Top Tips for Learning How to Read More
As adults, we often say we have to find more time to sit down and read. Most of us enjoy reading, but figuring out moments during the week where we can do it can be difficult. Before you know it, months or even years can have gone by since the last time you read a book for pleasure. And we all need to read more, as it provides a sense of enjoyment and lets us forget about our problems for a while.
For children, especially toddlers, learning to read should be viewed as not only a necessity, but it is also the biggest indicator that the child will have future academic success in school. Essentially, the earlier they learn to read, the better chance they have at obtaining incredible academic achievement. So, want to learn how to read more for yourself and your student child? We have all the tips.
Helping Children Learn to Read
Reading specialists are educators with a master’s degree who have exceptional knowledge about teaching children how to read through working on fluency and comprehension skills. The research-based strategies to use with a struggling reader would be:
- Practicing phonics
- Using decoding
- Training with Fry’s Instant Sight Words
- Reading with a parent
- Reading more often
By getting a child to learn how to read early in life they will excel in most subjects since all topics in school, including math, ask the student to have adequate reading skills. If you want your child to do well in school by the time they enter kindergarten, they should be able to read. It would be nice to have them at a first or second-grade reading level by the time they enter kindergarten and then they can continue to increase their levels from there.
Finding the Time to Read
Now that you realize how important it is for kids to read early and often, and how reading is a type of escapism for many adults where they can put aside the stress of their lives for a bit and focus on a good book, the trick is to figure out how to find the time to read more. With a bit of careful planning, you may just surprise yourself and be able to read every single day from here on out!
Bedtime Routine
Whether you are a child or an adult, if you make something part of a routine, it will eventually become a habit and you will be more likely to stick with it. Make reading part of your bedtime routine. Take a shower or bath, slip into your pjs, get a glass of water, and read your book in bed as you slowly drift off to sleep every night. In fact, when was the last time you read a book while taking a hot bath? Just the thought of it sounds so relaxing!
Your current bedtime routine probably has you watching Netflix, or something similar anyway, as you munch on snacks. By switching over to reading, you can reduce your streaming time, consume less wasteful calories, and activate your imagination to a much higher degree.
One Reading Night a Week
Family traditions are a pretty great thing to incorporate into your family’s life since there is a good chance it will be carried on from generation to generation. Choose one night a week where the television stays off and each person in the family retreats to a peaceful corner and reads their books for a couple of hours. To make it even more cozy, have a fire going and perhaps make some popcorn. Before long, everyone will be looking forward to reading night every week.
Visit the Library Every Weekend
If a child is excited about reading a book because of the specific topic it covers, they will read more often. The same can be said for adults as well. You will find dozens of books you will want to read after just one trip to the library. In fact, you will be racing home to read them with enthusiasm.
Audiobooks and Other Technology Are Options as Well
If you are a struggling reader or perhaps your vision isn’t what it once was, you can do audiobooks instead. They can be just as enjoyable and listening to them as you climb into bed is still fun.
Furthermore, kids nowadays seem to enjoy reading off tablets and other devices sometimes more than reading from actual paper books. There is nothing wrong with this as long as they aren’t quietly surfing the internet instead of reading. If you are looking for a gift for your child, a Kindle could be a good option and it can hold hundreds if not thousands of books on one device.
