Reading is one of the most important academic skills you can teach your early elementary-age child. As the school year comes to a close, here are some helpful tips to help your child grow and develop over the summer.

Fluency

Let your child read easy books to you: Many people think that children develop fluency solely by reading things above their reading level. This is not so! In fact, fluency is the art of building automaticity, and is significantly aided when a child reads the same material over and over again.

“You read to me, I’ll read to you”: Alternating reading with your child is a great way for the child to learn from your expression and tone of voice, and can motivate him to read. A great strategy is for you to read one page and for your child to read the next. In listening to your child, you’ll learn a lot about the way he reads.