This week I’ve written about how to help your child read and read fluently. The final piece of the reading puzzle is your child understanding what he has read. We want children to read for pleasure frequently, but we also want them to be able to make sense of what they read. Reading comprehension is vital for succeeding in advanced studies.
Why Your Child May Have Poor Reading Comprehension
If your child is a beginning reader, there are a number of factors that work against her in understanding what she reads.
First, she must expend most of her mental effort in decoding words. Her attention is focused on the words rather than their meaning in context. If you’ve ever been nervous as you read something out loud, you may have noticed that you had no idea what you read. Divided attention can decrease reading comprehension.
Second, he has a limited vocabulary and literary knowledge. Parents may assume their child knows a word when in fact, he does not. To make matters worse, a beginning reader may not ask the meaning of words he does not know. Your child may also be unfamiliar with themes in literature that would help him make accurate predictions about what he will be reading.
Third, your child doesn’t have advanced reasoning ability. He is unlikely to make connections unless they are explicitly stated in the text because of his developmental level. This is also why word problems in math can be difficult for young students.
Regardless of your child’s reading level, there are a number of strategies you as her teacher can use to improve her reading comprehension.
How to Increase Your Child’s Reading Comprehension
Modify the SQ3R method.
Survey: Before reading to your child, look at the book together. Look at the front cover, any description of the book on the back cover, and any chapter titles or headings as you skim through.
Question: Based on your survey of the book, give your child questions that you expect the book to answer. If you will be reading a book about snakes and one of the headings is “Snake Habitats,” suggest that the book will answer the question, “What are snake habitats like?” Encourage your child to give you questions he expects the book to answer.
Read: As you read, point out the answer to a question you thought the book would answer. Be sure to define words that your child may not know. When reading fiction, ask your child what he thinks will happen. Use literary terms that are appropriate to your child’s level like character, antagonist, or climax.
Recite: Stop at the end of a section or chapter and ask your child to explain what happened or what was learned. For example, ask your child why she thinks a character did what she did. If she isn’t sure, review key passages together.
Review: Ask your child to retell the story or content to a family member later in the day. Continue to ask your child to recall key information from what was read later in the week.
If your child can read, but not fluently, you know what I’m talking about. The halting pace with voice pitch changes that don’t match the text are very noticeable. But just to be clear:
“Reading fluency is the power to read quickly and accurately. The more fluent a reader, the more he or she automatically groups and recognizes words. Fluent readers excel at oral reading, which is highlighted by smooth and natural expression.” – ReadingRx
Slow reading and failing to voice pronunciation correctly are normal for beginning readers. But if it continues, poor reading fluency will affect your child’s reading motivation and comprehension. Improving your child’s reading fluency is a top priority.
How to Improve Your Child’s Reading Fluency
Practice, practice, practice. Have your child read aloud a lot. If she resists because she doesn’t feel confident, remind her that reading is like every other skill: it requires practice. No one is born reading well. Once a child is reading in our home, they earn the privilege of getting to read Scripture out loud during our Bible time.
Build your child’s confidence. Have him read a beloved book in his skill level to a younger sibling or for a grandparent. Let him read the same book over and over and praise him when he does.
You read first. Let a child who struggles with reading fluency hear you read new material first. This is no different than having a young musician listen to a piece before trying to play it.
Have her read with you. After you read to your child, have her read out loud along with you. Read at a slightly faster rate than your child has been.
Assess your child’s reading speed. Choose a passage that isn’t familiar but can be read by your child with at least 100 words in it. Ask your child to read it out loud for speed for one minute (use a timer). Record how many words were read and share the number with your child without judgement.
Challenge your child to improve. Have your child read the same passage again to see if he can improve speed, accuracy, and a natural voice. Repeat this process, taking note of your child’s interest. If she is weary, try it again another day. Depending on your child’s personality, you may want to have him try to earn a reward for improving speed. You could also have him compete for improvement in speed with a sibling (not in total words read). Continue choosing new material to read for the challenge, encouraging your child to keep practicing.
Fluent readers are more likely to be consistent readers. This Pinterest board has games you can use to improve your child’s reading fluency.
I had successfully taught my oldest three sons to read using The Phonics Game, Jr. and Christian Liberty Press readers.
Phonics Readers, 4 Volumes, Grade K By Florence M. Lindstrom / Christian Liberty PressHelp your new readers master the basic sounds of the English language with this colorfully illustrated series. The first two books emphasize single-syllable short vowel sounds. The other two cover long vowels and build vocabulary skills. Simple consonant blends are introduced throughout the series. One to three pages in length, each story honors God and teaches Christian values. 27–59 pages each, four softcovers.
