Expert Advice for Emerging Readers

Parents of emerging readers are entering into an exciting time as they watch their child unlock the meaning behind all those squiggles and dots.

In addition to overwhelming pride, parents might also feel confused over their changing role in the reading process. Linda Bausch, Ed.D, an assistant professor at Dowling College in Oakdale, N.Y., has many strategies for parents who are eager to help their developing reader without sounding critical or overbearing to sensitive young ears. Here are a few pointers to keep in mind the next time you read with your child:

Correcting Mistakes

As a seasoned reader (and a parent), your first inclination might be to jump in and help when your child struggles to figure out a sentence. Bausch recommends instead that you try asking the child three important questions:

• Does that sound right?
• Does that look right?
• Does that make sense?

“These key questions enable the child to begin to construct meaning and to eventually become independent in his use of reading strategies,” says Bausch. “I also like to ask if they simply cannot decode or sound out the word, ‘What would make sense there?’”

When it comes to pronunciation, Bausch favors a similar “hand over the responsibility to the child first” approach. “I think it is important for a parent to tell the child the pronunciation of a word when asked. But, that said, what I think is extraordinarily important is for the parent to first ask, ‘What do you think it is?’ and/or ‘What do you think it sounds like?’”