Are you concerned about the future of your child? If yes, then this paper is just for you! You may
be unaware, but the ability to quickly and correctly read greatly affects the performance and the
comfort of your child. So how do you make your kid a speed reader?
Regardless of the age, there are the next groups of children according to their reading speed:
just learning how to read;
30 words per minute;
80 words per minute;
120+ words per minute.
As for the average comfortable reading speed, it should be about 180 words per minute, because
this speed correlates with a good level of perception and understanding of the text.
Factors to Pay Attention to:
#1 Anticipation
When an adult reads, he anticipates the following words, phrases, and meaning and sees a
structure, which helps him to grasp the general meaning of the text. Children do not possess
reading to that extent; they rather recognize syllables and the next word. They have all the power
directed to it, so they often do not understand what they read and are unable to see the meaning
of the whole phrase, let alone the possible subtext.
#2 Memory, Attention, and Perception
Be sure to spend at least 50% of the time on the building of an intellectual base, as it’s the core
of fast and thorough perception. The point is not to teach a child to read fast, but to accelerate his
thinking process and cognitive skills that are in charge of reading, writing, and many other
development processes.
#3 Interest in Reading
Lack of interest is always the result of improper training, which can kill the desire to learn
something new. To avoid such an internal protest, ask the child what he/she wants you to read,
and stop reading once the child is bored.
#4 Fine Motor Skills and Physical Training
Every parent should know how to develop fine motor skills. It prepares the hand of your little
one to write and contributes to his handwriting. There a lot of exercises, for example, origami,
applique, sewing, clay modeling, puzzles, and so on. The main thing is to find what your child
adores and provide him with the best conditions and opportunities.
It may surprise you, but sports sections, dancing, walking, outdoor games, exercises, etc. are also
very important for the development of reading skills.
What You Mustn’t Do
Think the more the child reads, the better? That's not true. By suppressing the will of the child,
you risk exacerbating his/her reluctance to study.
If your kid doesn't like reading or have problems with it, let him/her read:
Short words of 3 to 5 letters until he/she is tired.
Short texts up to 30 words, gradually increasing the volume.
1-2 pages in the case he/she reads at a pace of 60-80 words per minute.
2-8 pages if he/she reads at a pace of more than 120 words per minute.
How to Train a Child to Read?
#1 Extracts
The bottom line: add 30 words to the actual reading speed.
If the child is reading at a pace of 30 words/minute, let him/her read the extract at a pace of 60
three times in a row. The first time the child will likely to be uncertain and slow and won’t cover
the whole text, but after a few repetitions, he/she will become faster and faster.
The training ends when the reading speed reaches 180 words per minute.
#2 "Wave" Reading
The bottom line: turn the book by 90 and 180 degrees
This exercise is suitable for children who can read at least 50-60 words per minute or faster.
First, give the child to read the text in the normal position, then turn the book by 90 degrees and
let the kid read it upside down and finally, turn the book by 180 degrees. Start with a few
sentences and bring it to the whole page.
#3 Retelling
The bottom line: read and retell from 1 to 8 pages of the text
This exercise must be done every day. If the baby reads really bad, then read the text and let the
child retell. First, let him/her retell a single paragraph, and then increase the volume up to a page
or even the whole text. Of course, you don’t need to ask the child to point to all the details – let
him/her tell you the events, the participant, and the outcome.
#4 Writing a Mini-Essay on a Given Topic
The bottom line: a 12-sentence essay on a given problem
This exercise is effective for 10-12 years-old children. Check the logics of the narrative and the
connection between the problem and the arguments. Thinking time should be about 5–10
minutes. If you aren’t sure about the effectiveness of this method, you can always ask
professionals for homework help.
Keep in mind that you mustn’t force a child to train if he is tired or sick!
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