Have you noticed that your child is guessing at words rather than sounding them out? It is very common for children to guess what a word is and keep reading when they are developing their reading skills and they encounter a word they’ve never seen before. They’re guessing by the picture on the page, or the context of the sentence that they’re reading, or what they think the story is talking about. They might say “mom” instead of “mother,” or they might say something very similar that has letters that look the same.
If your child is guessing words, here is a tip to help them more closely match what they are reading: As they’re reading along, you can cover the word. When they get to the end of the sentence you can put your hand over the page and say “Hey, let’s talk about that word Mom. What letters make up the word Mom?” They would say “M-o-m.” Then you would say, “Let’s look at that word and see if that was actually the word on the page.” Then they realize the difference and say “Oh no, that is Mother.” Bring their attention to those words that they are guessing and then have them check to see if that is actually matching what they see on the page. This will help your child read more accurately.
If you would like more tips for helping your child become a confident reader, keep scrolling and grab our free guide, 9 Simple Ways to Boost Your Child’s Reading Confidence.
