When children enter into Elementary school they quickly learn that they are not in kindergarten anymore. They have officially moved from “playing” to learn to an environment of concepts and symbols. Through the early years of elementary school (1st through 3rd grade), many children begin to exhibit common mistakes when reading. If left unchecked, these mistakes can develop into frustration and struggle, reading problems, being labeled learning disabled, and illiteracy.
It is very important to understand the main reasons for your child’s reading difficulties. Good readers are said to be active readers. When your child is facing a hard time understanding what he/she reads, making mistakes, leaving off endings, replacing words or other common errors, all you can do as a responsible parent is to find the perfect solution for this problem.
Major Problems Related to Your Child’s Reading
There are several factors that can affect a child’s reading ability. However, there are some fundamental skills associated with reading that impact a child’s ability to become a proficient reader.
- Phonemic Awareness
Phonemic awareness is the ability to hear and associate sounds with words. This relates to being able to sound out words and connect them to the written version on the page. The child needs to be able to break words down into syllables and identify sounds.
- Alphabetic Principle
The alphabetic principle is the ability to recognize letters and connect sounds to them. Parents often teach children the alphabet, but it is imperative for the children to learn how to associate the sounds that go with each letter in order to become a proficient reader.
- Vocabulary
Vocabulary involves learning the spelling and meaning of words. In order to read a child must develop a vocabulary. They naturally do this through conversation and by associating words with “things.” Parents should also encourage children to read aloud.
- Comprehension
Comprehension is the ability to understand what is read. Many adults still have difficulty with reading comprehension. They may be fluent readers yet they do not understand much of what they read. Reading comprehension is a difficult task that many children struggle to accomplish.
Here are few ways that can help your child to overcome his/her problems
- Make Connections
You can start by connecting words with what your child already knows when he/she is reading. It improves your child focus and deepens the level of understanding. For instance, if the book you’re reading together mentions places you’ve visited with your child, you can discuss the memories of those places. Always encourage your child to connect words with objects, places or things they know while reading.
- Focus on effort, not results
Appreciate your child for trying his/her best. Accept the fact, that everyone makes mistakes, even you! Help your child to understand how important is to practice again and again. Acknowledge your child hard work and progress. Your encouragement can motivate him/her.
- Remove emotion from the environment
Watching your child struggle can be very difficult for parents. We want to see our children succeed. It is important to remove emotions that may contribute to further frustration or negative attitudes.
- Talk with your child’s teacher
It’s important to keep check on what is happening in school to understand your child’s problems. Your child’s teacher can explain you well, your child’s trouble with reading and how it is affecting his/her learning. This can be helpful when consult your child’s doctor for the same problem.
- Talk with your child’s Doctor
If you suspect the reading struggles come from a physical ailment, then you should speak to your doctor. For some children, common problems may be brought on by auditory or sight problems.
- Find a Tutor or Become One
There are many tutoring programs available through most schools and communities. However, there are also many people who will tutor your child for a nominal fee. If you feel that your child needs a reading tutor ask his elementary teacher if she can recommend someone or do a search online. The most important thing is how effective the tutor or tutoring program is. At the Dicker reading center, we provide one on one reading tutoring sessions that produce amazing results.
Teenage children are often looking for part-time jobs and make good tutors. Parents and grandparents make good tutors as well. But the best solution is to find a tutoring service near you that are experts in this field.If you are looking for the best learning center near you, contact us today!
Find the best live online reading tutoring now!
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