PHONICS AND COMPREHENSION

Reading is an exciting time in the early school years. Your child will continue to decode words while they work toward fluency. Fluency is reading smoothly. They will also be building their vocabulary and working to comprehend the sentences they read.

Reading is not a natural skill, it must be taught.

Children who are having difficulty with early reading rarely “grow out of it,” without explicit and direct reading instruction. Trust your instincts that your child may need help, and reach out for support.

The Library’s Ready to Read team can help you learn research-based reading techniques so you can support your child become a strong reader. To schedule a free individual or group training session, please complete this easy form or call 419.259.5253.

Practice fluency: Fluent reading is smooth, seamless, and full of expression. Ensure your child hears fluent reading by reading with them and enjoying audiobooks.

Build vocabulary: Children with larger vocabularies more easily understand the words they read.

  • Keep reading together: Even as your child learns to read, it is important to continue reading to your child to help them learn new words and make reading fun.
  • Before reading a new book, help your child connect the new book to things they already know, which will build their vocabulary. “This story is about dogs. What do you know about dogs? What do you think we might read about?”
  • Read a variety of stories and nonfiction books to build your child’s vocabulary. Talk about the new ideas and words in the books to increase their vocabulary. Pick subjects that interest them!

Comprehension: putting it all together: When your child can decode and has built a strong vocabulary, the sentences they read start to mean something. To help your child comprehend what they are reading, you can enjoy active reading together.

Active reading is the difference between simply turning pages and talking about what’s happening on the book’s pages. Try asking questions, such as:

  • “Who was the story about? How would you describe the characters? Would you want to be friends with this character?”
  • “Where did the story take place? When?”
  • “What happened in the beginning, middle, and end of the story?”
  • “What problem did the characters face? How did they solve their problem?”
  • “What did you like, or not like about this book?”

Individual training: The Library’s Ready to Read team can help you learn research-based reading techniques so you can support your child become a strong reader. You will get a free kit with books and literacy materials.

Call 419.259.5253 for help.

Get a free Library card! Make sure you have lots of books for reading to and with your child. Your Library card allows you to check out unlimited books and we don’t charge fees if you return your books late. Get a card today.

Let us get a stack of books for you. We can pick books for you! Tell us what topic you’d like and we’ll get a stack that you can pick up at your preferred location. Request books to read to your child.

Try audiobooks. Experiencing reading in new ways can help build decoding and comprehension skills. Download the Libby and hoopla apps to your smartphone or tablet. Enjoy hundreds of free children’s audiobooks read and build fluency at the same time.

Come learn at the Library. Understanding the world around them helps children make sense of the words they are reading. Check our calendar weekly and sort by your child’s age group and/or your preferred location to find programs that will spark their learning.

Come play at the Library. All of our locations have play spaces just for children, including a huge children’s space at Main Library. These spaces are also a great place for you to get support from our librarians while meeting other parents and caregivers. Plan a trip today.

Library digital resources for grades K-3:

Preschool Early Literacy Playdate

(Tu) March 18 | 6 — 7 p.m. | Maumee

Drop in with your preschooler. While they move, explore, pretend and make friends, our Ready to Read team will introduce you to our early literacy program designed to help you raise great readers.

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Helping your K-3 Reader

(F) April 25 | noon — 1 p.m. | Online Programs

Let us support you and your K-3 child on their reading journey. Participating caregivers will receive a Ready to Read K-3 toolkit, filled with tools and activities to help strengthen reading skills.

Register