How to Get Your Child to Read - Second and Third Grade (ages 7-9)

There are many ways to get your child to read. As a parent, you pray that your child is well balanced, smart, kind, healthy, good-hearted and they READ! A child who enjoys reading seems to bypass a child who does not in school, so it's important to get your child to read and enjoy reading soon (if they don't already).

I have been asked numerous times, "How do I get my child to read." There are many reasons why a child doesn't read and/or doesn't like to read. There are so many ways to promote reading, to help with reading comprehension, to practice reading, etc.

The key is to figure out why your child doesn't want to read. That's where your child's teacher should be able to help you to help your child. There could be a lot of reason why, from reading skills issues to a learning disability or possibly they just haven't found the right book!!!

How to Help a Child Read

There are many parts of reading instruction and there are several resources to guide you through the various elements of reading instruction. Your child's teacher should be able to guide you to any areas of concern. Two main parts of reading are decoding and comprehension. Another part of the reading instruction is remembering and analyzing the story.

These are just some of the steps your child's teacher will take starting in kindergarten to ensure your child's success in reading:

Oral Language - a child's understanding of the structure of language.
Phonemic Awareness - a child being able to hear the sounds in words.
Letter recognition/Identification - when a child sees a letter, he/she should be able to recognize the letter and be able to identify it.
Letter/Sound Correspondence- a child needs to know each letter and the sound that goes with that letter.
Sight Words - these are words that each child should practice so that they will know them immediately when they see them in their reading assignments.
Vocabulary - a child should know the meaning of multiple words.
Comprehension - a child will also need to put the words and meanings together to be able to understand what he/she is reading.

There are tons of resources available for your child. Your child's school may be able to help you with the materials needed to assist your child's reading progress. If you'd rather purchase your own, these are a few items to help.

Do you want to help your child read, but are afraid you'll do something wrong? RAs DISTARreg; is the most successful beginning reading program available to schools across the country. Research has proven that children taught by the DISTARreg; method outperform their peers who receive instruction from other programs. Now for the first time, this program has been adapted for parent and child to use at home. Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons is a complete, step-by-step program that shows parents simply and clearly how to teach their children to read. Twenty minutes a day is all you need, and within 100 teaching days, your child will be reading on a solid second-grade reading level. It's a sensible, easy-to-follow, and enjoyable way to help your child gain the essential skills of reading. Everything you need is here -- no paste, no scissors, no flash cards, no complicated directions -- just you and your child learning together.

The Reading Lesson is a program that teaches young children to read in 20 easy lessons. It is designed as a step-by-step course for parents who want to teach their young children to read at home. The teaching method is based on phonics and key-word recognition, and with its innovative and guided approach, the 20 step-by-step lessons provide an easy-to-follow recipe for teaching children to read.

Promote Reading
1. Visit your Public Library. Have your child explore different types of books. Many times libraries have a storytime for your child to attend!
2. Also, visit a Book Store and have your child explore. Many times bookstores have story hours for your child to attend.
3. Be a Role Model for your child. Have them see you enjoy reading.
4. Read every single day with your child!

How to Help your Child Select a Book

Many school's library rules are to pick "one just-right book" and the second book of their choice (it can be easier or harder). Our belief is that even if their "choice" book is too hard, they'll look at the pictures, and they'll have the motivation to learn some of those tough words.

It is your decision to help your child select a "just-right book" or a choice book that is not on his/her level. If a child shows an interest in any book, that is great no matter the level of the book. Many times those books are the ones that get your child to read!

Research has shown that if a child is not reading at their grade level by third grade, they have a very high chance of not being successful in their schooling and they will have a higher probability of not finishing high school. Now is the time to make sure that your child finds that books that will make them want to keep on reading!

Here's A Guide Used by Some School Systems to find a "just right" Book

The five finger rule used to pick a "just-right" book:

Read the first page of the book and:

- - Put a finger up for every word you don't know.
  - If you have 0 or 1 fingers up after reading the page, it's too easy.
  - If you have 2 or 3 fingers up after reading the page, it's just right.
  - If you have 4 fingers up after reading the page, it's very challenging.
  - If you have 5 or more fingers up after reading the page, it's too hard.

Fun Ways to Get Your Kids to Read

Purchase or make a "reading" tent in your home!
Wear special fake glasses while you read!
Copy the words to a song and sing it!
Use a flashlight to focus on words as they're being read!
Use a magnifying glass to focus on words as they're being read!
Have a turn off the tv and read night, game night, movie night, etc.
Make a bookmark or other craft connected to reading

Mix it up sometimes when you’re reading with your child:

- Read the pages at the same time.
- You read one page and your child reads the next.
- Find a new spot in the house or outside to read.
- Have your child read to your pet.
- Have your child read to a stuffed animal.
- Have your child read to a family member or friend.
- Make a craft connected to the story they're reading.

My Checklist

I created this list of daily responsibilities to remind children to read daily - if you'd like a Google Doc of this form, just email me at mrs.dehm@gmail.com and I will email it to you. You then will be able to copy the form and add your own touches!! 🙂

Also, check out my Reading Challenge document.

More Ways to Get Your Child to Read

Read Different Types of Reading Materials
Books
E-Books
Magazines
Games
Brochures
Signs
Menus
Recipes from recipe books or magazines

Read Using Different Types of Devices
Computers
Amazon Fire
Kindle
Apple iPad
CD Player

Tips for buying books for 7-9 year-olds:
5-6 sentences per page.
Big Fonts - big fonts helps the child focus on the word.
Pictures in the book to go along with the story - the pictures give clues to the words so that the child can feel success in figuring out the word.

These are some of my favorite series for 2nd grade to 3rd grade, but younger children and older children may also like these books. These books are series so if your child likes one book, it's easy to find another book in the series. Click on the book to see more information: