The weekends are a great time to have an adventure with the kids, and going on a road trip can lead to discovering new places in your state…that aren’t too far from home. Road trips also can be a more economical vacation option for families on a budget; the trip doesn’t have to be far, and parents may map it out so that there aren’t any overnight costs.

Longer road trips, though, may mean backseat boredom. No worries! Handheld devices like tablets and smartphones can include fun, engaging apps to keep kids entertained. Here are the best apps–reading comprehension and entertainment—to bust out backseat boredom. For parents who want to minimize tech use on the trip, Readability also compiled many other ways to keep kids busy without the screens!

Best Apps: Reading Comprehension, Reading Fluency and Sight Word Identification

Depending on the grade level for each child, reading expectations may differ vastly. Older children may be reading more difficult text and may be expected to ‘read between the lines’ to find meanings that aren’t necessarily clearly written. Older children also may need to make predictions or examine the character’s plight from their own standpoint.

Younger children, however, may be focused on basic reading comprehension skills like identifying the key ‘wh’ questions (who, what, where, when, why…and how). Children in early elementary grade levels also may need to identify a list of sight words.

Parents might need apps that meet the needs of different grade levels. Readability provides young readers with lessons focused on both phonics/phonetics and comprehension. The app also includes a built-in AI tutor that recognizes the child’s voice and helps correct any pronunciation errors if they stumble.

The tutor also asks questions at the end of each book to test comprehension. Children don’t move on in the program until they demonstrate proficiency at each level. Apps like Readability that address a broad range of reading struggles are ideal for children with different reading needs; Readability also can be used as an enrichment tool to practice reading and gain confidence and fluency. The app is designed for children in grades Pre-K through sixth grade.

Some children might read on grade level but may need help memorizing or identifying sight words. There are many apps that can help with sight word mastery. Some of these apps are designed as fun games, so children can enjoy learning their list of words. Download these free apps to practice sight words on road trips:

Sight Words Learning Games & Flash Cards Lite

This app includes more than 200 sight words and is structured as a game. Sight Words Learning is designed for children in Preschool through third grade.

Sight Words & Phonics Reading

The app is colorful and entertaining; it helps children with early reading and sight words. Children join Abby the monkey in a space adventure, with each new island opening up more levels of learning.

Learn Sight Words

With more than 300 sight words, this app is designed in a flash card format. This can serve as a great tool to skill and drill sight words.

Trace Letters & Sight Words

This could be a good app for children who need help identifying letters and sight words. The app lets children trace out both letters and sight words to help with writing and sight word identification.

Sight Words by Photo Touch

This app is all about “see, say and touch” to help children identify sight words. The app shows three words on the screen and the narrator says a word; children then have to touch the correct word. When the child correctly taps the word, the levels become a bit harder showing more words on the screen and asking children to then point out the spoken word. Parents can adjust the app for grade-level.

Reading Apps for Tablets and Phones

Parents also can download other reading apps that allow books to be downloaded to tablets and phones. These apps are typically known as e-readers. Most smartphones will include an e-reader, and parents can tap the e-reader icon on the screen to bring up more information. Phones will typically direct to a virtual library where parents can download books for the e-reader (some may be free). For phones without an installed e-reader, parents can download apps like Amazon Kindle, Libby by Overdrive, Google Play Books, Nook, eReader, iReader and more.

Audio Book Apps

Some children like to listen to a book as they read. Parents also can download apps like Audible that allow them to download audio books. Other audiobook apps include Audiobooks.com, Apple Books, Scribd, OverDrive, LibriVox Audio Books and more.

Apps for Back-Seat Entertainment

Reading is entertaining, but kids may need a break from the books. Some kids might want to switch between reading and playing games. So what are some fun apps for backseat entertainment? Here’s a list of apps that include road trip games and some silly apps that are just plain fun.

Pizza Maker

Bake up a pizza and eat those virtual creations…or, at least, pretend to eat those virtual creations! Don’t eat the screen! Kids can make the crust and add all their favorite toppings.  The game is perfect for preschoolers…and adults, too!

Jurassic Craft

Crafting meets dinosaurs! Perfect for ages four and beyond, this game lets players find all types of dinosaurs and go up against them in battles. Design buildings and craft armor, weapons and more.

Drawing for Kids

This is a great app for children who love to draw or who just want to learn how to draw different creations. The app helps kids learn how to draw a butterfly, frog, a car and a hedgehog. Then the app will bring the drawing alive via animation!

Super Slime Simulator

It’s oozy, it’s slimy, but, even better, it’s virtual so there’s no mess for parents to clean! That slime can seep its way into carpets and furniture, but virtual slime is good clean fun! The Super Slime Simulator lets kids make all kinds of slime—clear, milky, puffy and classic! Choose a color and add some decorations (like glitter). Then kids can play with their slime on the screen.

Angry Birds

The classic game that includes all those angry birds! Kids will have a blast shooting the birds at the enemy pigs with the sling shot. There are numerous versions of this game, and kids can pick their favorite.