I was feeling pretty confident in my teaching ability!
Then my fourth son was ready to learn to read. Strangers had commented on his advanced vocabulary for his age, so I was sure he would be an early reader. Nope. We used the same materials and while he knew the letter names and sounds, he could not use phonics to read.
I had read that I should have him sing the sounds to make them easier to run together. This particular son loves to sing, so I was sure that would work. Nope again.
I decided he was just a little slower in making the connections, so wasn’t worried. We continued to review phonics. But as the months went by, he continued to sound out c-a-t without ever once blending the sounds into a word. Although he couldn’t read phonetically, he was doing something interesting. He was memorizing words and was guessing at the rest using some letter sounds and context.
Although he definitely had a system for reading, it was clearly the wrong one! Everything I had read about teaching reading suggested that he HAD to learn to read phonetically. He memorized words very quickly and was very clever at decoding words apart from straight phonics. But I knew that I wouldn’t always be there to teach him unknown words. Phonics would be.
I Asked an Expert
My neighbor is a reading specialist. Convenient, no? I mentioned my son’s struggle to read phonetically and what he was doing instead. “Oh,” she answered. “He just needs to read using whole language.”
Oh. What was whole language again? I had to look it up. It’s an approach to teaching reading that has been in and out of vogue for decades. It emphasizes learning to read whole words and through literature rather than with the decoding skills of the phonics approach.
When I shared what she had said with my mother, Mom said, “That’s how you learned to read.” Sure enough, I remember being in class and circling the word that the teacher read. There were no phonics-based worksheets that have become a staple of modern reading instruction. And yet I learned to read.
I was still nervous about not continuing to drill my son with phonics. I asked yet another expert at a homeschooling convention if I would be hurting my son by allowing him to read his way instead of the phonetic way. He agreed with my neighbor. I should let him memorize words and use the context to read.
What Happened When I Stopped Using Phonics to Teach My Son
My first thought was that I was going to drill my son with sight words. I bought a sight-word curriculum and I noticed that it bored him. I didn’t blame him. It really was boring.
Fortunately, sight words weren’t the only change in my approach. I started letting him read the Christian Liberty Press readers with help. We would review the words on the left page (the same approach I had used with my sons who used phonics to read). Then when he couldn’t read a word in the paragraph on the right, I didn’t tell him to sound it out. I just told him the word. He would say it and keep reading.
At first my son was surprised by his newfound freedom from phonics. He was also hesitant to use his reading method. I realized that I had inadvertently communicated to him that he wasn’t a good reader, simply because he couldn’t sound out words. I started praising him for reading his way. He grew more confident and eager to read.
The end result is that within no time, he was reading at grade level and then beyond. I shouldn’t have worried about his lack of phonics skills. His basic phonics knowledge, great exposure to literature through audio books and read alouds, and his excellent use of context has enabled him to read new words on his own.
What to Do When Phonics Doesn’t Work
I have shared my story a few times with other homeschooling moms who say phonics doesn’t work. I haven’t expected them to relate. I figured my son was just a rare bird. Turns out that there are a number of kids who do not use phonics to read in the way we expect.
Recognize that pure phonics doesn’t work for every child and that’s okay. Most children should be taught using aspects of both phonics and whole language activities. This article shares how.
Talk to an expert. It’s possible your child has a visual, auditory, or learning issue that is at the heart of the problem. Get help addressing these issues if they are present. If a diagnosis doesn’t apply, consider the next few tips.
Teach your child how to use context in reading. Before reading a passage, make sure your child looks at the pictures. Pictures stimulate the brain to choose appropriate words from a range of possibilities. Ask your child to summarize what she has read up to the unknown word. The previous sentences and words provide important clues to the new word.
Encourage guessing. Pure phonics discourages guessing, but the slow pace of phonics decoding really puts off some kids like my son. Allow your child to make an educated guess using context and any recognizable phonics. If your child guesses wrong, tell him the word.
Encourage your child to memorize words. Everyone memorizes words. The only time accomplished readers use phonics is for new words and names. Some children prefer this strategy right from the beginning. While sight word flashcards may have some value, reading the same words over and over is even more effective. Repetitive books like Dr. Seuss titles are excellent for this purpose.
Praise your child’s reading skills. If, like me, you have communicated that your child isn’t reading right, you will want to make an effort to encourage your child. Explain that his approach definitely works; it’s just different.
