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Your Young Reader (ages 5-8)

From kindergarten through third grade, you may see tremendous growth in your child’s literacy development. While your child may receive a lot of educational guidance from teachers, remember that you play a major role in your child’s success in reading and writing at every stage of development.


Your Beginning Reader (Grades K-2)

Here are a few things that you can do to help build your child’s literacy skills:

  • Let your child gradually share some of the reading aloud. You read a sentence, paragraph, or page, then it’s your child’s turn.
  • Take over if your beginner seems tired or discouraged to ensure that reading is always fun, not just hard work.
  • If your child can’t sound out a word, suggest skipping it, reading the rest of the sentence, and deciding what word would make sense.
  • Leave notes on the refrigerator or in a lunch bag for your child to discover and read.
  • Take your new reader to the library to sign up for his or her own library card.
  • Try introducing the following types of books to your child:
  • Read-aloud books with plots to follow and challenging vocabulary
  • Easy-to-read books your child can read alone
  • Books in a variety of genres, including nonfiction and poetry


Your Developing Reader (Grades 2-3)

Here are a few things that you can do to help build your child’s literacy skills:

  • When your children read aloud, help them catch and correct their own mistakes by asking guiding questions. For example, you might ask, Does that word really make sense here? What letter does it start with? What do you think the word could be?
  • Talk about the books you read together and about the books your children are reading on their own.
  • Don’t stop reading aloud! Developing readers can read simple chapter books alone, but they still need you to help read the kinds of books that will challenge their thinking and build their vocabulary.
  • Suggest that your child read to a younger brother, sister, or neighbor. It will be good practice, a chance to show off skills, and an inspiration for the younger listener.

    • Your Independent Reader (ages 9-12)
    A child in grades four through six has probably mastered basic reading skills and can read independently for pleasure. This is a great time for you to keep encouraging and motivating your child to read more often. And don’t forget the importance of reading aloud to your child and participating in reading- and writing-related family activities.
    Here are a few things that you can do to help build your child’s literacy skills:

    • Continue reading aloud books that challenge your child’s listening vocabulary and thinking skills. Reading books that are above your child’s reading level will help him or her grow as a reader.
    • Encourage your child’s independent reading by providing a steady flow of books and conversation about them.
    • Help children who seem to lose interest in reading find the time to read at home for pleasure. Make sure that their lives haven’t become overly scheduled.
    • Help your children find more reasons to write. Enlist them in taking messages, making the shopping list, writing letters, and answering email.

      • Try introducing the following types of books to your child:

    • Classic fiction and other more recent novels to read aloud together
    • Longer chapter books for middle readers
    • Books in a variety of genres, including biography, fiction, nonfiction, and poetry

      • Try introducing the following types of books to your child:

    • Novels for ìmiddle readersî that you can read aloud together
    • Information books for young readers
    • Books in a variety of genres, including biographies, humorous stories, and poetry.