Focus on Reading Fluency

Activities to Build Fluency

- Schedule 15 minutes of special time every day to listen to your child read. If you notice that they are frustrated with reading, offer to partner read with them. Let them read one paragraph, and then you read the next, gradually adding paragraphs as they improve their reading so that it is smooth, with few mistakes, and like normal conversation. 

- Encourage reading fluency by having your child read and reread familiar books. It can also be helpful to have them read a short passage several times while you record their reading time. Children often enjoy seeing if they can improve their time from one reading to the next. Repeated reading will establish a habit of fluent reading. 

- Have your child read a book to a younger sibling (or even to a pet or friend), perhaps playing "teacher" and asking the “student” good questions as they read.

-Read a passage aloud for your child, modeling proper expression and rate. Read the same passage together and then have them read the passage aloud on their own.

- Encourage your child to read along while listening to a tape recording of a story. Children’s literature can be found on audiocassettes or CDs in public libraries.