Reading is a necessity in life. Without it, a person’s ability to thrive is greatly diminished. According to Healthline, reading has both physical and mental benefits. These include strengthening your brain, increasing your ability to empathize, reducing stress, and building your vocabulary.1 The National Institute of Health also reports that reading activity prevents long-term decline in cognitive function.2
Teaching your child to read can feel very challenging, especially when you have 1,000 things on your to-do list and insufficient time in a day. Sitting patiently while your child spells out each syllable and word can create added stress and anxiety. According to the Public Broadcasting Service, the root of most reading problems, in the view of many experts, is decoding. Signs of decoding difficulty include: trouble sounding out words and recognizing words out of context, confusion between letters and the sounds they represent, slow oral reading rate (reading word-by-word), reading without expression and ignoring punctuation while reading.3
The Parent Teacher Association has reading tips for your child at every age:4
- Infants and Toddlers (understanding of the relationships between pictures, words and sounds, and responsiveness to rhythms and rhymes):
Make reading a daily habit | Link reading to real life | Repetition is necessary - Kindergarten through Third Grade (basic building blocks of reading like letters and words, as well as increasing reading confidence and comprehension):
Take turns reading out loud | Develop comparison skills | Make words tactile - Grades Four through Six (improving fluency, analytical skills and diversity of reading materials):
Monitor reading choices | Develop recall skills | Encourage research - Middle/High School (expected to develop, and continually deepen, their ability to use written words)
Compare and contrast points of view | Seek enjoyment, enrichment and inspiration
By providing your child the necessary tools and resources to ensure they are at the appropriate reading level, you will help ensure they have a successful future. If you are interested in becoming a member and gaining access to our Resource Center ($10/month or $99/annually), visit https://advocatefortheinnocent.org/memberships/ to learn more.
References:
1 – https://www.healthline.com/health/benefits-of-reading-books
2 – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8482376/
3 – https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/misunderstoodminds/readingdiffs.html
4 – https://www.pta.org/docs/default-source/files/family-resources/2018/family-guides/familyguide-reading_skills.pdf