By Emma Kerr, Early Childhood and Elementary Librarian
This holiday season, you can give your child lots of opportunities to read. As our Elementary School Librarian, many parents ask me how they can inspire their young readers to read every day. Here are some top tips that can offer some fun ways to help your child become a happy and confident reader. Try a new tip each week and see what works best for your child.
Don’t leave home without it
Bring along a book or magazine any time your child has to wait, such as at the airport. Always try to fit in reading!
Once is not enough
Encourage your child to re-read favorite books and poems. Re-reading helps kids read more fluently and accurately.
Dig deeper into the story
Ask your child questions about the story they’ve just read or one you have read with them. Here is a checklist of questions (next page) that can help you plan your conversation.
Take control of the different devices
It’s difficult for reading to compete with TV, phones, iPads, and video games. Encourage reading as a free-time activity. It’s a great incentive for your child to know that you will talk about their reading with them afterward.
Be patient
When your child is trying to sound out an unfamiliar word, give him or her time to do so. Remind your child to look closely at the first letter or letters of the word. For older readers, if you think that your child is not answering questions about their reading as well as you think they could give them time to think about their answers.
Pick books that are at the right level
Help your child pick books that are not too difficult. The aim is to give your child lots of successful reading experiences.
I read to you, you read to me
Take turns reading aloud at bedtime. Kids enjoy this special time with their parents.
Gently, correct your younger reader
When your child makes a mistake, gently point out the letters he or she overlooked or read incorrectly. Many beginning readers will guess wildly at a word based on its first letter. Older readers need help with interpreting text at a deeper level. Help them along the way as they explore between the lines.
Talk, Talk, Talk
Talk with your child every day about school and things going on around the house. Sprinkle some interesting words into the conversation, and build on words you’ve talked about in the past.
Ask your child to help you write out the grocery list, a thank you note for those holiday gifts or to keep a journal of special things that happen at home. This activity will help them explore the power of words and give them an opportunity to use some of these great words they’ve discovered in their reading.
Epic! subscription is available during the holidays
If you are looking for any book suggestions for your child, please come and see me
in the Elementary School Library. We’re open from 8:15 until 4:15 every day. Remember that during the holidays, Elementary students have access to the EPIC! platform. Look out for an email sent to Nursery – Grade 5 parents with your child’s Epic login information.
Happy Reading
Miss Emma
Questions to ask your student before, during, and after reading
Before Reading
| Question | Strategy |
| What do you think this book will be about? Why do you think that? | Predicting |
| What characters do you think might be in this story? | Predicting |
| What do you know about the topic of this book? (Have you ever been camping/ seen a ghost/been to a farm, etc) | Connecting |
| Does the topic of this book remind you of anything you know or have done? ( | Connecting |
| What questions would you like to ask the author before you read this book? | Questioning |
| What are you wondering about as you look at the cover and back of your book? | Questioning |
If continuing a book the student has been reading
| Question | Strategy |
| What has happened so far in this story? | Summarizing |
| What do you think will happen next? Why? | Predicting |
| What questions would you like to ask the author before you read this book? | Questioning |
| Do you have any questions about what has happened so far? | Questioning |
During reading
| Question | Strategy |
| What do you think will happen next? Why? | Predicting |
| How do you think the character will handle this situation? | Predicting |
| Why do you think the character did _? How do you know? | Inferring |
| What must have happened here that the author didn’t tell us? | Inferring |
| What emotions is the character feeling? How do you know? | Inferring |
| What would you have done if you were the character? | Connecting |
| Has anything like this ever happened to you? Does it remind you of something? | Connecting |
| How would you have felt if that happened to you? | Connecting |
| Do you know someone like this character? | Connecting |
| How are you like/different from this character? | Connecting |
| As you’ve been reading, what pictures have been in your mind? | Visualizing |
| If you were in the story, what would you hear, taste, smell, or feel? | Visualizing |
| What does the character/setting look like in your mind? | Visualizing |
| Tell me what you were imagining in your mind as you read that page/paragraph | Visualizing |
| Is there anything you’re wondering about right now? | Questioning |
| Can you put what you’ve just read in your own words? | Summarizing |
| What’s happened to this character so far? | Summarizing |
| Tell me the most important things you read today in order of how they happened | Summarizing |
| Does this make sense to you? | Comprehension |
| Wait, what’s going on here? | Comprehension |
| Would it help you to understand if you slowed down? | Comprehension |
| Do you need to reread that part? | Comprehension |
| What does this word mean? | Comprehension |
| Where did you stop understanding? How can we fix it? | Comprehension |
| Do you think it will be important to remember this? Why? | Importance |
| What parts of what you read help you predict what will happen next? | Importance |
| Are there some parts of this story that are more important than others? Which ones? | Importance |
| Why are they most important? | Importance |
| What’s the big idea in what you’ve read today? | Importance |
After reading
At the end of a book
| Question | Strategy |
| If this story had a sequel, what do you think it would be about? | Predicting |
| What is the main message of this book? What does the author want you to think about? What was the big idea? | Inferring |
| What questions would you like to ask the author right now? | Questioning |
| Tell me the story in your own words. | Summarizing |
| Retell the most important events in the story from the beginning, middle, and end. | Summarizing |
| What were the most important events in this story? | Importance |
If continuing a book the student has been reading
| Question | Strategy |
| Summarize what you have read today. Retell the most important events in order. | Summarizing |
| What’s happened to this character so far? | Summarizing |
| What do you think will happen next? Why? | Predicting |
| What questions would you like to ask the author about this book? | Questioning |
| Do you have any questions about what has happened so far? | Questioning |
| What will be most important for us to remember in what we read today? | Importance |
