Reading Tips and Strategies for Students

Reading is the foundation of all learning. In fact, it’s often said that, from birth to third grade, children learn to read. After that, they read to learn — for the rest of their lives. Children who struggle with reading find themselves falling behind academically and losing their self-confidence. Reading comprehension skills unlock the door to a world of comprehension, introducing children to new concepts and new ideas.

Fortunately, even children who aren’t naturally inclined readers can learn through reading strategies and reading techniques. They can improve reading skills and find themselves on the pathway to academic and lifetime success.

Academic Success Benefits of Improving Reading Skills

Student reading comprehension is critical to the academic journey. Children start by learning their ABCs, and from there they learn to make sense of words on the page and build their comprehension skills.

Strong reading skills offer an array of benefits to the bookworm and struggling reader alike.

Critical thinking and reasoning: Reading introduces children to new thoughts and concepts. The encounters force them to engage the brain in making sense of unfamiliar ideas and sorting through conflicting notions.
Brain building: Reading exercises the brain just like workouts exercise the body. The more kids practice their reading, the better they become.
Better grades and academic success: All that mental exercise builds the brain’s memory capacities for storing and retrieving information. Students improve because they do better on tests and in class.
Vocabulary building: Reading introduces children to new words. Their vocabulary grows as they become comfortable with looking up definitions of unfamiliar words or phrases.
Social and emotional engagement: Reading gives children shared experiences to talk about. Quality literature, such as Newberry Award-winning titles, exposes children to diverse characters and cultures.

Reading Tips for Students of All Ages

Any student can improve reading comprehension skills and reap the benefits, regardless of age, grade or reading level.

These reading tips and strategies can make reading more enjoyable and beneficial.

Make reading part of your everyday life: Infuse reading into all parts of family life. Schedule quiet reading time, but be open to spontaneous reading moments, too. Encourage your child to read a restaurant menu. Ask your child to help make dinner by reading the recipe.
Create a reading area: Give your child a say in creating a cozy reading corner. Grab a beanbag chair, or set aside a basement corner that’s all their own.
Visit your local library: Libraries allow children to explore a whole world of reading material, perhaps finding something new that sets their imagination soaring. Watch for local library programs catering to different age groups, from infants to teens.
Read the book, see the movie: The latest blockbuster often originated as a novel or comic. Read the book and watch the movie together, and then discuss why authors and filmmakers might have made different choices.
Vary reading material: Think that reading bores your child? Maybe it’s the reading material that bores them. Vast choices in reading material include fiction, nonfiction, history, graphic novels, classics and contemporary works
Have a talk: Ask your child to retell the story or share the information they just read, generating questions along the way.
Offer reading-related incentives: If your child loves to ride horses or play with dogs, offer time with their animals after 30 minutes of reading to them. If your child is a hands-on learner, let them read instruction manuals and write their own.
Connect reading to your child’s interests: Children who find a passion are hungry to learn more. Your local library has books on everything from soccer to karate, and from dinosaurs to dance. As children get older and become involved in activities, encourage them to do their own research. Along the way, children see the connection between reading and real life.
Get moving: Active bodies help the brain perform at peak levels. Give your child breaks during reading sessions, every 10 minutes for younger children, and every hour or two for teens.
Stay in touch: If your child struggles to read or simply doesn’t like it, teachers can help. They can suggest different types of reading material, effective incentives and new strategies that spark a love of reading and start the path to lifelong learning.

Reading Tips for Elementary School Students

Reading from an early age builds a lifelong habit, but not every child takes to it naturally. Parents can help their young children improve their reading rates and comprehension with a few simple tips and strategies.

Turn reading into a game: Ask your child to spot certain letters or words. In the car, pick a word to spot on signs and billboards. If your child prefers math over reading, count the numbers of a letter on a page, or turn a story into a math problem.
Play the rhyming game. When you come to the word “cat” on a page, ask, “What rhymes with cat?” Make it silly by allowing made-up words — as long as your child can concoct a definition.
Make storytime more interactive: Bring out the puppets, toys and costumes. Have your child act out characters from the book.
Read together: The best thing a parent can do to build literacy skills is to read with their child. Reading together — at bedtime and any time of day — strengthens parental bonds, sets a good example and signals that reading matters in your household. Take turns reading a page or sentence. Ask questions as you go. Some parents say they don’t feel comfortable reading with their children, but practice helps and creates precious family time.
Use visuals and get crafty: Some children are visual learners — better suited to getting information through drawings and diagrams. Others are “kinesthetic learners” who prefer hands-on activities. Tap into those inclinations to build their enthusiasm for reading. Have them draw their own illustrations or create artistic masterpieces depicting characters or scenes from a book.
Create digital-free zones: That cozy reading corner should be stocked with fun accessories, such as drawing paper and markers, but not the distractions and temptations of cellphones, TVs, tablets and computers.

Reading Tips for Middle and High School Students

The value of reading doesn’t suddenly stop at fifth grade. Middle and high school students can draw benefits and even continue to improve their reading with these simple tips and strategies.

Don’t forget to engage older or advanced readers, too: Tweens and teens are striving for independence, but they still crave parental guidance. Help them understand that reading is important to their schooling and their post-graduation plans.
Read and discuss young adult novels: Young adult novels reach tweens and teens with stories that speak to their daily lives, in any genre that interests them, whether science fiction, romance or horror. Parents can occasionally pick up the same book, for shared conversations about the characters and the challenges they confront — usually, the same challenges that your child is wrestling with.
Start a blog or book club: Throughout life, reading stretches the mind and encourages independent thought. Older children can launch blogs or create book clubs through which they share their opinions and discuss their reading with others.
Model good reading habits: Let your children see you reading books (or know that you’re reading a book on an electronic device, because they’re likely to assume you’re playing a game or checking texts, just like they do.) Keep a variety of reading material around the house, including news publications that keep your teen up to date on current events.
Play audiobooks on the road: Audiobooks skip the printed word but still put a vivid spin on stories and issues. Play an interesting audiobook or podcast during long car rides, and you might be surprised to find out that your child is paying attention.