Reading is a vitally important skill for our children to develop. Because it is, we have to do what we can to make reading appealing. Research suggests that teaching approach has a powerful impact on children’s attitudes toward reading and the amount of time spent reading independently. Are you doing any of these things in your homeschool that could discourage your child from reading?
Limiting the Range of Books That Can Be Read
Studies of kids whose academic progress is stunted in summers off from school suggest they are kids with the least number of books in the home. While I’ve never met a homeschooler who didn’t have a lot of books, I have known some who have very strict standards for literature. Of course we don’t want our children to read books that conflict with our values or that aren’t high quality. But limiting our children’s reading selection to the 1800s classics that you love may have the unwanted side effect of inciting rebellion in other areas.
Our children have different personalities and preferences than we do. Refusing to allow them to choose books that appeal to their God-given passions may not only kill their desire to read, but may wound their spirits. Reading what you consider to be a silly book may bring a lot of joy to your child and may encourage him to read more serious works later.
When my son was little, he was obsessed with dinosaurs. I found two dinosaur books at the time written from a Christian perspective. If I had limited his reading to those two books, he would have been extremely frustrated. Instead, we checked out every book we could find on dinosaurs from the library. We used the evolutionary statements in the books as opportunities to review what we know to be true–a teaching approach with proven effectiveness.
One of the things I did this year in our literature co-op was allow each child to choose one classic book and one book of their choice for the group to read. Which books do you think the kids were most excited about? I want children to be exposed to classics, but when they beg me to let them read another excellent book in a contemporary series, why would I ever say no?
Freedom of reading choice (within reasonable limits) encourages children to read.
Requiring Extra Work With Reading
Reading is intrinsically rewarding when a child is able to read with adequate speed and comprehension (I have upcoming posts on these topics). But we can make reading a chore when we always tack on assignments.
Book reports, chapter summaries, and writing definitions for vocabulary words are excellent means of developing particular skills. Unfortunately, they are terrible ways of encouraging children to read. Few children find these assignments fun. Would you want to read if you had to do these tasks for every book?
In math the expression “drill and kill” refers to the practice of requiring students to complete pages and pages of problems, with the end result of killing joy for math. We can drill and kill in language arts as well. Elementary students should primarily be focused on discovering the joy of reading, rather than on developing technical skills. Assignments that are given should be short and purposeful.
Once the kids in our literature co-op had practiced completing a literature map for books several times, I stopped requiring it. They understood literary terms and enjoyed using them in our discussions without the busy work.
Reading without having to produce extra work encourages children to read.
Not Allowing Time for Reading
A new program in some public schools called Stop, Drop and Read is having a great deal of success in promoting independent reading. Freedom of reading choice and not requiring additional assignments have likely made it effective. But I would argue that the most powerful part of the program is the dedicated time for reading.
Today’s schedules that are packed with extra-curricular activities and online access have made reading a luxury few think they can afford. Many of my adult friends tell me they simply don’t have time to read. How will we prepare our children to be readers in the future if we don’t create a space in our lives for books?
Reading for enjoyment (the most powerful predictor of academic and life success) can easily be neglected in lieu of more “serious” schoolwork. Even reading aloud as families (which is my favorite part of homeschooling) should not be undertaken at the expense of time for your child to read on her own.
Our family encourages reading before bed, but sometimes we stop, drop, and read too. What’s critically important is that parents participate. The modeling speaks volumes, to use a reading metaphor. If we are too busy to read for pleasure, how can we expect our children to take the time? Put a free reading time on your calendar or add it to your child’s lesson plan. I have found that adding reading time to the other, less desirable assignments encourages reading. It’s the first subject my kids complete for the quarter.
Making dedicated time for reading encourages children to read.
Not Providing Reading Support
Just as children are unique in their reading interests, they are unique in their preferred format. Failing to provide support will keep our kids from reading.
As a busy homeschooling mom, I can relate to wanting a child, who knows how to read, to read independently. But some children need you or another mature reader with them while they read out loud for emotional or decoding support. If your child hates to mispronounce or misread a word, he will be reluctant to pick up a book on his own until he is more confident. This child will need lots of encouragement and reminders that any mistakes he makes will be corrected as he reads more. It’s worth it to spend the time building this type of reader up.
Reading and discussing in a group can also provide the support your child needs to read more. I’ve already mentioned that my kids read for a literature class in our co-op. It works so well to get kids reading. The kids ask each other how far they are in the book. But consider another option that I am considering for this year: start a book club. The book 100 Books for Girls to Grow On describes the benefits of reading books for tween girls in a mother-daughter book club. You could start a mother-son or a father-son or a grandparent-grandchild book club with any age child and build readers while you’re building relationships.
