Help your child become a reader for life.
Most parents think that once a child reaches a certain age, their role in teaching the child how to read ends. This tends to be right around the time where the student is too old for bedtime stories.
First, reading instruction in school never ends, depending on the student’s skills and success. If a student is struggling, they will have reading classes throughout high school. Second, there are plenty of common sense strategies parents can use with older students to help bolster whatever is going on in reading/language arts class.
Read with them without reading with them
It might be awkward to keep reading to a child after a certain age, especially if they can read to themselves. However, it’s never too late to read something with your child. Pick a book that you’ll both enjoy (on their appropriate reading level). The Harry Potter series is probably a good target. Then compare notes as you move through the book.
Not only does this make sure your child is reading outside of school (a big predictor of success), but it also shows them that reading can be a social experience that can help them make connections with other people throughout their life.
Real-world reading
The Common Core and other new standards want students to read more real-world texts rather than literature. Even though newspapers and magazines may be dying, they aren’t dead yet. Get some subscriptions and then take some time to highlight articles that might be of interest to your child and share them together, talking about the major points. Of course, this can also be done with online writing.
Open-ended questions
In both of these strategies, you will probably be the one guiding the discussion. The world of reading is rarely cut-and-dried. Don’t just ask questions about the facts of the story; make sure to ask open-ended questions that encourage discussion. Instead of things like “What did the main character do when he got into town?”, modify the question to “What did you think about what that guy did when he got into town?”
Switch up the roles
Again, you might be the one guiding the discussion at first, but give your child the opportunity to try. Most kids love the opportunity to take control, especially over their parents. Take turns asking questions, summarizing, and making predictions.
Never a punishment
Whatever you do, never make reading a punishment for some childhood transgression, even indirectly. A typical situation might be taking away the student’s access to video games and suggesting that they read instead. Then the child equates reading with punishment and a lack of fun. Let them figure out what to do with their newfound free time. If you’ve done your job, they’ll choose reading without your help.