School Learning 11 Ways to Improve Reading Fluency By Amanda Morin Amanda Morin Amanda Morin is a freelance writer specializing in child development, parenting, and education. She has 10+ years of experience working with children. Learn about our editorial process Updated on April 13, 2021 Fact checked by Cara Lustik Fact checked by Cara Lustik LinkedIn Cara Lustik is a fact-checker and copywriter. She has more than 15 years of experience crafting stories in the branding, licensing, and entertainment industries. Learn about our editorial process Print Reading fluency is one of the most important skills for a child to master in the early elementary years. Not only does a fluent reader make the transition to being a fluent writer much more easily than a non-fluent reader, but as students get older reading plays an important role in math, science, and social studies too. If you’re concerned about your child’s reading skills, here are 11 ways to increase reading fluency. 1 Read Aloud to Your Child Simon Ritzmann / Getty Images Even if your child is old enough to read by himself, it’s helpful for him to hear someone more practiced read to him. He’ll get a better sense of rhythm, intonation and, if you pick a variety of different genres, will develop an appreciation for all types of books. Reasons to Read Aloud to Your Kids 2 Create a Reading Area Give your child a place where she can go to be comfortable while she reads, one that is filled with her very own books. While it may not help with the technical components of fluency, it helps in building an overall appreciation for reading. 3 Work on Phonemic Awareness Many students have trouble with reading fluency because they have trouble understanding how the pieces of words (such as chunks, digraphs, and blends) are manipulated to make new words. Phonological and Phonemic Development 4 Build Sight Word Vocabulary Sight words, sometimes known as core words, are the foundation of a child’s reading and writing skills. If he can’t quickly recognize common words, your child is more likely to stumble as he tries to sound out everything he reads. Parent-Teacher Communication 5 Paired Reading Paired reading can mean alternating sentences while you read with your child, or reading aloud together. Just come up with a signal to indicate when your child wants to read a sentence by herself or is stuck on a word. 6 Echo Reading Echo reading is a great strategy for children who have great technical reading skills, but for whom prosody is a problem. If your child struggles to read with expression, try reading a section and then having him “echo” you, using the same intonations and emphasis you used. 7 Pick Books Kids Can Relate To Nothing gets a child more interested in a book than knowing that the character is having the same struggles or concerns that he is. Known as bibliotherapy, choosing books that can help children find solutions to problems they are facing can not only help build fluency but also deal with issues like bullying and school refusal. The 8 Best Books for Shy Kids 8 Invest in Audiobooks Audiobooks (which many of us remember as being “books on tape”) are a fantastic way for children to follow along as someone else reads. Even better is the fact that your child can listen to her favorite book over and over again without you having to read it a million times! 9 Practice Critical Reading Fluency isn’t just about being able to recognize the words and read them expressively at a good pace. It’s also about understanding what you’ve read and being able to evaluate that information. Critical reading is a critical skill for third, fourth, and fifth graders. What Kids Learn in Elementary School 10 Look for Reading Problems Though you may not like to admit it, sometimes a non-fluent reader is having trouble because of an underlying learning disability. If the strategies you’re trying to improve reading fluency don’t seem to be working, keep your eye out for other signs of reading problems. 11 Keep in Touch With Your Child's Teacher Parent-teacher communication is a key element of student success, especially when it comes to reading. Your child’s teacher can tell you at what level he’s reading and can give you suggestions for books to engage him at home. Parent-Teacher Communication 6 Sources Verywell Family uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Meiri R, Levinson O, Horowitz-kraus T. Altered association between executive functions and reading and math fluency tasks in children with reading difficulties compared with typical readers. Dyslexia. 2019;25(3):267-283. doi:10.1002/dys.1624 Institute of Education Sciences. Foundational Skills to Support Reading for Understanding in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade. Denton CA, Al Otaiba S. Teaching Word Identification to Students with Reading Difficulties and Disabilities. Focus Except Child. 2011;2011:254245149. Kuhn, Zimmerman, & Rasinski, (2014). Integrated Fluency Instruction: Three Approaches for Working with Struggling Readers. International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 7(1), 71-82. McCulliss, D., & Chamberlain, D. (2013). Bibliotherapy for youth and adolescents—School-based application and research. Journal of Poetry Therapy, 26(1), 13–40. doi:10.1080/08893675.2013.764052 Common Core State Standards Initiative. English Language Arts Standards » Reading: Literature » Grade 3. See Our Editorial Process Meet Our Review Board Share Feedback Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! What is your feedback? Other Helpful Report an Error Submit