How to increase your child’s reading skills

Jennifer J. Soileau
3 min readApr 12, 2022

Reading may be the most important learning skill that your child develops. Reading contributes to your child’s growth in more ways than any other skill, including intellectual and emotional development. Strong reading skills can help set your child on the path to success. If developed consistently over time, reading can prove to be a skill that is helpful throughout their lives.

A reading skill acquired through perusing good reading material can add to your child’s vocabulary, helping them grasp the fundamentals of the language. Your child’s language association level can also assist them in other skills that contribute to their development. Steadily growing your child’s reading skills can help them understand vital concepts like judgment, logic, and the relationship between cause and effect.

So, what can contribute to steadily increasing your child’s reading skills? Well, here are some concepts that you as a parent can apply to achieve just that.

Start early:

When parents read to a child before they become capable of reading words, they are more likely to pick up on verbal communication. This practice of reading to your child can later kick-start their ability to grasp words with ease at an earlier stage. Even when they start reading, introducing them to new words and sentences can strengthen their reading skills beyond their years.

Establish a routine:

When parents encourage their children to read and even read with them, they are already on the way to increasing their child’s reading skills. Adding a routine to practice reading can train the child’s mind on the importance of contributing time to reading. This practice makes it likely fir the child to make time for reading in their daily lives. This practice also consistently adds to your child’s skills such as reading, comprehension and vocabulary. They get encouraged to try and sound out new words and recognize them.

Encourage reading from other sources:

Words are found everywhere, from street names to car model names, instructions, and even cereal boxes. Make it a practice to ask them to read out these words found around them whenever you can. You can also ask them to read out the ingredients and instructions that are printed on the packaging of their favorite snack to help them understand words better.

Be a part of your child’s reading education:

As a parent, you’re the closest person to a child. Although teachers do their best to help your child grow through education, you’d be the first to notice if your child starts struggling. Additionally, children are notorious for shying away from seeking help, even if they struggle with grasping the meaning of a concept. So always remain aware of what your child is learning in terms of reading, and contribute positively to it.

Conclusion:

Reading skills need to be worked upon to develop in a child. Leveling up the reading skills can be a lifelong asset for your child and help them develop more complex skills later on. Working with your child to help them develop this vital skill may be the best gift you can give them.

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Jennifer J. Soileau

I am a writer that’s writing for more than a decade. I have transformed numerous ideas and research into words for multi-dimensional products and services.