Papa’s Freezeria to Go!

The app costs $0.99 via the App Store. Kids will make sundaes for guests and have to follow the instructions for each order. As the game advances, it gets harder. However, the app states that it’s appropriate for ages four and up. There are many other games in the “Papa’s” franchise including Papa’s Mocharia To Go!, Papa’s Sushiria to Go!, Papa’s Pizzeria to Go!, Papa’s Burgeria to Go!, and more! The games vary in cost from around $0.99 to $1.99.

Roblox

Yet another classic. Roblox includes lots of different games and is very, very popular! However, the app is designed for ages 12 and up! So this one may be fine for middle schoolers but isn’t designed for younger children. However, younger kids may like Minecraft. Parents might want to review Roblox before downloading.

Minecraft

Minecraft can be played in different modes: creative (which is focused on building) and survival, which is focused on crafting and fending off mobs. The age range is nine and up.

Block!

A puzzle game, Block! Offers many different challenges for children. The game is set up like tangrams, which requires children to piece together a specific shape. The game can be adjusted to be easy or more challenging. Puzzles also can be chosen in different shapes: triangles, squares and hexograms. This is a great game to challenge the mind.

Other Ways to Learn & Practice Reading On the Road

Road trips can be great educational experiences for kids. There are many ways to integrate learning with trip adventures. A simple road trip can incorporate a reading field trip to help children immerse in their book. Ask children where their book’s adventure takes place or ask them about places in the book. Parents could use their own devices to find places along the road that might complement their child’s book.

For children who need help practicing sight words, parents can create their own game that mixes road trip fun with sight word lessons. Make sight word bingo cards that feature a mix of sight words. During the trip, have children identify the sight word and try to find that word on the journey. The word could be on a sign, a bumper sticker, a business…anywhere. The first person to call Bingo wins. Parents may purchase a little pack of prizes for the game.

Taking a road trip can lead to unique adventures…for kids or parents. Sometimes it’s fun to map out a route, or parents might decide to see where the road leads them. Families can discover lots of new destinations and maybe even some unique roadside attractions, too. For longer trips, parents can keep the back seat arguments to a minimum by downloading apps on devices that are educational and fun. Include apps that help children with reading comprehension, sight words and sprinkle in a few apps that are just plain fun.

Want to try out Readability before hitting the road? Sign up for a free trial today!

Reading struggles in childhood are not uncommon. In fact, Reading Rockets reports that potentially 10 million children may struggle with reading. Children could have difficulty in pronouncing (or sounding out) words, they may struggle to understand what they read or they could face multiple learning difficulties related to reading.

If a child struggles with only reading comprehension, they may seem to read fluently. Perhaps the child has no difficulty in sounding out words but simply cannot articulate the meaning of the story or retell what happened. We’ve put together The Parents’ Guide to Reading Comprehension to help parents who are unsure how to help their child with this area of reading.

While some reading struggles could be tied to an underlying medical condition or learning disorder, not all who struggle may have a distinguishable diagnosis for why they struggle. Children also could fall behind peers because of lack of access to books or other resources.

Here’s everything parents need to know about reading comprehension, including resources that can be used to help their child master this important component of reading.

What is the Meaning of Reading Comprehension?

Reading comprehension is all about understanding the meanings and inferences within and hidden behind the text. At a basic level, children need to understand what is happening in a story. Even early readers may be able to retell the plot of the story and name the characters. These are both components of comprehension.

As the child advances in their reading skills, their comprehension also should become more nuanced. While the child should still be able to provide a synopsis of a book or story, comprehension also will entail more complex and abstract thinking skills. 

Reading comprehension for older children also involves being able to make predictions about what will happen next as well as being able to read into the character’s intentions. At a more advanced level, comprehension requires readers to ‘read between the lines’ and understand the inferences of a story. The writer won’t always write what is meant. The reader needs to be able to make this connection.

Comprehension is complex, and it can be difficult for parents to teach this reading skill. While parents can help children understand the basic plot of a story, children will need to learn how to train their brains to analyze other meanings of the story and book.

The ‘wh’ questions of comprehension become tools for helping children better comprehend stories. These questions include: who, what, when, where, and how.

What are the 5 Reading Comprehension Strategies?

Parents may not know how to help children master comprehension at a higher level. However, according to Teach-nology, there are five reading comprehension strategies that can be used to help children develop comprehension skills:

Story Maps or Diagrams

This is a bit like creating a diagram of the book. Teach-nology explains that kids fill in bubbles about each part of the book. So one section may ask who the characters are, another the story’s location, etc. Parents can come up with a different map that their child should complete.

Read & Answer

In the classroom setting, Teach-nology explains that this tactic would include a short section (perhaps a paragraph) that the child has to read. Questions would follow. Parents may try this strategy for chapter books. That is, they can ask a number of questions at the end of each chapter.

True or False

A variety of statements about the book are included and children need to label them as true or false. Parents can break this down into chapters for children who are reading longer books.