Some children with dyslexia find the process of reading printed materials exhausting and need a different kind of support. These readers can benefit from listening to audio books for fun. Another option is to have your struggling reader listen to books while they read the text. Disney Story Central, Epic Books, and Amazon’s Immersion Reading titles have this reading support built in. Our digital-native children may feel more comfortable reading on a Kindle than printed books. Borrow a friend’s Kindle for your child to try and see what she thinks.
Less confident readers may also be very sensitive to the format of the words on a page. Graphic novels that look like comic books are very successful in pulling these types of readers in. Capstone Publishers produce fiction and nonfiction titles on high-interest topics that are for lower-level readers. There are captivating pictures and lots of white space to encourage aspiring readers. You can find their books at your public library.
Providing books in your child’s preferred format encourages children to read.
Not Getting Outside Help
A child who hates to read is usually a child who feels he isn’t good at it. If you haven’t had your child’s vision, hearing, or reading skills evaluated, I recommend it.
Homeschoolers are understandably concerned about admitting to those outside the homeschooling community that our child isn’t reading well. But there are professionals–even those associated with public schools–who can be of great help. Every situation is unique, however, so my advice is to contact someone in a local or state homeschool support group for advice. You may have a reading specialist who now homeschools in your group! You won’t know until you ask. I also recommend the blog Homeschooling With Dyslexia.
When my child was struggling to read, I discussed it with my neighbor–a teacher and reading specialist. Her advice made all the difference! I’ll be sharing about our experience later this week.
Getting outside help for struggling readers encourages them to read.
Not Expecting Your Child to Be a Reader
If you aren’t a reader or your spouse isn’t, it can be easy to communicate that you don’t expect your child to be an avid reader. Homeschooling can reverse the no-reading habit for you and your child.
Remember that being a reader isn’t limited to reading War and Peace for fun. Reading is important and enjoyable for all kinds of kids, whether they want to enter a profession or a trade. Reading isn’t for “smart kids.” Reading is what makes kids smart. We shouldn’t automatically assume that dyslexic kids won’t be readers, either. Kids with learning disabilities can be the most passionate readers of all, because they have had to work for their skills.
I know people who aren’t readers, but who love God’s Word. If for no other reason than you want your child to enjoy a close, wonderful relationship with the Lord, expect that your child will be a reader. Children always want to meet the expectations of a loving parent. Pray that God would give you wisdom and direction as you seek to raise a reader.
Expect your child to be a reader to encourage her to read.
What to Do If You’ve Made These Mistakes
If you have already made some of these mistakes with your child, and it’s appropriate, apologize. One of the most valuable lessons we can teach our children is how to admit when we are wrong. Taking the blame has the added benefit of encouraging your child to believe that he CAN be an avid reader and that it isn’t his fault. Explain that it’s something you will work on together and with God’s help, you will succeed.
The better a child reads, the more he will read. The more a child reads, the better her reading skills will be.
But why does reading matter?
Better readers tend to enjoy more academic success in every subject, higher incomes as adults, and even better relationships. Encouraging our children to become better readers should be a primary goal in our homeschools. I’m passionate about children not just learning to read, but becoming avid readers. I’ve written about encouraging reluctant readers here and here and I’ve authored curriculum to help homeschool parents build better readers and writers.
But first, I want to give you some ideas you can use today to help your child read well and love it for life.
This post is in a series of posts called 5 Ways to Help Your Child Become a Better Reader. Of all the posts in the series, this is the most critical. Giving your child a steady diet of delightful fiction and nonfiction is one of the best things you can do as a parent. Fortunately, providing good books doesn’t have to be expensive. The library is free, many Kindle titles and other online books are free, and friends’ books are free to borrow.
Book Choice Warnings
Before I share 6 ways to find books your child will enjoy, I want to give you a couple pieces of advice about book choice. First, remember that your child may have much different tastes than you did as a child. Insisting that your child read specific titles you loved isn’t the best way to encourage independent reading. I will share more about this in a future post, but for now, allow your child the right of refusal for books that are to be read for pleasure.
My second piece of advice is to treat books like you would movies or video games: research them before buying them or checking them out for your child. I’m not suggesting you read every book before your child. I have never had time for that! But when it comes to titles you’re not familiar with, it’s good practice to review them. I have been absolutely horrified by the content of some children’s and teen’s books I’ve looked over lately. Unfortunately, in an effort to get kids reading, some publishers have been giving kids what they think they want, rather than what is best. Book awards and five-star reviews are no guarantee that a title is appropriate for your child. A quick way to avoid serving your child the equivalent of “junk food” in a book is to read the 1-star reviews on Amazon. These reviews are usually by parents who will give you the objectionable content, so you can make an informed decision.
