentence or paragraph, and she misreads a word or two. It prompts the child to think about what she is reading, and if it does not make sense, she needs to go back and re-read it.
5. “Skip the words you don’t know, then go back”. While the child is reading, have her skip over the words she does not know. When she is finished reading the sentence or paragraph, have her go back and read the text again. Often, the words she DOES know will help her figure out the words she does not know.