Reading Tips
25 reading tips that actually work
A short list of the strategies real families use to raise readers — grouped by what you're trying to solve tonight.
Build the daily habit
- ✓Read aloud every day, even to older kids.
- ✓Anchor reading to an existing routine (breakfast, bedtime, car).
- ✓Keep books visible in every room your family uses.
- ✓Model reading — let your child see you enjoy books.
- ✓Aim for 15 minutes; celebrate any minute over zero.
Grow the love of reading
- ✓Let your child choose the book, always.
- ✓Follow their interests — dinosaurs, slime, sports, comics.
- ✓Say yes to re-reads; repetition builds fluency.
- ✓Try graphic novels and joke books; they absolutely count.
- ✓Never use reading as a punishment.
Build decoding skills
- ✓Teach letter sounds before letter names.
- ✓Practice blending sounds slowly: /c/-/a/-/t/ → cat.
- ✓Use decodable books, not guessing from pictures.
- ✓Introduce sight words in small daily batches.
- ✓Play with rhymes, syllables and word families.
Build comprehension
- ✓Ask predictions, not quiz questions.
- ✓Wonder aloud: 'I wonder why he did that…'
- ✓Connect stories to your child's real day.
- ✓Retell the story together in three sentences.
- ✓Discuss the ending — was it happy, fair, surprising?
For reluctant readers
- ✓Use the two-finger rule: >5 hard words = too hard for solo.
- ✓Read aloud a chapter, then hand the book over.
- ✓Try audiobooks paired with print; it's real reading.
- ✓Keep sessions short and stop while it's still fun.
- ✓Praise effort, not speed or 'level'.
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