Role-Playing as the Author

Teach-nology explains this as being used in the classroom; children take turns being the author and answering questions about the book. However, parents also could use this strategy at home.

Writing a Diary

This is all about stepping into the shoes of one of the story’s characters. The child can write a diary pretending to be a favorite character. Parents can provide writing prompts to help guide the child’s writing.

These are simply a few comprehension strategies. However, five strategies aren’t the limit. Parents can use audiobooks, too, that allows children to listen to the story. Sometimes listening while reading could help children hear the intonations of a character (thus, helping them decipher the intentions).

For younger children, parents can encourage puppet shows to recreate scenes from a book. Parents also can buy a reading comprehension beach ball to use for a fun reading game. Reading comprehension balls feature prompts about the story; children can take turns tossing and catching the ball and answering questions about the book or story. These inflatable balls can be made at home or purchased online.

How Can I Improve My Reading Comprehension Skills?

Parents can help their children at home with reading comprehension, but not every strategy may work for every child. In addition to the strategies listed above, parents can use reading worksheets or online reading apps to help their child gain proficiency.

Many sites offer free worksheets that parents can download and print out. Typically, these worksheets are organized by grade level. Parents may need to find out their child’s reading level to find the best worksheets. That is, if a child is reading below grade-level, then printing grade-level worksheets might not be appropriate. Parents can talk to their child’s teacher to find out their child’s appropriate reading level.

Online reading apps like Readability also can benefit children who struggle with comprehension. Readability offers a built-in AI tutor that helps children during reading lessons. The tutor will correct pronunciation or help the child when or if they struggle during a lesson. The tutor also asks questions to gauge understanding at the end of each book. A child will only advance to the next reading level when they demonstrate proficiency; they must be able to master comprehension to move onto the next level.

Not every app will be a fit for each child. Parents can try out Readability for free for a week. During the free trial, children have access to all the features of the program. Parents can then gauge if they think Readability will be effective for their child.

What are the 5 Levels of Reading Comprehension?

Per ResearchGate, there aren’t five levels of comprehension…but six. However, these levels are tied into essay writing, which is a written analysis of the text that can showcase advanced understanding. When readers hit high school, they will write essays about the books they read. Students will need to analyze the text at a higher level. They will delve into critical analysis and express their own opinions about the meaning of a book. They will support their arguments with details from the text.

The six levels include: literal, inferential, appreciative, critique, evaluative and essential.

Literal is the most basic…or ‘literal’ understanding of the text. Inferential is all about inferencing from the text. Appreciative is all about the reader’s point of view. Critique requires the reader to be a critic of the author. Evaluative is a bit of an evaluation of a character and their actions. While essential comprehension may require the reader to apply everyday scenarios to the story.

What is the Highest Level of Reading?

Parents may wonder what the end level is for reading. What is the ultimate goal? Some reading programs use letters to show reading level; the end may be a reading level of Z. Numbers also can be used.

Reading complexity, though, may be based on the language used in the book or perhaps the underlying meaning of the book. Stories and books with more robust vocabulary will need higher-level linguistics mastery for understanding. In addition, books with deeper contextual meanings require that the reader is able to make these connections—maturity and reading skills may both play into comprehension.

For an easier answer to the question though, look to Scholastic. The site explains that the highest reading level only goes up to 2000 for Lexile. 

What are the Three Types of Comprehension?

Many sources will note that there are three levels or types of comprehension: literal, inferential, and evaluative. However, as discussed above, comprehension can involve six different levels. All of them require a different response and skill of the reader.

That being said, literal, inferential, and evaluative may be considered the primary three…but that simply depends on the source.

Asking Questions, Using Worksheets and Downloading Apps!

Parents who want to work with their children at home to improve comprehension may enlist a number of resources. Children can create a comprehension bookmark that includes thoughtful prompts that encourage them to think more about the meaning of the story. A bookmark could serve as a physical reminder of those key ‘wh’ questions.

Parents also could download free reading comprehension worksheets online. These often include little chunks of text with questions that gauge understanding. Or parents can ask their child’s teacher for additional reading worksheets.

A reading app like Readability can provide children with a virtual reading tutor. The built-in AI tutor can take the place of an in-person instructor to help children progress in their reading comprehension skills. Parents who want to get their child started with the program can sign up for a free trial online!

When a young one is struggling to read, there is no time to waste. The earlier the issue is addressed, the better. For most parents, it is important to get effective reading comprehension help for 2nd graders as the majority are not teachers themselves.

Focused support can make a huge difference if the issue is caught early. This support can be in many forms and certainly does not need to be boring or only about ‘extra study’.

Here we are going to look at how you can help your 2nd grader to improve their reading comprehension fast.

Why is Reading Comprehension So Important?

When a young person reads a page perfectly, parents and teachers often feel a sense of pride. There is something about a child finally grasping how to read and sound out words that is rewarding to those who have helped them get to that point.

However, the problem is that many can ‘read’ perfectly without really understanding much of that which they have just read. They are simply making the sounds without understanding the words or context.

