Reading Tips for Elementary Students
The only way to become a better reader is to
read every day!
Below are suggestions for different grade levels:
Grades Kindergarten through 2nd grade:
1. An adult should always read with a kindergartener, first, or second grader
every day for about fifteen minutes.
2. Adults can let the child help pick out books to read with or to your child.
3. Reading together at bedtime is a nice habit to relax the child and get ready to sleep.
4. Adults can read a book aloud to the child. The child can practice reading a book aloud
to an adult.
5. If the child comes upon words they do not know and they can be sounded
out, ask the child to do that. If they have trouble sounding it out, the adult can assist
them in sounding it out. If the child is stuck, the adult should tell them the
word to ease any frustration.
6. As the adult reads aloud, you can ask the child what individual words are in the book.
For beginning readers, ask what letter a word starts with, or what letter is at the
end of a word and what sound does that letter make.
7. For longer words, use your fingers to cover up sections of the word, to chunk the word
into smaller parts that the child can then sound out. Then have the child put those
chunks of sound together to figure out the whole word.
8. Before you read, look at the cover and guess what will happen in the story.
9. While you are reading, predict together what will happen next.
10. At the end of the book, talk over which parts of the story they liked the best.
11. Talk about the events in the story and the order in which events happened.
12. Discuss the characters in the story and why they chose their behaviors in
the story. Ask your child how they would do things differently than the
character/characters in the book.
13. Talk about how the story is similar to anything in the child's life, or something
they have read that is similar, or have seen in a movie or show.
14. You can always read the book as many times as the child finds interesting.
15. Go to the library with your child and pick out new books to read.
16. Pick out more than one book at the library to read together at home.
17. After finishing a book, the child can write what they read about.
Kindergarteners and 1st graders can write a sentence or two about the
story and draw an illustration about the story. Second graders can write
more than two sentences with their illustration.
18. Journaling daily with words and pictures is a good way to keep writing practice fun.
19. Writing a short note or letter to family or friends and asking for a reply,
keeps children engaged in the writing process.
20. Choosing poetry books or books with rhyming words helps further keep a reluctant
reader engaged in the reading process.
21. Making reading a relaxed and pleasurable activity keeps children wanting to
read even when it is challenging.
Grades 3rd through 5th:
1. Find a book you really like.
2. Read at least twenty minutes every day.
3. Use the five finger rule. Open a page of a book you have chosen.
If there are five words on that page you do not know, it might be a little
more difficult to read alone, so pick another book.
4. You can read out loud with a relative or an adult.
5. Have your reading partner and you take turns reading out loud.
6. Write a review for the books you like the best.
7. Write a pretend journal entry as a character in the book you are reading.
8. Draw illustrations with captions about the story for the books you like.
9. Go to the library to get new books as often as you can.
10. Create your own family book club.
Read a book together and then discuss it as a group.
11. The child could write a different ending to the story they have read.
12. Journaling daily is a good way to keep writing practice fun.
13. Writing a short note or letter to family or friends and asking for a reply,
keeps children engaged in the writing process.
14. Let your child pick books they are really interested in, to make reading a fun activity.
read every day!
Below are suggestions for different grade levels:
Grades Kindergarten through 2nd grade:
1. An adult should always read with a kindergartener, first, or second grader
every day for about fifteen minutes.
2. Adults can let the child help pick out books to read with or to your child.
3. Reading together at bedtime is a nice habit to relax the child and get ready to sleep.
4. Adults can read a book aloud to the child. The child can practice reading a book aloud
to an adult.
5. If the child comes upon words they do not know and they can be sounded
out, ask the child to do that. If they have trouble sounding it out, the adult can assist
them in sounding it out. If the child is stuck, the adult should tell them the
word to ease any frustration.
6. As the adult reads aloud, you can ask the child what individual words are in the book.
For beginning readers, ask what letter a word starts with, or what letter is at the
end of a word and what sound does that letter make.
7. For longer words, use your fingers to cover up sections of the word, to chunk the word
into smaller parts that the child can then sound out. Then have the child put those
chunks of sound together to figure out the whole word.
8. Before you read, look at the cover and guess what will happen in the story.
9. While you are reading, predict together what will happen next.
10. At the end of the book, talk over which parts of the story they liked the best.
11. Talk about the events in the story and the order in which events happened.
12. Discuss the characters in the story and why they chose their behaviors in
the story. Ask your child how they would do things differently than the
character/characters in the book.
13. Talk about how the story is similar to anything in the child's life, or something
they have read that is similar, or have seen in a movie or show.
14. You can always read the book as many times as the child finds interesting.
15. Go to the library with your child and pick out new books to read.
16. Pick out more than one book at the library to read together at home.
17. After finishing a book, the child can write what they read about.
Kindergarteners and 1st graders can write a sentence or two about the
story and draw an illustration about the story. Second graders can write
more than two sentences with their illustration.
18. Journaling daily with words and pictures is a good way to keep writing practice fun.
19. Writing a short note or letter to family or friends and asking for a reply,
keeps children engaged in the writing process.
20. Choosing poetry books or books with rhyming words helps further keep a reluctant
reader engaged in the reading process.
21. Making reading a relaxed and pleasurable activity keeps children wanting to
read even when it is challenging.
Grades 3rd through 5th:
1. Find a book you really like.
2. Read at least twenty minutes every day.
3. Use the five finger rule. Open a page of a book you have chosen.
If there are five words on that page you do not know, it might be a little
more difficult to read alone, so pick another book.
4. You can read out loud with a relative or an adult.
5. Have your reading partner and you take turns reading out loud.
6. Write a review for the books you like the best.
7. Write a pretend journal entry as a character in the book you are reading.
8. Draw illustrations with captions about the story for the books you like.
9. Go to the library to get new books as often as you can.
10. Create your own family book club.
Read a book together and then discuss it as a group.
11. The child could write a different ending to the story they have read.
12. Journaling daily is a good way to keep writing practice fun.
13. Writing a short note or letter to family or friends and asking for a reply,
keeps children engaged in the writing process.
14. Let your child pick books they are really interested in, to make reading a fun activity.