Lack of confidence in a child’s reading isn’t an indicator of their ability. Some children have a fear of messing up and letting their parents or teachers down. This pressure leads to them overthinking and even panicking while they read. Practising reading at home offers them a safe space to grow their confidence. Here are a few steps you could try with your child to improve their reading and make them self-reliant readers.

Create a comfortable environment.

Place yourself near your child as they read along with you, tracing the words as you go. Be patient and encouraging and don’t overcorrect them. Allow them to skip words and mispronounce them. Once your child becomes a more confident reader you can then work on their accuracy. Try not to read for too long as kids can burn out a lot quicker than adults.

Choose good reading material.

When you go to the library or bookstore, let them choose their own books. If something interests them, they will naturally want to know more. Choose topics like trucks, mermaids or whatever they’re excited about. Showing your child that reading allows them to explore their interests will make them eager to read those books.

You can also get them to read other forms of information like cereal boxes, board games, video games and magazines. You can also change surroundings and get them reading at the grocery store or the mall. Providing this variety breaks down the tension of reading standing up, or in front of a class.

Teach your child the importance of reading and how you can learn from it. When you want to bake a cake, you need to know the recipe. Similar to school and life you need to read to know things.

Change up the audience.

There’s enormous pressure that comes with your child reading in front of their class. When they’re at home, you can ease the pressure by letting them read in front of their siblings, the dog or their toys. This will get them a far less judgmental audience. The family pet won’t know if they’re reading incorrectly, which will help boost your child’s confidence.

Practice positive association.

• Praise your child often. Even with small bits of progress, you can congratulate them and show them that you recognise their hard work. This will encourage their freedom of reading and leave them wanting to challenge themselves.
• You can also talk enthusiastically about the themes of the book and ask them what they loved most about it.
• While you’re reading, try to laugh as much as you can.
• Stop and talk about the pictures. Don’t be too stiff about finishing the book, rather enjoy the quality time together.
• Your child will eventually associate reading time with all these positive feelings and memories.

Butterfly books to inspire reading.

Our Ready to Read series comes in 2 levels. Level 1 uses simple vocabulary and lots of repetition for kids who are just starting to recognise words. The level 2 expands the vocabulary and uses longer sentences for kids who are beginning to read independently. With so many amazing stories these are sure to excite and inspire young readers. Some titles in the ranges include Disney’s Princess, The Lion King, Frozen 2, Toy Story 4 and Nickelodeon’s Paw Patrol.
Click the links below to get ahold of your copies. These are available in English and Afrikaans at all leading book stores.

See our full publishing catalogue here.

Resources:

https://readingeggs.co.za/articles/2016/01/29/15-ways-to-build-childs-reading-confidence/