Reading comprehension is not only about understanding the individual sentences either, but it also goes far deeper into understanding the meaning, motives, and hidden information in articles and stories.

In today’s world of being bombarded with information, children need to both understand the sentences and be able to think about what is actually meant and even consider if the information is likely biased or fake.

According to unesco.org “there are still 781 million illiterate adults”. This needs to be addressed and prevented from continuing to help the following generations read properly.

5 Strategies to Boost Reading Comprehension

These strategies, especially when combined, can have a huge impact on reading ability and the level of reading comprehension for second graders (or older). It does involve practicing, but these approaches help to make sure reading is fun and interesting, which in turn inspires a desire to understand more.

Here are our top 5 reading comprehension suggestions:

1.     Read Aloud – This is so simple, and yet extremely effective at indirectly increasing comprehension. When a child reads aloud, they not only slow down their reading but also hear the words being read. Both factors combine to greatly increase understanding. As this is practiced more and more, eventually they will start to ‘hear’ the words when they read silently.
2.     Ask Questions – Questions make us think, and so it is important to ask children questions about the stories or articles that they are reading. They can be fact-finding questions, questions about the story in general, or otherwise. Don’t make them too difficult but try to get them to explain the story and answers so that they need to understand what they read. Questions can also be asked before reading to inspire them to read with a purpose (something that is a useful skill for exams later).
3.     Use Technology – Technology can help to make reading fun, modern, and interesting. Virtual reading tutors are not only able to assist students to read better, but also to suggest a range of level assessed and age-appropriate reading materials to keep them interested and inspired.
4.     Use Interesting and Age Appropriate Readings – If you aren’t using technology to provide this, be sure to check that the books and materials they are reading are age and level appropriate. Being too difficult or just not the right style can leave a struggling reader feeling even more frustrated. It is better to go ‘too easy’ than ‘too difficult’ when someone finds reading a challenge.
5.     Read It Again – While the idea of rereading a story is an odd idea to many people, for reading comprehension it is an excellent way to increase skills and confidence. By reading a story a second or third time, the effort of reading itself is reduced and it allows for the reader to ‘discover’ more of the story that they may have missed the first time around.

The above tips can help greatly, but there are other things you can do too. Discussing pictures in the book and relating them to the story can also be a fun exercise that makes them want to explain the story or discuss their ideas about what was just read.

Whichever approaches you decide to use, be sure to combine at least a few, and see how they work for your child. Make sure they have the option to read interesting stories and the motivation to read. Motivation can be inspired by setting reading times, challenges, and even providing rewards for both efforts made and milestone achievements.

If your child is struggling to develop their reading skills in a traditional or distance learning environment, standard drills and exercises might not yield the results you’re looking for. As a result, educators and tech experts have collaborated to teach young readers how to get better at reading comprehension.

From reading games to voice-controlled apps, here are some of the most effective tips and tools to improve your child’s reading comprehension skills.

1. Focus on Vocabulary

Individual words are the building blocks of reading comprehension, starting with high-frequency words and single syllables. Understanding how to pronounce and identify simple words will help your child work up to more complex terms and phrases.

Children absorb new vocab words via two key methods: indirect and direct learning.

Direct instruction requires the explicit explanation of new words in a learning environment. Indirect instruction, on the other hand, involves organically learning new words via everyday conversation and passive listening.

Both methods are important for integrating new words into a new reader’s repertoire. Knowing what your child is struggling with, and where their strengths lie, will help you to identify the best learning resources for your family.

Using flash cards, charts, or even apps to reinforce your child’s vocabulary takes only a few minutes a day. This simple exercise can help young readers identify patterns early on, which is a great way to further their progress in less time.

2. Find the Main Idea

The main idea of the entire story frames how all of the characters, locations, and individual elements come together. But, each individual paragraph also has a main idea. Helping your child understand how to identify the subject of what they’re reading is a fundamental stepping stone toward better reading comprehension.

To find the main idea of a passage, encourage your child to summarize what they just read in their own words. This gives them a way to collect their thoughts and figure out what’s really important to the progression of the story.

If you’ve noticed that your child struggles with common concepts and topics, consider choosing a book or story that’s right below their reading level. Opting for more simple subject matter is an easy way to build confidence and fluency, while helping your kids highlight key ideas in less time.

3. Identify Context Clues

Even if your early reader doesn’t understand every word on the page, it’s possible to use context clues to understand main ideas and key subjects throughout the story.

Context clues come from the words and phrases that are surrounding the terms the reader might be struggling with. By considering the meaning of the auxiliary words that the child already understands, they can infer the meaning of new or challenging words.

Relying on context clues requires the reader to focus and use critical thinking skills to build a meaning from what they know in the story.

4. Break Story into Smaller Sections

As your child progresses into more difficult reading material, it’s common for young readers to freeze up and become overwhelmed. If you notice this while studying with your kids, consider breaking up the story into multiple smaller sections.

Attacking a smaller, more condensed paragraph is far less daunting than trying to work through multiple pages.

