Reading Stretegies and Tips for Parents
(not that you have to be a parent to benefit from these helpful hints) 

Reading with your child is a special experience...it’s about understanding, connecting, and relating. Let’s use this special one-on-one opportunity with our children to take their literacy skills to the next level. Here are some ideas:

• Determine importance by asking about key details in text (characters, setting, main ideas, etc.)
• Make connections: connect the story to your child's life, other stories, and real life events
• Determine importance by choosing moments during reading for your child to reflect and retell 
• Prompt children to use clues to guess what will happen next
• Encourage children to visualize: what does the story look like in your head?
• Take turns reading and choosing books
• Read a variety of texts like non-fiction, fiction, informational, poetry
• Demonstrate fluent reading by using proper expression and pausing appropriately
• Read with a FUN voice – this will model to children what it looks like and sounds like to stop at periods, to emphasize questions, and to get excited when there are exclamation points
• Relate the book to your child – Have you ever had a time when you were scared? Tell me about it!
• Determine the theme or message of the story
• Practice new words to enhance vocabulary – keep a running list of new words that your child has learned
• Ask questions before, during, and after reading (who, what, where, when, why, how):
• What do you think this book will be about?
• Why do you think the character felt like that?
• What was your favorite part of the story?

Be a dialogical reader with your child:

• Have your child take an active role during reading
• Give feedback and praise (in the right way!)
• Challenge your child – take his or her skills to the next level