| How to Help Your Child Choose a "Just-Right" Book | Reading for pleasure will help your child become a good reader. Help your child choose books he or she can read and wants to read, what we call "just-right" books. This means that your child:
- Is interested in the book.
- Can read and figure out almost all the words.
- Understands what he or she is reading.
- Can read fairly smoothly. (If your child is stumbling over many words, he or she may not be able to focus on reading for understanding.)
To select a "just-right" book for younger children, try the "five-finger" rule: As your child reads, have him or her count on one hand any unknown words. If there are five or more different unknown words on a full page, this book is too hard for your child to read alone.
Have older children or children who are already good readers read at least several pages before deciding whether a book is too hard.
If your child wants to real aloud to you, that's great. However, it is not necessary for your child to read aloud to you every night. Once children are silent readers, they should continue to read books silently. You might ask your child to read a page out loud to you once in a while to make sure that the book is "just right."
Talk to your child about what he or she is reading, but don't turn it into a quiz; keep it conversational and fun.
Be a reading model for your child. If possible, try to set aside time during which the whole family reads together. You might want to create a special place at home for the child's library or schedule regular visits to the local library.
Thanks for working with me in encouraging your child to become a reader.
Donna Adomat, Ed.D.
Reading Specialist
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Kathryn Brown
