Step by Step Guide: Help Your Child Achieve Better Reading

Is your child struggling with reading? Many children struggle with learning to read. In the UK, around 40% of people have reading difficulties. 

There are many ways to help your child improve and get his or her level up to speed with the rest of the class. 

Here is our favorite Speech-Language Pathologist, Meghan Baulch, sharing her top tips and advice, getting your kid on the right track. 

Preparing a Schedule and Setting Goals

In this first lesson, Meghan describes how you can create a reading program for your child and suggests starting with scheduling “reading practices.” Make a routine of scheduled sessions of 30-60 minutes for reading and creativity and set achievable goals your child can succeed with. 

Starting small and growing, using 20 minutes increments, we will reach the goal: getting our child to read for 60 minutes every day. During every session, the parent and the child should both read and can use the OrCam Read assistive device to allow him/her to enjoy the reading. 

Getting Your Child to Read More 

In this second lesson, Meghan offers tips on how to get your child to read more, saying they first need to be excited about the opportunity. 

Pick out a variety of books for them and make sure that you choose the right books for their grade and level that meet their interests. Then, read the cover or first chapter out loud to them. 

Some children have difficulties decoding text when reading and are unable to create a mental image of the content. For them, visualization is the key. Help them by visualizing the content of the text and allow them to draw while listening to you or the OrCam Read. You can also pick out books that have been made into movies. This way they will already be familiar with the story. 

Independent Reading for Your Child

For the third lesson, Meghan reaches an important question: How do we know if our child is ready to read on their own? 

Every child has their own pace and achieving the desired level takes time and effort. Kindergarten to fifth-graders should eventually reach a level where they achieve 20 minutes of connected text reading. Middle and high school students should have time to read privately. 

Ensuring success in your child’s school is also crucial. You will need to meet with your child’s teachers to make sure they are on board, encouraging the use of technology. The OrCam Read assistive device increases stamina and improves access to texts. 

Better Access and Barrier Removed

The OrCam Read is an innovative AI-based reading aid that was specially developed for people with reading difficulties such as dyslexia. A unique handheld device with an integrated smart camera that seamlessly reads printed text from any surface or digital text from screens.