Five easy ways to build a better reader:
1. Don't sweat mistakes. If your child gets to a word he doesn't know when reading aloud, don't make him sound it out, just give him the word. We learn from having our strengths identified not our mistakes magnified. ~Jeff Wilhelm, Professor of Reading at Univ. of Idaho.
2. Stay positive. Don't make reading a barrier to an activity your child enjoys ("You can't go out and play until you've done your reading")~Jim Trelease, author of The Read-Aloud Handbook.
3. Card 'em. When your child is reading a book with a lot of words, have him place an index card under the line of text he's reading and slide the card down the page as he reads. This helps kids keep their place. ~Richard Allington, Ph.D., president of the International Reading Association.
4. Form a team. Rather than arguing with your child about when she's going to start and how she'll finish a daunting reading assignment, offer to share the burden. Your child reads one page aloud, you read the next. ~Carol Rasco, CEO of Reading is Fundamental.
5. Give books as gifts. Children say they are more likely to read books they own, specifically, ones that were given to them by someone they love. ~Twila Liggett, Ph.D., creator of Reading Rainbow.