Children are more likely to stay engaged if they believe that they can accomplish what’s being asked of them. Giving them bite-sized assignments will help them build the confidence and fluency skills they need to succeed.

5. Set a Comfortable Pace

Sometimes, reading comprehension has less to do with the child’s ability and more to do with how they’re getting through each lesson. If your child feels overwhelmed with the rate at which they’re reading, it can hinder their ability to seamlessly finish the story.

Reading apps are a helpful tool for anyone who wants to learn how to get better at reading comprehension. By listening to the reader’s voice, these systems use artificial intelligence to identify:

• Pauses
• Repeated phrases
• Reading habits
• Fluency patterns

Using this information, mobile reading tools can set alerts to help your child know what they should spend more time on, and where they’re excelling in the curriculum.

Building a stronger reading foundation is key for any new readers who are trying to improve their comprehension skills. Taking more time to identify each reader’s individual strengths and weaknesses, while applying the right skills and techniques, will have your child devouring full-length stories in no time.

Check out one of the top digital reading tools on the market to help your child learn how to get better at reading comprehension.

Reading comprehension involves a child’s ability to understand the context and meaning of text. Young readers quickly learn to summarize or retell story plots and identify the main characters—basic elements of comprehension. Inferencing, the ability to make predictions on what will happen based on clues within the text, is a fundamental aspect of comprehension that is integral to reading proficiency.

As text becomes more abstract, readers must find the unwritten meanings that help them develop a greater understanding of the story. Unsure how to help a struggling reader? Here are 100 ways to help your child improve reading comprehension, love the adventure of reading and enjoy exploring new books! Some of these tips may be an adventure for parents, too!

1.    Ask questions when you read. The key comprehension questions are who, what, when, where, why and how. Your child should be able to answer these basic questions about the story or book.
2.    Cook a recipe. Cooking and following a recipe could help with basic comprehension skills. Measuring also helps your child with math!
3.    Narrate the story. Don’t just read aloud, narrate the story for your child. Inflect emotion and excitement to help them understand elements of the plot and motivations of the characters.
4.    Listen to the book. Listening to a book while following along in the text could help a child to better grasp plot elements or infer meaning.
5.    Start a family reading club. Everyone in the family should read the same book. After everyone finishes the story, talk about the plot and characters in depth together.
6.    Use reading worksheets. Online worksheets are available on numerous websites to help parents work on reading comprehension with their child. Some worksheets include questions to gauge understanding.
7.    Make a reading comprehension bookmark. A bookmark can serve as a visual reminder to help children think about plot elements and help identify those key “wh” questions.
8.    Use graphic organizers. A graphic organizer can help focus on plot, characters or other aspects of the story. This is yet another visual way to help with comprehension.
9.    Watch the movie together. After reading the book, watch the movie. Then discuss how the book differs from the big screen adaptation.
10.   Play reading games. Download games or apps that focus on reading skills. Or create your own games at home.
11.   Use a reading app. Readability provides struggling readers with an AI virtual tutor that helps guide reading lessons and tests comprehension. The tutor recognizes your child’s voice and provides guidance on pronunciation.  After the story is completed, the tutor will ask questions related to the story.
12.   Let children choose their books. Kids may be more excited about reading when they get to choose their own books.
    
13.   Take a reading field trip. Visit a site featured in your child’s favorite book. Maybe it’s a museum, the zoo or somewhere else. This is yet another way for a child to immerse into the action of the story.
14.   Make a story comprehension ball. Grab a beach ball and write comprehension prompts on each of the colorful sections. Toss the ball to your child and have them answer the prompt that faces up when they catch the ball. You can also buy a ball!
15.   Write a storybook. Have your child write their own fiction story. By creating a plot and characters, they also have to think beyond the basics.
16.   Draw pictures. Have your child illustrate a scene from the story. This may help them visualize the action of the story.
17.   Create a shoebox diorama. This is a small three-dimensional recreation of a scene from the story. Like an illustration, this could help a child visualize and better understand a scene.
18.   Meet with the teacher. When parents are concerned about comprehension, one of the first steps to address the issue may be a meeting with a child’s teacher. Don’t hesitate to reach out.
19.   Hire a private tutor. If money isn’t an issue, a private tutor could work one-on-one with a child to help focus on comprehension struggles.
20.   Read, read, read. Encourage children to read regularly to help work on proficiency and comprehension.
21.   Start a book club during the summer. If the local library doesn’t offer a summer reading program, start your own. Encourage children to track reading minutes and offer prizes for milestones and program completion. This encourages regular reading during the summer and could help them to not fall behind…in comprehension and proficiency.
22.   Offer reading rewards. For kids who dislike reading, a rewards program may be beneficial to get them to crack a book and work on comprehension. Set rewards that will motivate your child.
23.   Set reading goals related to comprehension. Reading rewards should be tied to reading goals. These goals could be related to comprehension, page numbers or reading minutes.
24.   Understand your child’s reading level. Parents should always know what reading level is best for their child, so that books are never too easy or too difficult. Ask your child’s teacher to better understand individual reading levels.
25.   Choose books that are leveled appropriately. Don’t select books that are too far outside a child’s reading level. Working on comprehension requires text that a child can easily understand.
26.   Read aloud to a child. Hearing a book read aloud could help a child understand the plot or the character’s actions. This also can be a child’s gateway to more difficult books.
    
