In our world today, everything seems to be geared toward electronic devices. In fact, it’s fair to say that many adults are addicted to them. Our children are becoming addicted to them too. Why is this happening? There are several reasons, but let’s look at what we can control. How many minutes (or hours!) per day do you spend on your phone or laptop? Your child is watching you and learning from you, so it’s only natural that he wants to do what you do. In this age of Google Meets and Zoom sessions when it’s a necessity to be on our devices, how can we encourage reading when it’s difficult to model it for our children? Here are some easy ways that you can engage with your child and help improve her reading skills.

• Have books at home - books for your child of course, but also for you. They don’t have to be Shakespeare or Hemingway, just physical books that are visible to your child.
• Go to the library - once a week would be best, but at least try to go bi-monthly. Let your child pick out books for herself but pick out one that is an engaging story that might be at a higher reading level.
• Read aloud to your child - often, parents stop doing this when their child becomes a fluent reader. It’s important to continue to read aloud to your child; not only will it give you the opportunity to share a love of reading, but also it will improve your child’s reading comprehension. As a teacher, I even read aloud to my high school students because I believed it to be beneficial for them.
• Schedule reading time - as we all know, children do best when having a routine. Making reading part of your child’s schedule, prioritizes it and ensures that your child will see reading as important.
• Teach your child to read fluently with phonics - it’s easier to learn to read when you can sound out words rather than have to memorize lists of them.
• Ask questions about what you and your child are reading together - the questions shouldn’t just be about what was read. Ask questions like, “Why do you think the character did that?”, “What would you have done in that situation?”, and “What do you think is going to happen next?” These questions will help your child with comprehension.

One reason I love being a franchisee of Best Brains Learning Centers is being able to help children reach their potential. Thanks for stopping by, we feel truly privileged to be a part of parents’ action plan. Here at Best Brains Bloomfield Hills, we believe in sharing great advice and helping others