There are many ways you can support your emerging reader. You know, that stage when your child is just starting to read independently and tackle such classics as Little Bear, by Else Holmelund Minarik and Henry and Mudge, by Cynthia Rylant. Consistency is key at this stage, of course, as is exposure to good literature. You should continue to read aloud no matter how well your child can read on his own. Even regular conversations with your child will support their reading skills!  If your child is ready, try these six easy ways to support them. Emphasis on easy!

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1. When reading aloud, position yourself so your child can see the page and slow down your reading. This will allow him to read along in his head with you. He will also gain confidence through word recognition and will add many new words to his reading vocabulary. I credit this one tip for exponential growth in my daughter’s reading abilities in a very short span of 3 months.
2. Model reading for pleasure. Even if it’s only 10 minutes, curl up together wherever your cozy place may be and read. Each of you should have a book to read, peruse, or study. This is about quiet pleasure, not forced reading or timed reading or assigned reading. Anything goes: a magazine, a picture book, a comic strip, an atlas. Get creative in your own choice of reading material and see what happens!
3. When your child reads to you, limit frustration by telling her a word when she asks. This improves fluency, removes what could be an impediment to good comprehension, and increases the pleasure of reading. My daughter told me this was one of the ways I helped her learn to read, second only to my reading aloud to her.
4. Encourage your child to read aloud to you just for fun. Reading aloud naturally slows down your emerging reader and causes him to read more carefully. The audio piece of hearing his own voice will help him catch mistakes quickly. My daughter loves to sit in the doorway to the kitchen and read to me as I wash the dishes. My son used to read to his little sister while I folded laundry in the same room.
5. Know when to call it quits for the day. Why must parents always try to finish up one more page, one more paragraph, one more sentence?  I am guilty of this, myself. When the signs are clear that it is time to stop reading, I want to squeeze in just that little bit more. And nine times out of ten, that little bit is the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. So, let’s agree that we will call it quits at the first indication that our child’s interest/attitude/effort is declining. We won’t wait for the meltdown. We will go have a snack. We will go outside. We will switch gears completely and save that extra little bit for tomorrow.
6. Shared reading. There is no rule that exists in this world that your child must read the entire book by herself. Be willing to trade off pages, or even finish the chapter or the book when she tires. Reading stamina will come with time, but letting your child decide when she has had enough is a wonderful way to support her love of reading. In my experience, this last tip increased my daughter’s willingness to read to me beyond measure.

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After I finished writing this list, I asked my daughter to tell me what helped her read more when she was first learning to read. Without hesitation, she replied, “You reading to me.” When I asked her for anything else, she said reading was easier when I told her a word if she didn’t know it. Straight from the horse’s mouth!

I encourage you to try these easy tips, but you should also ask your child directly what helps them most when they are reading aloud. The answer may surprise you! And if it does, please drop me a note at info@homeschoolsunshine.com. I would love to hear all about it!