Bonding Through Books: 6 Ways Parents Can Help Kids Develop Literacy Skills

Bonding Through Books: 6 Ways Parents Can Help Kids Develop Literacy Skills

Photo: Gabriel Tovar / Unsplash

If your child’s academic performance leaves much to be desired, you can use the holiday season to improve their literacy skills while bonding with them.

You need to find ways to teach your child how to read, write, and answer questions without them even knowing that you are teaching them. Here are some strategies you can use to develop their literacy skills using books and other similar tools:

1. Find Tutors to Assist You

While tutoring your child daily to develop their literacy skills can help you bond with them, you can also rely on the best online tutoring website to find a tutor to assist you with the process.

Tutors have their own abilities that can help your child even further, and they’ll bring a plethora of new resources with them that you may not have. A tutor will work on your child’s literacy skills in a more structured way while making the learning process far more fun.

2. Read Out Loud

You are your child’s best role model, and reading aloud to your child will impress upon them the value of reading in general.

If you read aloud often, your child will be less reluctant to read aloud to you in return. Reading is the best possible way to enhance your child’s imagination as well as introduce them to new words.

When your child reads aloud to you, listen out for words they pronounce incorrectly and then correct their pronunciation without interrupting the flow too much.

3. Teach Dictionary Skills

When you read with your child, be sure to keep a dictionary nearby. If your child stumbles across a word that they don’t understand, show them how to look up the meaning in the dictionary.

When a child learns the meaning of a new word, ask them to make a few sentences using the new word. Asking your child to do this will help lock that new word into their long-term memory.

4. Talk and Discuss

Comprehension skills entail reading and understanding a story or extract. While reading for pleasure can assist with developing your child’s literacy skills too, discussing what you have read is a potent way to develop your child’s literacy skills even further.

Talk about the characters in the book, discuss the plot, and ask your child what he or she would change in the story. By asking your child questions about what you have read, you are stimulating their mind and initiating the problem-solving process.

5. Reward and Praise

Never underestimate the value of praise and rewards. While television does have the ability to stimulate your child’s imagination, reading is a much more powerful tool. Thus restrict television time and create a special time for reading.

Praise your child when they read well and articulate a word that they couldn’t say before. Reward your child if they read an entire novel by allowing them to watch an extra hour of television. By rewarding your child only after reading time has been completed, you are creating a culture at home where reading is absolutely necessary.

6. Use Bedtime for Telling Stories

While reading helps to build literacy skills, storytelling is just as powerful. Before bedtime, tell made-up stories to your child and allow them to tell made-up stories to you. This simple activity can do wonders for your child’s creative writing abilities.

The tips above are a great way to start developing your child’s literacy skills in a way that’s fun and fulfilling for both of you. Enjoy the bonding time and treasure the memories created by reading and telling stories together.

Thank you,

Glenda, Charlie and David Cates