Expert Advice for Emerging Readers (continued)

“The lack of comprehension can also be due to the fact that the child does not have any experiential background or knowledge to bring to the reading to help him or her construct meaning,” says Bausch. “They may be able to ‘say’ the words but the problem is that they cannot put them all together to understand what they mean.” Asking a child what he is interested in and then providing those kinds of texts can be helpful in this situation.

If these suggestions do not make a change in the child’s ability to read, Bausch recommends speaking to the professionals at the child’s school. They may be able to offer additional support and ideas geared specifically to your child’s individual needs.

Encouraging Reading

Now that your daughter no longer “needs” you to read Goodnight Moon, do you still have a place in her reading life? Absolutely.

“I think it is important for an older child to spend some time reading aloud to a parent and for a parent to continue to read aloud to the child,” says Bausch. “As children move up in the grades the texts they are reading become more demanding and sophisticated. Oftentimes there is a dialect to be negotiated, ‘voices’ to be heard, and punctuation to be understood . . . . Practicing fluency by reading aloud, hearing as well as saying the words, encourages the internalization of language.”

Parents are also vital in other ways: providing magazines, newspapers, and other reading material in the home; asking children about what they are reading in school in order to generate excitement and literary conversations; looking out for spur-of-the-moment reading opportunities such as road signs, food labels, and menus; and taking children to the library on a regular basis. But perhaps the greatest way a parent can influence a child’s attitude towards reading is by being a role model.

“A child, whether younger or older, will see that reading is important to a parent or caregiver if he sees them reading,” says Bausch. “If you love to read and are curious about your world, your child will be too!”