Good Reading Habits for Beginner Readers

Want to encourage a love of reading in your child? Discover the 9 strategies that will help beginner readers build good reading habits.

It’s magical, isn’t it? Seeing your child piece letters and words together as she reads from a book.

But as much as she enjoys reading now, how do you make sure she continues to do so in the years ahead? After all, you see bleak stats about kids’ interest in reading on their own dwindle as early as fourth grade.

How do we take beginner readers and help them develop good reading habits?

How to build good reading habits

Your reading goals don’t include turning your child into the next whiz or pressuring her to be at the top of her class. Instead, it’s about developing a love of reading and learning. One where leisure time includes lounging on the couch with a book, or getting excited about new books from the library.

After all, reading time shouldn’t be a chore to nag about, but a favorite pastime and hobby from childhood and onward.

Take a look at these simple but clever ways to build good reading habits, right from the start:

1. Incorporate reading into daily life

You’ll be surprised how often you can include reading into your everyday life.

At the grocery store, ask your child to read labels or point out aisle numbers and signs. When walking around the block, show her the letters in road signs and those painted on the street. Leave reading materials—from comics to recipes—strewn all around the house.

Reading doesn’t only happen in books, but everywhere around us.

Free resources: Want some book ideas? Join my newsletter and get your copy of the Read Aloud Book List! You’ll get hundreds of favorite recommendations to read aloud with your kids. Get it below—at no cost to you:

2. Read 20 minutes a day

Who has 20 minutes a day, much less five, to read book after book? It’s a matter of not doing something else so you have time for these reading sessions. In other words, we make the time.

And one of the easiest way to incorporate 20 minutes is to build it into your routine.

A go-to routine for reading is bedtime. Snuggle with a few good books after taking a bath and dressing in pajamas. Do this often enough, and your child will not only have the motivation to read every night, but do it automatically—no nagging necessary.

Twenty minutes is enough time to build good reading habits every day.

Tip: Read for pleasure yourself, in front of your child. This teaches her that everyone in the family reads, not just kids.

Discover 7 benefits of reading to your child you may not know.

3. Alternate reading pages

Encourage your child to read aloud by alternating reading pages with each other.

He can read one page, then you read the next. Stick to books you know he can read well and with inflection. If he reads like a run-on sentence with no pauses or punctuation, then try a book with fewer lines for him to read.

Speaking of which…

4. Choose appropriate books

Find age-appropriate books for your child—the right book can make a big difference!

One way to gauge a book’s difficulty level is the Five-Finger Rule. Have him practice reading a page in a book, and count every word he struggles with. If, at the end of the page, he stumbled on fewer than five, then the book is age-appropriate. Any more than that, and it’s too difficult.

Along with age-appropriateness, choose books that match his interests. From the moon to clouds to ladybugs, find books about those topics to read with him. You’re creating a positive experience and expanding his interests and ideas.

5. Point to the words

As you read a book, run your finger underneath the words you say out loud. He can better follow along and identify a few words. He’ll also hear your intonation and know when you pause or stop between sentences.

Do the same as he reads books, or encourage him to do the same. That way, he also doesn’t “lose his place” as he stops to think.

6. Read the same books over and over

As adults, we don’t often re-read the same books over and over, except for a few favorites. But for kids, this is essential way to develop good reading habits.

For one thing, they find enjoyment in hearing the same stories, especially good ones. And like any good story, they might need a few more reads to absorb the meaning and even learn new words.

The best ones to read again and again? The favorite books your child requests over and over.

7. Look up a new word

Once in a while, make it a game or assignment to look up a new word. As you read a story, find words you think your child might not know. Write it down in a notebook and, after you read the book, have her:

Write the definition (with your help).
Find and write a similar word.
Write the sentence from the book where you found it.
Come up with and write a new sentence of her own using the word.
Draw the scene with the word either from the book or from her own sentence.

8. Ask questions about the book

Encourage your child to comprehend and question the stories she reads through reading prompts, asking one or two for each book. You don’t have to do this with every book you read, but it’s a great exercise to keep her engaged. A few examples are:

What do you think this story is about?
What do you think will happen next?
Why did he do that?
How does she feel?
Who was the main character?
What was the problem in the story?
How did the characters figure it out?
What did you learn from this book? (Great for non-fiction books.)

Learn more about asking open ended questions for kids.

9. Have a homework routine

Have a homework routine after school so your child knows what to do once he gets home. For instance, establish time right after he eats a snack—all without distractions.

I also don’t think parents should “help” with homework. After all, it should be practice of what kids have already learned in the classroom, not a time for you to teach new lessons. In other words, your child should be able to do most of it alone (if he can’t, it’s time to talk to the teacher).

Instead, establish homework time and be there if he needs help, like reviewing vocabulary words or understanding instructions. Simply carving time in your day will help him develop these habits and make it automatic.

Learn the homework mistakes you should avoid.

Conclusion

Raising a lifelong reader starts with you. Help your child build good reading habits by reading often and everywhere.

When you do, encourage active participation through reader prompts and alternating pages. Find age-appropriate books that hold her interests. And stay involved in her school work to guide her through what she’s learning.

These habits will make her a better reader, developing a love of reading that will stay with her into adulthood.

Get more tips:

Don’t forget: Join my newsletter and get your copy of the Read Aloud Book List below—at no cost to you:

Search