6 Ways to Find Books Your Child Will Enjoy
1. Search for titles similar to those your child has enjoyed.
Whether your child read a book himself or enjoyed one you read aloud, you now have a key to finding more great titles. Here’s how.
Find titles with Amazon
Enter a book title into Amazon’s search and scrolling down a bit will pull up a list of books customers have also purchased. My boys have all been crazy about Calvin & Hobbes. Checking the other books customers purchased for this title includes more Calvin & Hobbes titles as expected. But continuing to click the right arrow gives me these suggestions to consider.
Find Titles Through Your Library’s Catalog
I searched for Charlotte’s Web through my library’s online catalog and got these recommendations with a reason why each title was selected.
Find Titles with Read Kiddo Read
While the database isn’t nearly as broad as Amazon’s, Read Kiddo Read also suggests titles based on books your child loves. Here are more recommendations based on Charlotte’s Web.
2. Search for books by movies your child has loved or wants to see.
Even if you don’t enjoy reading the book after you watch the movie, your child might! Did your child love the Minions movie? Maybe that was just me. 🙂 Look at this cute junior novel to entice your young reader.
Is a new movie coming out that your child is dying to see? Get the book and have him read it before seeing the movie.
3. Search by age / grade level and gender.
Find titles with Amazon
These were the top two results on Amazon books for 2nd grade boys. Note the 5-star reviews! Books in series are an excellent choice. If your child likes one, he will want to read the rest.
Find titles with Goodreads
The same search on Goodreads produced two lists that others are voting on, giving you even more social proof.
Find titles with Pinterest
Searching for 2nd grade boys’ books produces individual pins like this one as well as boards on the topic that are worth checking out.
There are a number of books that recommend titles for your child by age and sometimes by gender.
3. Search by topic
What does your child spend the most time doing or talking about? Think your child spends way too much time watching TV and playing video games? There are books about these topics too! Check out these titles from a search for Minecraft, for example:
Use the Guys Read Site to Find Books on Topics Boys Will Love
I love that the Guys Read website makes reading seem macho. 🙂 Go over the topic list with your son. Anything sound interesting? This is just a sample.
Find Books with Get Epic
Epic is a free reading website (and app) for educators (the company is open to homeschoolers gaining access) that asks about your child’s interests and then makes book suggestions. The beauty of this website (besides the fact that there are audio books supporting text) is that kids can check out many titles quickly. Here’s a sample of recommended titles:
4. Find Titles That Meet Kids’ Needs
Kids, like adults, are motivated to read for the information they need. Are you taking a trip? Give your child a book on your destination and ask them to decide what they would like to see most. Are you expecting a new baby? Try a book on babies or being a big sister. Would your child like to earn some extra money? Find a book on businesses for kids or on the skills they will need to develop for that business. Would your child like a pet? Suggest a book on the care of that pet before you bring it home.
Does your child find reading difficult? There are books that address that need too! Check out the list on Reading Rockets. This is a sample:
5. Ask Your Child’s Friends for Their Favorites
This is my favorite tip. If your child has a friend who loves to read, ask him for his favorite titles in front of your child. Ask him why he likes those books and ask if you could borrow them, if he owns them. Having boys (in particular) share their love for books is really powerful. But my daughter has loved sharing books with her friend, too.
6. Spend Time at the Library
Your local librarian knows what books are popular with kids and should be able to recommend titles based on your child’s interests. Many libraries put award-winning books in prominent locations. Check this site for 2015 award winners. Just remember my warning from above!
But even without asking for help, your child is bound to find something of interest to her if you spend enough time around the books (and not at the computer station). Whether you just let your child peruse the children’s section until something catches his eye or you participate in a scheduled book talk, the library is the perfect place to find great books.
It’s important to note that audio books are books, too. They build vocabulary and aid word recognition in printed books. Ask your librarian how to access audiobooks online if they they have them available.
Do you have any other tips for helping your children find books they would enjoy? Please share them.
I’m a Christian psychologist turned homeschooling mother of six. My life can be a little crazy, so I look for sanity-saving ideas to use and share. I hope you’ll read my About page to learn more.
This week I’ve written about how to help your child read and read fluently. The final piece of the reading puzzle is your child understanding what he has read. We want children to read for pleasure frequently, but we also want them to be able to make sense of what they read. Reading comprehension is vital for succeeding in advanced studies.
