Motivating your child to read

Motivating Your Child to Read More – Part 2

Lani Donaldson Parents Guide for Helping their Child Motivating your child to read

Motivating your child to read is going to play such an integral part in their life. Children who read more typically do better in school, develop better reading skills and have a greater love of reading. Encouraging your child to appreciate books will not only enrich their lives but will prepare them to succeed in the classroom and their future careers.

Motivating your child to read starts at school

Get to know your child’s teacher

Attend open houses and volunteer at your child’s school. Make it a point to greet the teacher when you pick up your child and drop them off. Having a face to the name does wonders when you need to communicate a difficulty.

Work as a team

Collaborate with the teacher and other school officials. Listen to their suggestions with an open mind and be respectful but persistent in getting the support you need. Ask the teacher for recommendations for reading materials, especially during the summer and other breaks.

Stay in touch

Consult the teacher for the best way to stay in touch with them, whether by email, phone or conferences. Maintain a regular schedule of progress reports. This is especially helpful if school boards have mandated only two formal report cards a year. Always remember; being in front of the classroom is a very challenging position to be in, and your child is one of many students a teacher is responsible for.

Screen for learning disabilities

Early testing is critical to identify learning disabilities and arranging special instruction if your child struggles with reading. UP Academy offers free, no-obligation dyslexia and reading screens to students in the Calgary area. (Please note: A diagnosis of a learning disability must be made by a registered psychologist and UP Academy can refer you to some of the best.) Your pediatrician can also help rule out health-related issues that could affect learning, like hearing or vision problems.

Ask for additional support

Remember, your child’s teacher has many students. If you need more assistance than the teacher can provide, schedule a meeting with the principal. Your child may have to be coded to access further support. Literacy is one of the most precious gifts you can share with your child. Help them discover the pleasures of reading, so they’ll have a more prosperous life.

At UP Academy, we realize every child is a unique individual. We love and honour that! Up Academy considers these differences in all programming by meeting kids at their skill level and taking them to where they need to go in the way that serves them best.

Whether you’re looking for a free reading assessment, one-on-one tutoring or the benefits of a 100% independent private school, we have you covered.

Let’s connect!

Motivating Your Child to Read More – Part 1

Lani Donaldson Parents Guide for Helping their Child Motivating your child to read

Motivating your child to read more may be easier than you think.

Fun things to consider:

Read out loud together will motivate your child to read

When children are young, bond with your child by sharing a good book. Even babies get value out of parents reading to them. This instills the “love of story.” Then when they’re old enough, take turns having them read to you or their younger siblings. Let them sound out a word until they’re ready for you to prompt them.

Visit your local library

Your local library is a treasure house of literacy ideas. In addition to borrowing books, check out the story hours, trivia nights and other events.

Motivating your child to read by playing word games

Scrabble is a great choice and comes in a variety of levels for children of all ages. As children learn to write, leave each other messages spelled out with magnetic refrigerator letters.

Schedule related outings

Make books more exciting by creating an adventure around them.

For example, read a book about animals or an outdoor adventure, and then go to the zoo or wildlife park. If you are already in the countryside, take a hike in nature and look for things you read about in the story. Examples are trees, streams, and small animals. Pick up a rock, turn it into a character and make up a story. Read a play and then go see the performance.

Create a home library

Build your library at home. It can be a separate room or just a corner for a bookcase, comfortable armchair and good lighting.

Suggest writing projects

Compose your books. Help your child pick out a blank scribbler or notebook they can fill in. If your child is too young to write, they can dictate to you and draw pictures to accompany the text.

Reading is truly a life skill. With technology advancing as quickly as it is, it is paramount that children have strong reading skills. In part 2 of this blog series, we will look at how parents can integrate reading into daily activities.

Motivate your child to read in whatever way works for them.

However, if your child is struggling with reading, seek assistance immediately – it’s that important!

Whether you’re looking for a free reading assessment, one-on-one tutoring or the benefits of a 100% independent private school, we have you covered.

Let’s connect!

Calgary Reading Program – How to Help a Child Struggling with Reading

Lani Donaldson Parents Guide for Helping their Child Motivating your child to read

Calgary Reading Program – How to Help a Child Struggling with Reading

Are you interested in a Calgary reading Program? One of the most frequent questions we get at UP Academy is, “How do I help a child struggling with reading?” We have a free reading assessment to help establish where your child is at.

Call to receive the Reading Grade Letter Chart Lani mentions in the video

Are you a parent who is worried about their child’s ability to read?

You are not alone.

Many parents watch their children go through the early elementary grades and hope their kids make it through. However, they may be missing the importance of making sure their kids get what they need during their education. These early years are critical because they are the build blocks and the foundation for all other learning.

Should I be concerned if my child is struggling with reading?

Yes, you should.

From kindergarten to grade 3, students learn how to read, and then from grade 4 on, students learn to read. Suppose your child struggles with reading in that initial window. In that case, the current schooling system is hard-pressed to provide additional support for those kids.

When children reach grade 4, the transition year, they are now expected to read to learn. There is usually little time for or extra instruction available to close the gap if they are behind.

If they struggle to read, this leaves them with a reading ability deficit, which will significantly affect their ability to learn and impact their ability to feel good about learning.

What is the expected rate of reading increase?

As you age, the school system will expect each student to read at grade level. For example, at age 7, when you are in grade 2, you are expected to read at a grade two-level.

What happens if you are below your grade level?

To comprehend well, the rule of thumb is your level of reading should be a grade ahead of the grade you are in. If your child falls behind and stays behind as he/she moves forward, the gap between your child and their peers widens.

The frustration of falling behind.

80% of a school day is based on reading regardless of the subject area. (Yup, even math.) If your child struggles with reading, their school day is spent with the one skill they do not do very well. You can see how this would have a massive impact on self-esteem.

At Engaged Educators, we have built a program that specifically addresses this issue. Our one on one, twenty session reading program moves students, on average, 3.4 grades.

Our Calgary reading program can definitely help.

How Do I Find Out Where My Child is in Reading

Ask their teacher.

There are a whole number of questions that you can use to ask the teacher about your child’s reading ability

What is my child’s word recognition level?
What’s my child’s comprehension?
What’s my child’s fluency?

Engaged Educators has a FREE reading assessment.

What is Reading Comprehension?

As a parent, have you ever been at a parent/teacher conference and heard the teacher remark your child’s word recognition or decoding scores. Are where they should be, but their comprehension skills are lacking? Or have you read in the comments section of the report card their comprehension skills are causing them difficulty? If so, you are not alone, and we are here to help.

Reading comprehension is the capacity to perceive and understand what has been read. In short, it is the ability to grasp ideas from the text and gain knowledge based on it. The first step to good reading comprehension is to ensure your child’s word recognition and decoding skills are well developed.

A good rule of thumb is your child’s word recognition should ideally be a grade ahead of the grade they are in for solid comprehension. If you wish to have an outside source check the word recognition, Engaged Educators does reading screens, free of charge and without obligation.

Calgary Reading Program

How important are reading skills to the educational process? When should parents be worried about the level of their child’s reading levels? Why do reading skills drive success in school?

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