#RaisingReaders Monday: Fluency Makes it Fun!

After chatting with moms from My Daisy troop today – moms of rising first-graders – I planned to write a post about fluency. That’s the phrasing and flow of reading that turns words into sentences, gives greater meaning, and adds variety to an otherwise monotonous series of sounds. I immediately knew my first tip: DON’T make kids sound out every word – especially as they begin tackling harder texts. If you “give” the child the word before he/she struggles, you keep the flow of the sentence going, keep the meaning clear, and make the experience more about enjoyment and less about decoding a single word. That will come with time – and can be learned in other contexts. Don’t let a handful of hard-to-decipher words ruin your read-together time.

As I started fleshing out my list of tips and researching what others had to say about the topic, I came across a great post from START WITH A BOOK – a project of the READING ROCKETS program. It said everything I wanted to say about fluency – and so well – that I decided my best move would be to direct you there. Please take the time to click through and check it out! And while you’re at it, check out their awesome, downloadable, summer reading guides!

FLUENT KIDS via STARTWITHABOOK.ORG

“Fluency is a critical skill for a young reader — evidence that he is comfortable “decoding” the words on the page and can read aloud with expression. If your child is struggling with fluency, there are simple things you can do at home to help build confidence and skills…” [click here to continue]