Is your child’s reading choppy or robotic-sounding? If so, you will want to focus on the smoothness of their reading. In this case, an invaluable tool is their finger.
Having your child read with their finger under the words as they read, touching the book and moving smoothly under the print will help make their reading smooth. It is an interesting phenomenon of the brain that if your child “pecks” at the words while reading, their reading will sound the same. They will be reading word by word. Therefore, it is really essential that their finger moves smoothly underneath the words.
Some kids for whatever reason don’t like that tactile sensation and don’t want to read with their finger. That’s fine. Instead, have them use their bookmark. They can put the bookmark underneath the line of text, and after each line they can just move the bookmark down the page. This focuses their eyes on the line that they’re reading and allows them to get the fluidity of the text as they’re reading.
We hope this helps you guide your child on their journey to becoming a confident reader! For more tips on building their reading confidence, keep scrolling and grab our free guide.