27.   Create a reading den. Make reading fun by creating a reading nook or den. Grab pillows, covers or your child’s favorite stuffed animals.
28.   Stop the clock. Understand that the clock doesn’t always rule reading. Sometimes it’s ok to not watch the clock.
29.   Make a book craft. After reading the book, have your child make a craft related to the story. Your child can create a puppet based on the character of a book.
    
30.   Let children read to a furry friend. Our pets don’t judge mistakes. Let your child read aloud to the family pet. This is a great way to help them practice reading fluency.
31.   Make a book interest list. Not sure what books interest your child? Have them make a list of favorite sports, hobbies, ideas and more. Then find books related to the interest list.
32.   Review reading scores from school-based standardized tests. If you’re unsure if your child is reading at grade level, ask to review standardized test scores. These are usually sent home, but sometimes schools forget. Just ask your child’s teacher to review.
33. Talk to a pediatrician if reading struggles are pronounced. If your child is really struggling to sound out words and comprehend text, schedule an appointment with your child’s pediatrician to seek guidance.
34.   Ask for referrals. If your child’s doctor is concerned, they may recommend that your child see a specialist; ask for referrals so you know whom to consult. You may also need to check your insurance plan to find in-network specialists.
35.   Ask the school for intervention or further testing. Reach out to the school to inquire about testing for reading struggles.
36.   Never shame a struggling reader.
37.   But praise progress and effort. Always offer praise for progress and effort. Positive words may go a long way to a child that is struggling.
38.   Investigate different types of reading programs. Not every app or program works for every child. Do your research.
39.   Find out what reading environment works best for your child. Do they like to read alone? On the couch? Talk to your child about where they love to read, and try to make accommodations.
40.   Encourage reading breaks. Don’t push a child to read to the brink of exhaustion. Even when your child is completely lost in a book, encourage them to rest their eyes and take a reading break.
41.   Don’t make reading a chore. All parents can nag, but try not to make reading assignments into a dreaded task. This is sometimes how those reading minutes can backfire (depending on the child). Some kids see reading minutes as “I need to get through this.” They never enjoy the story or the book because they resent being forced to do reading for those mandated 20 minutes. Encourage fun reading, and let kids read at their pace.
    
42.   Set reasonable expectations. Don’t make reading goals unattainable.
43.   Understand that all reading is practice. Comic books count!
44.   Don’t compare a struggling reader to a peer or sibling.
45.   Talk to a child. Ask them to summarize their day. Ask them what happened in school. Ask them anything. Getting them to articulate their own experiences may help them articulate what they read, too. You might even focus on “wh” questions
46.   Read books to celebrate or commemorate history. For Fourth of July, read about the Revolutionary War and our Constitution. During Black History Month, encourage children to read about historical figures in the Civil Rights movement.
47.   Incorporate comprehension into daily activities. Talk about your day, an activity you’re doing and the steps you take to complete the activity. Incorporate those ‘wh’ questions.
48.   Use comprehension strategies across subjects. Focusing on comprehension is vital for the understanding of all subjects. Make sure your child understands history and science by asking comprehension questions related to assignments and reading.
    
49.   Enjoy a reading snack related to the book.
50.   Set the clock for fun reading races. If your child needs to work on proficiency, set a timer and encourage them to read a paragraph without making any mistakes.
51.   Parents need to read, too. Kids should see parents reading and enjoying a book. Kids learn by example.
52.   Encourage kids to write book reports. When kids finish the book, have them write up an old-fashioned book report detailing what they liked about the story and talking about the characters.
53.   Inquire about school resources in the classroom. Do you know what type of reading resources your child’s school offers? Ask! You may be able to use programs or resources at home.
54.   Mirror the teacher’s strategies. Inquire about what reading strategies your child’s teacher uses in the classroom. Use these same strategies at home.
    
55.   Encourage children to chunk the text to help ease comprehension struggles. Have children chunk text by reading a paragraph at a time…or a chapter. Then ask them questions about what they’ve read.
56.   Reenact a fun scene from the book. Is this a dinner party? An amazing adventure. Reenact it with kids and home to help them immerse in the story.
57.   Make sure kids know they aren’t alone in their struggles. Explain to them that many students struggle with reading. In fact, about 10 million struggle with reading.
58.   Don’t let children avoid reading. While understanding a story may be a challenge, don’t let kids avoid reading. Sit with them, help them and encourage them…but don’t let them give up.
59.   Have kids write a brief autobiography. Encourage them to retell an adventure; write down these adventures and use your child’s personal story to help them with aspects of comprehension. How did they feel? What did they learn? Make sure the adventure was a real one!
60.   Use books as rewards for reading. The best reward for reading? More books!
61.   Take your child to get a library card. Make a big event out of going to the library for their very first card…explain that this is their ticket to read any book they want!
62.   Check your library’s web site for special events related to reading clubs or other activities that could increase your child’s enjoyment of books and reading.
63.   Ask the librarian for book recommendations to help with comprehension. Librarians are great resources.
64.   Have your child create a hero list of famous people and find books about them for your child.
65.   Make sure any reading program you consider to help with comprehension has a free trial. Don’t risk paying for an app that doesn’t meet the needs of your child.
66.   Don’t stop reading during school breaks. The summer slide happens when children fail to keep reading or don’t engage in any meaningful educational activities (even doing math workbooks helps!).
67.   Check in with your child during reading to make sure they aren’t struggling.
68.   Visit thrift stores to find inexpensive books. Some may offer kids’ books for a mere quarter! Check out thrift stores near you!
    
