Following on from our article on improving your child’s maths skills through play, we thought we would put together our top ten ways to help improve your child’s reading ability. Without good reading skills, it is hard to get good academic achievements therefore it is in your child’s interests to try and make them a good reader. Below is our top ten tips for helping improve your child’s reading skills.

1. Regular times
Studies show that regularly reading aloud to children produces significant gains in their reading comprehensions, vocabulary and decoding of words. Therefore, try and set aside some time every day to read together - spending time together should hopefully inspire them to read independently too.

2. Surround your children
Surround your children with reading materials. Usually, children who are immersed in a world of books score higher on standardized tests. Make sure there are plenty of books and magazines spread around the house that are at their reading level – in the car, bathroom, bedroom and by the TV. If they are passionate about a particular subject, encourage them by subscribing to a magazine on their passion.

3. Family Reading Time
Establish a daily or weekly time when everyone reads silently together. Seeing other people in the house reading will hopefully encourage your child to read independently. Reading just 15 minutes a day will help to increase their reading fluency.

4. Wide range of reading activities
Make reading a fun, and integral part of their daily lives. Read everything around you - if you have a pet and buy pet food from the supermarket, ask your child to read off all the labels on the tins and then decide what flavours they feel their pet would enjoy the most; Read menus, road signs, timetables. Also ensure that you always carry some material around with you so if you have to wait for an appointment, you can read together.

5. Libraries
Grab yourself a library card and ensure you go to the library once every few weeks to stock up on new material. Let the child choose their favourite books. Many libraries also offer reading programs or classes for children of different ages that might appeal to your child.

6. Be knowledgeable
It is important to know what sort of level your child has reached in their reading skills. Your school’s curriculum should give you an idea of what sort of reading level your child is expected to be at – you can use this as guidance to see how well your child is doing. Report cards will also give a good indicator of how well your child is progressing.

7. Look for problems
Schools often miss reading problems until they become serious. Ensure you keep an eye on how well your child is doing – can they sound out words? Do they know sight words? Can they use context to identify unknown words? Can they understand what they have just read? If you find a problem, you can help your child overcome it before it becomes a serious hindrance.

8. Get Help
Reading problems will not magically disappear. The earlier a child receives help, the sooner they will catch up and become good readers. If you feel your child is struggling or is behind, do not be afraid to ask for help – teachers, tutors or learning centres can all help you out.

9. Use Aids
Use aids to help your child read – use computer programs and games, audio books and board games to help. Games are normally popular because they are fun and the child often won’t realise they are learning or practicing their reading skills.

10. Enthusiasm
Your feedback will be a massive influence on how hard your child will try to become a good reader. Make sure you give plenty of genuine praise for their efforts to motivate them to improve even further.

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