Given the high literacy rates in the U.S., many adults take reading comprehension for granted. Sure, the vast majority of us are able to competently read and write, but developing these skills was no small feat. However, a sizable number of adults are hard-pressed to remember how they learned to read in the first place. That being the case, it’s easy for us to forget how daunting reading seemed when we were children. This is often evident in mistakes parents make when trying to pass their reading skills along to their children. Parents having trouble in this department would be wise to avoid the following mistakes.
Inconsistency
Daily practice is essential to developing good reading skills. As such, parents are encouraged to practice reading with their children every day until such time as they become comfortably proficient. Unfortunately, many parents fail to practice this level of consistency. In some cases, they’re busy with work or too tired after a hard day. Other times, parents simply don’t feel like fighting with their kids.
Regardless of what else is going on in your life, it is essential that your children learn to read and write. Whether you’ve worn out from the daily grind or your little ones are thoroughly disinterested in reading, you’ll need to summon the strength to read with them every day. Of course, it helps if you have the right teaching aids at your disposal. Fortunately, with a bevy of convenient tools readily available on the web, learning to read online has never been easier.
Placing an Unfair Burden on Teachers
Some parents make no significant effort at teaching their children to read, believing this to be the job of their teachers. While it’s true that teachers often help students hone and enhance their reading abilities, the bulk of the work must be done by parents. Every child processes reading lessons at his or her own pace, and a teacher overseeing dozens of students probably isn’t going to be able to give your child special attention.
Getting Burnt Out
Not all children are receptive to reading lessons. Some kids become antsy when forced to sit still for extended periods, and others become noticeably distraught when they’re unable to grasp a lesson right away. After dealing with situations like this on a regular basis, some parents become burnt out and discontinue their children’s reading lessons out of pure frustration. While this frustration is understandable, you mustn’t allow it to impede your efforts – or those of your children. Some days, it may be tempting to give up, but this sets a poor example for your kids and acts as a hindrance to their reading proficiency.
For many of us, learning to read was far from easy. While developing reading skills may seem like a small accomplishment in hindsight, it may have been downright brutal for you as a child. It’s important to remember this when giving reading lessons to your kids. What seems easy to you is liable to seem all-but-impossible for them, and parents would do well to keep this in mind. In your efforts to encourage literacy in your children, take care to avoid the previously discussed blunders.
