Last Updated on August 30, 2022 by
As a parent, you want to instill in your kid the importance of reading. It’s the one thing that’s always going to be there for them. When they’re older, they’ll thank you for helping them get a head start.
In this article, we’ll share some great reading tips for your 5-year-old kid.
Table of Contents
Read to your child
Though it may be difficult to get reading time with your over-scheduled children, you should make sure that they know you still want them to read.
Kids can pick up on our stress when we read. They will try to help us find peace by not letting us enter into a calm state of mind.
Let your kid ask questions as well – maybe have them write the questions down so they can recall them later.
Make the time worth their while by being careful about what you do there, making sure you are doing things that motivate them to keep reading.
Don’t forget to make reading fun! Ask them how their day is going, and why don’t they feel like reading? What are their thoughts on books/reading?
Ask them if anyone has ever read any good books they think you could read.
Reading is such a fundamental need of ours that most people would fail in life if they couldn’t manage a book-related activity. If this does not work for you, you could check this Reading head start review before giving it a try.
We all need time to relax and live our lives without worrying about whether or not someone took the time to read something we wrote. I hope that in this article you have managed to give yourself some reminders of just how important it is to read.
Tell your child you want them to read
Years ago, when our children were younger, we would try to get them used to read at night by having lots of toys available that could be played with while they were learning to read.
And my husband and I took turns finding things that we knew he or she would enjoy (giving up certain activities) so that each one of them could have their source of enjoyment as they learned to read.
We made book readings fun for all ages including kids as old as seven years old.
There are many ways to make books fun. Let your kid know how much you love reading! Make him or her part of the process.
Let them pick a character they like or create something themselves and let them write it down in a favorite book.
Let them call out chapter titles until they learn enough to start reading chapters. Have them ask questions related to what they’ve just read.
The sky’s the limit!
Keep books around
Let your child choose their book from the library or buy them books.
There’s no reason why children should go to school and then come home and read, so let them grab a book whenever they leave the house.
Also, have kids bring a book to bed at night and spend as much time reading with them as possible.
Reading is such an important skill for all children to learn and once it is learned, it stays learned until life ends.
Put yourself in their shoes – if you were six years old and never read a book, what word would you not understand when people talk to you? If there was something you did not understand, how would you know it was there behind you?
These are things you can ask about yourself but also look behind you. Do you need extra help with math skills? Did someone close to you suffer from mental illness? These are questions you should ask yourself before buying into new ideas.
The best way to educate yourself is by listening to other people and doing research online, but reading is the biggest part of that.
You can teach a child anywhere, even outside the home, but you must start within the family unit. The most effective place to train a reader is during the early age stages.
If you wait until a child is older, it will be more difficult to convince him/her that spending time locked up in a room watching
Keep things simple
Though kids at this age are eager to learn, keeping information small is important for them to grasp each concept.
Don’t put too much stress on them by talking about something they have no understanding of.
Instead, demonstrate and let them figure out what you’re saying for themselves. This way they can understand without putting excessive pressure on them.
By having them comprehend the only part of the lesson, you keep their attention long enough to teach them that very thing. And since they already know how to read, there is hardly any effort needed on your part.
Put simpler ideas in writing as close to their spoken form as possible. By giving children oral explanations, you create an opportunity to discuss questions, talk back and give feedback. This is why written instructions often lack clarity and simplicity.
Let children ask questions and express concerns verbally until they can write them down instead of doing it letter-by-letter. It will help them memorize the stuff properly.
When they are young, try asking them to repeat words or phrases multiple times before bed to make sure they recall the word correctly. In this way, they are also practicing reading.
Let them read to you
Although reading to your child is an easy way to introduce them to reading, it is also one of the most challenging things they can do with language. You will want to start by letting them read simple phrases such as “ mom makes laundry look so nice” or “ dad loves his job” followed by books about how words are used in sentences.
As their confidence level increases, let them read short stories that include narratives (the story itself), dialogue (spoken lines), or both.
Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) is an American non-profit organization founded in 1984 to help low-income children become more confident readers. RIF helps kid live healthier lives and learn more easily.
The National Association of School Superintendents has identified building literacy as a top priority.
Read More: GAMES AND CHALLENGES ON INSTAGRAM STORIES
Give them freedom
As per AmyandRose’s parenting blog, children under 7 need to be permitted before they can do anything. After that, parents should let their kid choose what they want to learn or how they want to live their life.
Let your 5-year-old kid pick a movie from the list of movies you watch with pleasure. Let them select an episode of a TV show they like.
Allow your child to invite some friends over and have fun by playing games or having chats. Don’t always insist that they are at school; sometimes taking children out is good too.
These are ways to enjoy spending time with your kid outside the routine of school. Most adults needed this break after we left our primary schools.
One study found that young people who had more free time were better adjusted later in life. So consider setting up routines that allow your child to spend time doing things they enjoy without worrying about homework or supervision, especially if you’re not a fan of those activities.
Of course, there’s a trade-off here. If you leave your children alone, they will also come together more often. They will feel more secure if they know that someone is watching over them.
Practice making notes
It is good to have a notebook that you can take with you everywhere you go so you will always have your “new book” with which to learn something new. But did you know you can also teach yourself to read by using the note-taking method?
You don’t have to use a pen or pencil. You can make short phrases, words, or sentences on sheets of paper.
When you need to take notes, write them down in the notebook. Then when it’s time to study, you’ll be ready.
Some people even carry around journals that they keep for writing stories or memories. By having a journal at all times, you will always have a way to record things that happen to you, suggested AmyandRose.
Consider getting two notebooks. One should have small pieces of paper, and the other can have larger pages. If you choose the latter, you will probably want to put an eraser on one side and something fun like stickers on the other. Actually, you can buy bulk padfolios for your stock or you can sell some online.
It is best to start with ten minutes of studying twice a day. After a few days, let your brain relax, and do not worry about learning anything new. Just focus on what you already know.
It may seem difficult at first, but soon you will see how fast you can pick up new things. Before you know it, you’ll be reading books beyond your age level.
Tell them to repeat things
This is said a lot at school, but it applies to reading too. If you tell your child something once, they should be able to say it back to you. (Of course, if you are trying to teach them a new word, that may not work out.)
But telling stories can help your kid learn words that he might not know. When we get our ears filled with music or hear someone else’s story, we use what’s called “listening memory.”
This helps us recall their words so we understand what they are saying. We also recall what was important about the story.
Your job as a parent is to try to find ways to tell stories that your young one will love. And bonus points for making those stories fun and interactive.
Enforce regular reading
Most kids love to read, but it can be hard to motivate a reluctant reader.
One of the most common ways to get a kid interested in books is by making them participate in conversations about what they have read. Let him ask questions and try your best to encourage his inquisitiveness.
Parents can help their children learn to like reading by having daily readings as part of their routine. This can be done before dinner or after breakfast when the child is still awake.
Reading to your children or having them read you a story are good ways to connect with them over text. You can also put up posters where they can write stories that match the theme of the house or classroom.
Making reads available and accessible helps kids feel competent and confident in pursuing reading. Oftentimes parents give kids choices between books they have read themselves.
Introducing new books through reviews or letting them choose their book gives them confidence in the writing process and makes them want to read more.
