Help Your Child Become a Speedy Reader

Courtesy: StrugglingReader.com

To become a speed reader, one of your first challenges is to stop vocalizing when you
read. If you say the words when you read, you can’t read quickly because saying words to
yourself takes time — time you can use to speed ahead with your reading.
Most people vocalize because that’s how they learned to read. In the learn-to-read phase,
first, second, and third graders learn to sound out words by recognizing letter combinations on
the page and speaking these combinations as sounds in the act of reading.
If you want your child to become a speed reader (or at least a better reader), your first
task is to discourage the vocalization habit. Starting in the third or fourth grade, have your child
concentrate on reading without vocalizing. Tell him to see and read more than one word at a time
and process the words without sounding them out.
If your child continues to move his lips in the act of reading, have him chew gum, hold a
finger over his closed lips, or hold a pencil in his lips while reading. Present this correction as a
fun activity for your child to engage in, and he’ll quickly break the vocalization habit.
Studies show that children from households where parents and other family members
read are better readers than other children. These children understand that reading is a
pleasurable activity, not an onerous chore. Make books and reading a part of your family’s daily
life if you want your child to read well. If you have young children who aren’t of reading age,
read to them on a regular basis. It will give them a big head start when it comes time for them to
read on their own.