Parents have different schedules. Some work the traditional nine-to-five, but others work nights or extended hours. Some parents work from home, while others are stay-at home parents. No matter what the schedule entails, sometimes all parents deal with the issue of simply not having enough hours in the day.

When children need help with reading homework, parents might have limited time to spend guiding them. Parents might need to take another child to an activity or there could be work-related issues. Here’s how to help with reading at home when time is limited:

• Make a schedule

• Divide and conquer

• Read a short book

• Play short reading games

• Use a reading app

The Most Important Tip: Make a Schedule

Time is not always a parent’s best friend. When time is limited, the most important tip that parents might follow is to create a schedule.

Plan the evening and map out everything. This can help parents understand how much time they can devote to helping their child with reading and other homework. Once parents know how the evening is planned, they can stress less and tackle the list—including finding the time to help children with school work.

When time is limited, the best way to control stress might be to take control of the schedule.

Divide and Conquer

Some parents are single parents while others share duties with a partner or spouse. Those who have a partner (or spouse) might choose to divide and conquer. What does this mean?

Divide up duties and split them equally. One partner might cook dinner while the other helps children with reading and schoolwork. Dividing up duties can help relieve parents from the stress of doing everything.

What about single parents? Dividing and conquering doesn’t mean splitting duties. Single parents might divide and conquer in other ways. They might use dinner time to also help children with reading; they could encourage children to practice reading recipes.

Read a Short Book

Parents might have made a schedule and they might divide up duties. Some days, though, time is really crunched. How can parents help children with reading if there really is very little time?

Some days are imperfect. Instead of stressing out and trying to cram a reading lesson into the evening, parents might just sit and read a small book to children. Take turns reading a page. Help children sound out words and ask questions. Even reading a paragraph or a short story could be beneficial.

Play a Quick Reading Game

One way that parents can help children with reading in a limited amount of time is to pack reading games in a handbag or in the car. Reading games could include a list of sight words for a ‘sight word scavenger hunt’ at the store or flash cards to help children practice their sight words.

Parents can help children practice with these games on errands or even at a doctor’s office. Take the flash cards and work with children to memorize their sight words while waiting for the doctor or at their sibling’s sports practice.

A list of sight words can be used to encourage children to go on a sight word scavenger hunt anywhere. Encourage them to find all their sight words.

Use a Reading App

When time is really crunched, parents simply might not be able to provide one-on-one reading help. However, reading apps can be used to help children who are struggling to read when parents simply don’t have the time to provide this guidance.

Reading apps like Readability can be used from preschool through fifth grade. Readability includes a built-in AI tutor that learns a child’s voice. Lessons in Readability are done aloud;  if a child mispronounces a word or has difficulty, the tutor will provide help.

Readability tracks both reading fluency and the child’s comprehension ability. At the end of each story, the tutor asks the child questions about the book to test their understanding. If a child answers the question incorrectly, the tutor will show the child a section from the story that will help them answer the question. The tutor also reads this aloud and the child has another chance to answer the question.

As the child reads, the tutor also is measuring the child’s reading fluency. This is measured in words read per minute. Readability tracks each child’s fluency progress.

With Readability, children also can work on their vocabulary skills. Every story in Readability includes a list of vocabulary words. In addition, children can tap any word in a story to hear the definition or hear the word used in a sentence.

Every discovered word that the child taps within a story is then added into the child’s word bank. Children can open their word bank to hear and explore their words as often as they wish.

Parents might wonder how they will know if a reading app can help their child. With Readability, parents can follow their child’s reading journey via a private portal that includes their child’s reading data. Parents can see their child’s reading level, understand their child’s reading fluency (measured in words read per minute) and review their comprehension mastery, too.

In addition, this parent portal also shows how long each child used the program. Parents will never be in the dark as to whether their child practiced their reading for the day.

A Reading App Can Serve as a Virtual Tutor

When parents are struggling with finding time to help their child, they can only do the best they can. For parents who can’t find the time to provide one-on-one help for their child, a reading app can serve as a virtual tutor to guide the reading lessons.

When a child uses Readability, they are never alone during their reading session. Every child has access to the AI tutor; this tutor knows and can identify when a child needs assistance.

Parents can feel confident that their child will have help when they struggle. With Readability, their child also will read books that are appropriate for their reading level. Readability only advances a child to the next reading level when they demonstrate appropriate mastery of fluency and comprehension.

Children can use Readability throughout elementary school, too. Children who start using Readability in kindergarten can continue to use the program all the way through fifth grade.

For children who read below grade-level expectations, Readability offers high/low books. These books include topics and stories geared towards older ages but are written at a low reading level. High/low books ensure that older children who struggle to read aren’t reading books that are written for younger children.

Readability is Compatible with Accelerated Reader

Parents who need a reading app to help their child with reading also might look for programs that include books compatible with Accelerated Reader. The Accelerated Reader program allows children to take comprehension quizzes on books that they read to earn points.

Many teachers offer rewards when children reach certain point milestones on Accelerated Reader. Children can read stories on Readability and take the quiz on these books in their classroom.

When children use Readability, they won’t miss out on earning points just because they are using a reading program. Readability helps them earn points via Accelerated Reader.

To find out how many points each Readability book is worth, parents can use the Accelerated Reader Bookfinder tool.

When Time is Limited, Children Can Listen to Stories

Parents who are crunched for time might not be able to read stories to their child. Readability also can take over the storytime duties. In fact, Readability includes a feature called Storytime that reads books to children.

With Storytime, children can listen to their favorite Readability stories anywhere. They can follow along as the program reads to them and enjoy the storytime experience. Parents can download the Readability app to their smartphone or tablet to allow children to use the app (and storytime) in the car and on the go.

Try out Readability to Explore the Features

Time is precious for parents. Those who are single parents and who can’t divide and conquer with the help of a partner might need help providing reading enrichment for their child. Two-parent households also could struggle with finding time to help their struggling reader.

It takes a village to raise a child, and sometimes technology can be a virtual village of guidance. Parents who struggle to find time to help their child can try out Readability to see if it will work for their child’s struggles.

Readability offers a free seven-day trial that provides full access to all the program’s features. Children can work with the AI tutor and read books to explore what Readability has to offer. In addition, parents can sit down with children as they explore the program to better understand the design of Readability and how it guides each child.

Parents who want to continue with Readability can use one account for up to three children. Monthly subscriptions are priced at $19.99. Interested in exploring how Readability can guide a child’s reading progress? Sign up for a free trial today.