Helping your child become a speedy reader

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 mem-

bers 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.