In my previous Homework Help post I shared a couple of my favorite ways to help children learn new spelling and sight words.
Today I want to discuss that line on your child’s homework sheet that says:
“Read with your child”
It can be phrased is a variety of ways:
Belle’s teacher writes: “Have your student read with you for 15 minutes”
Ariel’s homework packed states: “Complete 4 Reading Log entries this week”
It can be stated in any number of ways, but the goal is the same. Your student needs to read with you each day.
This request seems easy enough, until you are met with resistance from a frustrated reader or a reader who you don’t feel is connecting with the text.
Encouraging your child to read is a good thing. We all know that! What I want to share are some strategies that I’ve found most helpful when completing these reading assignments at home.
Reading Homework Help
Homework Given: Read with your child.
Goal: To get your child to enjoy reading and gain some confidence in his or her reading abilities.
Pit-Fall #1: Student does not want to read….at all, with you…and he/she is prepared to go the distance in their resistance!
Study Strategy: Find a way to make the task of reading a little more interesting or enjoyable.
You can find books that are of high interest to your child. If Johnny is in his dinosaur phase, then try to pick out some eye-catching books along that theme.
If Susie doesn’t like to sit at her desk to read, let her make her very own cozy reading nook that she can bring only her favorite books into.
Follow your child’s interests and give lots of praise for their efforts. Sometimes a little encouragement and confidence boost can go a long way for a reluctant reader!
Belle likes to read to her dog, Max. I think Max likes the quality time too!
Pit-Fall #2: Teacher gives specific book for child to read, and the child thinks that the book is “stupid” or “boring.”
Study Strategy: Find a way to make the excuse part of the solution. Let your child be a Book Editor!
Ask the child to explain why it is stupid or boring? What details in the story need to be more exciting? How would you change the book to make it more interesting?
The student will still be reading the words and discuss their meaning in the book. They will also be analyzing the parts of the story and where improvements could be made.
Ariel has come home with a book titled, “Grandpa Gets Going.” As the title suggests, Grandpa goes to a new location at each page. I don’t really blame her for thinking the book is boring. The goal of the book is to review the /G/ sound. As she read each page, I asked what she would have liked to happen that would have made it a better story. She thought Grandpa should have grandbabies. She wanted him to go to the park instead of the game. She giggled at her idea that he forgot Grandma and needs to run back to the house.
I’m sure Ariel could have read the book in 3 minutes, with very few errors. With our new activity, we took about 10 minutes to read the book, talk about the characters/setting/plot, examine where improvements could be made, and talked about supportive details. She loves doing this!
{Disclaimer: Sometimes an excuse has nothing to do with the actual reason your child doesn’t want to read. If that is the case, you might need to get to the root of the issue to find a strategy that works. }
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Helping children feel more confident in their reading ability is always a good thing in my book, but sometimes it just isn’t as easy as it sounds. Don’t let your child’s frustration get you both down about reading time in your home. Try to find strategies that help make this a positive experience in your home.
Start today!
Help your student find positive and effective study strategies now. It will help them as they continue on this reading journey for the rest of their lives.
Look out for the next installments of our Homework Help series! We’ll be going over some homework strategies to improve Reading Comprehension, Math Fact Retention, and Writing Activities.
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