Best Practices for Supporting Your Young Reader

First, consistent practice is key for beginning readers. A young child’s daily reading routine should include engaging with a book for at least ten minutes. By the time a child is in second grade, they should read independently or aloud to a grown-up for 15-20 minutes each day.

While a child reads aloud to you:

• Encourage them to slowly track words with their pointer finger to strengthen accuracy.
• Encourage them to sound out words rather than guessing from illustrations. The goal is to help them become more adept at decoding words.
• Encourage them to reread sentences to practice fluency. After reading a sentence slowly, suggest they add expression by reading at a quicker pace and grouping meaningful phrases.
• If they get stuck on a sight word, explain that it’s a tricky word. Show your reader the sounds in the word they can sound out, and read to them the irregularly spelled sounds.

There may be times when your reader is reluctant to read.

• Take turns: You read a page, they read a page. Take turns to take the pressure off. You can also try reading in unison with your child, which is a great way to help them practice expressive reading.
• Start with small expectations: Begin with five minutes of reading practice each day and slowly increase it over time. Celebrate the five minutes.
• Try the morning: Children’s stamina (for anything) is always higher in the morning. Many families report success when children read aloud in the morning—sometimes over a bowl of cereal, sometimes in the car or on the subway.
• Don’t force it: If your reader is still resistant to reading, read to them. Ask open-ended questions about the book. Stop to define challenging words. In other words, focus on building their language skills instead. If the resistance persists over time, seek out the advice of the child’s teacher.

Learning to read is hard work, but it should also be joyful.