Contents
Hello! Today we will talk about how to increase the speed of reading in a child. Without causing him a persistent negative reaction to this process and without spoiling relations with each other. So, are you ready?
Causes
The most likely causes of slow reading technique are as follows:
- Poor vocabulary. Agree, it is difficult to pronounce words that you have never met before in your life. It’s like taking and trying to master the text in a foreign language.
- Low ability to concentrate. If you are constantly distracted, it is impossible not only to understand the meaning of what is written, but also to quickly cope with the text.
- Problems with the articulatory apparatus. Basically, the reading technique suffers in children who had difficulty with speech. For example, they spoke too late, could not pronounce a number of sounds, and so on.
- Regressions. The kid can try to return to the already read word, and this, of course, adds pauses. Watch him in the process, if his eyes «run», then you need to pay attention to this complexity. Explain why he does this, perhaps it’s just that the text itself is difficult to understand, or he just gets distracted and thinks about something else.
- Fear. Agree, it’s not very motivating to understand that you have to get a belt in a soft spot or listen to curses addressed to you. This causes severe stress, as a result of which a person may lose the ability to think rationally, concentrate on the task at hand, and so on.
Rules
Regardless of your own life experience, by no means start classes when one of you is not in a particularly good mood. Especially if there is anger or sadness.
Because in this case, the child may not succeed, and this will discourage the desire to engage in the future and reduce self-esteem. Or your nerves will not stand it, which will also have an extremely negative impact on his success.
You should also carefully monitor the duration of training. Younger children, especially if they are only in grade 1, will not be able to stand the long concentration on the reading process. Accordingly, they will begin to be distracted. Therefore, do no more than 20 minutes, even if it seems that the child is still full of strength, interest and energy.
For the same reason, it must be done in a day or two. But by no means everyone. Classes should arouse interest, not disgust, which is why it is also not recommended to force him.
Unfortunately, among many parents and teachers there is an opinion that if a child sits with a book every day for a couple of hours, then he will learn not only quickly, but downright fluently. But this is a big mistake. You can learn something, you can learn it, but it’s unlikely that you will fall in love.
The main negative consequences of such actions are a decrease in self-esteem and the inability to remember and understand what they read. There is fear and unwillingness to learn.
Exercises for reading speed in children
treasure game
Suitable for primary school age. Think of any topic that is closest to your child and write a letter. Only not the usual, but a riddle letter. It should be missing some of the letters that the child will try to substitute on their own in order to understand what kind of information is encrypted in it.
Let’s say you have a boy and he likes to play pirates. You can carefully describe where exactly in the apartment his encouragement is stored, even in the form of sweets or a symbolic amount of money, in case of successful completion of the test.
The simplest option is one “missing” letter for 2 words. You can «erase» it in the middle or at the end. A more complicated task is when there are no first letters.
Retelling
In order for the material to be assimilated, and not disappear without a trace after reading aloud, let him retell in his own words what he understood. Naturally, if he is about 8 years old, then stop doing each page, if 5-7, then after two sentences.
Three alphabets
The word game helps to speed up the reading technique. And the first results will be waiting for you in a week of classes. The fact is that in addition to visual memory, you also have to connect different types of thinking.
You need to purchase packs of 3-4 alphabet cards. Spread them out and think of words from the available letters. It is important that not just the child himself sit, pore over the task, but add competitive notes. For example, whoever comes up with more words from you gets a reward. Just remember to give in.
Backwards
Take a couple of sentences and try saying them backwards. This exercise helps to reduce the level of tension due to laughter that will inevitably arise. Yes, and train to pronounce and read continuous letters and words. Then with simple and understandable problems will not arise at all.
Tongue Twisters
The faster your student learns to pronounce words, and clearly, the easier it will be for him to fluently voice the material he read. It often happens that the baby has already read the word, but while pronouncing it, enough time is spent.
To prevent this from happening, learn tongue twisters with him. Just offer him a choice, which one is more interesting, let him remember it.
To increase interest in the process, you can try to pronounce them in the rhythm of your favorite song or race with you.
Breath
Breathing also affects speed. If you take a breath and at the same time try to pronounce a phrase, it will decrease significantly.
Therefore, before reading the first sentence, let him take a breath and, as he exhales, proceed to the task.
To develop the respiratory apparatus and improve articulation, you can play a game. For example, choose one letter, take a breath and, as you exhale, name the words that begin with it.
Completion
And that’s all for today, dear readers! And remember, each kid has his own pace, you should not put pressure on him if the results are long in coming. Be sensitive and tolerant, believe me, over time, hard work will justify the expectation. The main thing is not to frighten away the desire to learn and explore the world.
If you want to improve the articulation of your speech in order to speak more clearly and beautifully, I recommend that you read this article.
Strength and inspiration to you!
The material was prepared by a psychologist, Gestalt therapist, Zhuravina Alina