69.   Utilize free ‘little libraries’ around the community when money’s too tight. Remember, take a book, give a book. Or, at the very least, remember to return the book you took from this free resource.
70.   Find books related to your child’s favorite shows.
71.   Explore free reading resources on PBSKids.org.
72.   Play comprehension hopscotch. Write comprehension prompts on the squares!
73.   Embrace virtual books for children who love technology. Download ebooks to your favorite ereader!
74.   Give your child some reading holidays. On break, give them a brief reading reprieve for a few days.
75.   Celebrate National Poetry Month in April by reading poetry or introducing your child to your favorite poets.
76.   On April 12, make sure your child celebrates D.E.A.R. (Drop Everything and Read Day!)
77.   For children who have difficulty with comprehension because of dyslexia or another learning disability, the month of October is Learning Disabilities and Dyslexia Awareness Month. You can find resources about learning disabilities or choose to be an advocate to educate others this month.
    
78.   During the month of October, parents can make reading fun by adopting a Halloween theme for at-home reading activities. Candy rewards, scary stories and even fun Halloween snacks can all be included.
79.   In November, help your child choose books on thankfulness, the first Thanksgiving or Native Americans. Remember, encourage your child to pick the books they want.
80.   December is the month of many holidays. Read about Christmas, Hanukah, or Kwanzaa. Talk to kids about these holidays to gauge their holiday comprehension. You may even read about holiday traditions across the globe. In Dutch traditions, St. Nicholas would leave candy or toys in children’s shoes!
81.   For February, embrace stories of love or Valentine’s Day history to work on comprehension. Fairy tales with happily-ever-after endings are a perfect choice for this month.
82.   Let your child read a comic strip (geared for kids) and talk about it together! Comic strips are a quick read, and may be an easy way to go over basic comprehension.
83.   Create comprehension quizzes for children to test their knowledge of the book.
84.   Understand that nightly reading minutes don’t always mean 20 minutes each night. If kids read for an hour, this counts toward the 100 weekly minutes. Don’t overthink reading minutes and turn reading into a chore.
85.   Does your child enjoy building models? Reading and following the instructions may help them with comprehension. Talk about each step and ask questions related to the process as they build.
86. Remove distractions. When a child is reading, make sure that any noisy distractions are removed. Turn off the radio and the television!
87.   Encourage your child to read aloud. Note their inflection during the story and see if they can pick up on emotions of characters.
88.   To analyze characters, have children create a chart comparing and contrasting main characters in a story. How are they alike? How are they different?
89.   Ask kids to make predictions. Reading aloud to kids? After each chapter, ask your child what they think might happen next.
90.   Check out different reading landmarks in your area. These can be places featured in books, independent bookstores, or libraries.
91.   Take the reading outdoors. Read out in nature to change the scenery! Encourage beach reading during vacation…just don’t forget the sunscreen!
92.   Talk to your child if you find that they are getting discouraged. Make sure to always provide positive reinforcement during reading.
93.   Know when you need a parent break. Parents can get frustrated if we feel a child isn’t listening or doing what they need to do. Sometimes, though, their struggle is just overwhelming them. If you feel that you’re losing your cool, step back. Take a parent break.
94.   Step into character by role playing parts of the book. You can use puppets, too.
95.   If your child is hungry, overly tired or sick, reading could be more of a struggle. If a child can’t focus because they are tired, need to eat or just feel bad, they might not pick up much from what they read. Use common sense before pushing those nightly reading sessions.
96.   Understand that an illness or a bad night with little sleep also could affect a child’s scores on a reading test. If scores were below expectations—and not the norm for your child—don’t assume reading has become a major problem. Reach out to your child’s teacher, and inquire if the child should be retested. If your child’s teacher is concerned, they will let you know.
97.   Host a family reading night each week. Everyone can hang out in the living room with their favorite book. This is a great way to unplug…and unwind. It also creates a reading habit for kids.
98.   Don’t book shame a child. If they love a silly book, let them read it.
99.   Find poems that were turned into songs! Listen to the song and talk about meaning. How does the music set the tone for the story/poem?
100. Don’t ban books without researching. As kids get older, parents may want to police their reading material. Before you put the stop on a book, before challenging a child who wants to read it, research the book and the author. Don’t judge a book by its cover…or its reputation. Some of the greatest novels have been challenged, banned and burned.

