Raising Readers #2

1.     Transitional readers – At seven to eight years old, children would have reached a degree of independence, but may still need the parent to sit with them while they read. At this stage, they may start reading silently. As they read with greater understanding, they will also learn to pause and modulate their tones appropriately.   

Parents can encourage their child’s participation by:-

# taking them to the library and letting them choose books on topics they are interested in. This will make them much more willing to read. Just make sure the books are age appropriate.

# sitting with them, even if they are reading silently. They may still get stumped on words and need your help along the way.

# getting them to begin writing. The more they write, the more familiar they will be with print. 

2.     Fluent/Independent readers – this stage develops between the ages of 9 to 14. Children will be able to read fluently and confidently. They will be able to read longer texts and would have developed their comprehension and analytic skills.

3.     Advanced readers – from 14, there is constant development. They will read a broad range of topics and with different styles of writing. Their vocabulary will expand significantly, and they will be able to analyse the text from a number of different perspectives. They will also be able to write their own creative and persuasive texts.

Parents can continue to support fluent and advanced readers by frequently asking them about what they are reading and engaging in discussions about their texts. Parents could also share their opinions about material that they themselves have read. 

Note: Some of the above information has been adapted from https://bilingualkidspot.com/