There are so many ways to help your child become a better reader. Many of these tips focus on out-of-the-box ways to encourage kids to pick up a book or to view reading and books positively. 

By making reading a fun activity, kids may be more open to guidance to improve comprehension. When parents are concerned that their child struggles with comprehension, opening a dialogue with the teacher may be the first (and best) step to address their struggles. 

Intervention, additional testing or perhaps even a medical referral to a specialist could also be needed to pinpoint the cause of a reading struggle. Sometimes, though, kids may simply fall behind and additional help at home may be all that is needed to help boost their proficiency.

Halloween might not be the same this year thanks to the pandemic mess that is Covid. Even if you decide not to take your kids door-to-door for festive trick-or-treating, you can still celebrate Halloween in other ways. Most kids love this festive holiday that’s marked by costumes and candy, and parents can use the spooky fun of Halloween to get kids reading, too.

Books are a scream (in a good way, of course), but kids who say ‘boo’ to books might fall behind their peers in fluency and/or comprehension. Here’s how to improve your child’s comprehension using a festive and fun Halloween theme!

1.   Start a Halloween Book Club

When the calendar flips to October, it’s time to embrace fall…and countdown the days until Halloween! In October, start a Halloween book club for your kids. Have them pick out books themed for this season to get them excited to read.

When kids choose their own books, they may feel more empowered and in control. However, parents that want to work on comprehension with their kids should make sure that kids choose books on the right reading level.

Halloween books can be nonfiction or fiction. Books may feature a favorite cartoon or story character, or kids may want to choose ghost stories or books that talk about the history of Halloween or spooky places.  Mix up the books for a variety of unique stories for this fall holiday.

2.   Create Halloween-centric reading rewards

If parents have set reading rewards for kids, theme the rewards for Halloween. Changing up reading rewards may get kids excited to earn new prizes. For reading comprehension goals, parents may wish to focus on understanding instead of time or page goals. This could be goals related to answering the key ‘wh’ questions: who, what, when, where (and how).  Not sure how to set comprehension goals at home? Parents can work with the child’s teacher to ensure that goals are appropriate and fair.

Halloween themed prizes can be stored in a Halloween themed bag or pumpkin bucket. Prizes don’t have to be candy or anything sugary. Instead, let kids select:

• Halloween themed stickers
• Fun spooky book marks
• Wax lips or teeth (if these toys are safe for your child)
• Slime
• Pencils or erasers (themed for fall or Halloween)
• Halloween books

3.   Use Halloween-Themed Articles to Help Gauge Comprehension

Handouts featuring articles can help children work on reading comprehension, too. These worksheets or handouts also may include comprehension questions to gauge a child’s understanding.

ReadWorks offers several articles that parents can use to help their child work on comprehension, and these articles are all themed for Halloween. Articles are marked for grade-level and reading level.

4.   Listen to the story

If your child is reading a silly or scary story that’s themed for Halloween, try to find the audiobook, too. Listening to the story—especially when the narrator is expressive and animated—may help them better understand the emotions or actions of the story. Scholastic explains that listening also can let kids read books that may be a bit harder. If your child is struggling with comprehension, listening to the story may be yet another learning resource.

5.   Pair the book with the movie…or cartoon

Did your child select a Halloween book that was made into a movie or a cartoon Halloween special? Watch the show or movie after reading the book. While this might not strengthen comprehension in a traditional sense, it can be a fun way for children to spot differences in the plot used in the book versus the movie. Watching the movie or show can be a fun reward, too.

After watching the movie/show, talk about what your child liked about the book versus the movie and if the characters were portrayed onscreen how your child pictured them in the book. When we read, we often create our own images of a character; sometimes Hollywood matches those images, other times…not so much!

6.   Cook Halloween snacks and treats to work on comprehension

Yes, a recipe can help your child with reading comprehension. Following a recipe requires attention to details and instructions. These step-by-step tasty lessons can be a great way to work on basic comprehension skills.  Teachers Pay Teachers has several worksheets that feature recipes and include questions related to comprehension. Need some great Halloween recipes? Check out the Food Network’s Spooky Halloween Recipes for Kids!

For kids who really struggle with comprehension, parents also can utilize a reading app like Readability. Readability can help kids improve comprehension and fluency; a built-in AI tutor provides auditory feedback to correct mistakes and help gauge comprehension. Lessons are leveled to ensure that stories are a perfect match to a child’s individualized reading ability. Parents can follow their child’s progress with the Parent Dashboard, which provides up-to-date information related to a child’s reading level as well as the time they spent engaging in lessons on the app.

Parents may be a bit spooked about paying for a reading app if they are unsure of its benefit, and Readability won’t haunt parents with insane monthly payments for a service that doesn’t work. Parents can sign up for a free seven-day trial of Readability…with no obligations. Ready to try Readability? Sign up for a free trial today!