Fluency in reading is a crucial skill that goes beyond simply reading fast. It’s about accuracy, expression, and most importantly, understanding the text. For children with special needs, fluency development can require extra patience and tailored strategies. But with consistent efforts, it can be a deeply rewarding journey.
At Two Minute Parenting, we understand the unique challenges parents face when helping their children master fluency. This blog outlines 8 research-backed strategies that can make a difference, helping your child become a confident and expressive reader.
Why is Fluency Important?
Fluency bridges the gap between recognizing words and understanding them. It allows children to read smoothly, expressively, and with comprehension. For children with special needs, focusing on fluency can improve not only reading but also their confidence in other areas of learning.
8 Effective Strategies to Build Reading Fluency
- Repeated Reading Repetition is key to fluency. Encourage your child to read the same text multiple times. For instance, re-read a simple story like The Three Little Pigs every evening for a week. Repetition helps build confidence and automatic recognition of words.
- Paired Reading Reading together can reduce the pressure of reading alone. Start by reading aloud with your child and gradually let them take over as they gain confidence. For example, you could read the first sentence of a story and let your child read the next. This cooperative approach boosts both accuracy and expression.
- Timed Reading Turn fluency practice into a fun game. Use a timer to measure how many words your child can read correctly in one minute. Track their progress over a week and celebrate small wins. For example: “Yesterday, you read 50 words; today, you read 55. Great job!”
- Phrase Strips Write simple phrases or sentences on strips of paper, such as “I like to play” or “The teacher was absent, so everyone was making noise.” Ask your child to read these aloud. Practicing short chunks builds recognition of patterns and improves pacing.
- Echo Reading Model fluent reading by reading a sentence or paragraph aloud, and have your child repeat it back. For example: “Look out! There’s a big wave” can be read with exaggerated tone and expression for your child to mimic. This helps develop rhythm, tone, and expression.
- Choral Reading Reading in unison removes the pressure of individual reading. Pick a fun poem or a song to read together. For instance, reading Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star aloud in unison builds confidence while improving pronunciation and pacing.
- Mark Text for Expression Highlight areas in the text where your child can add dramatic expression. For example, circle dialogue in a story and encourage them to use unique voices: a loud voice for “Help me!” or a soft voice for “The ghost whispered….” This not only improves fluency but also makes reading fun.
- Listen and Follow Along Audiobooks are a powerful tool for fluency. Play a recording of a book like The Jungle Book or The magic tree house ( available on popular platforms like audible) while your child follows along with the printed text. This reinforces word recognition and models proper pacing and expression.
Supporting Fluency for Children with Special NeedsFluency-building isn’t just about academics; it’s about fostering a love for reading and boosting our children’s confidence. Each child progresses at their own pace, and our consistent encouragement makes all the difference.At Two Minute Parenting, we believe in celebrating every small win. Whether it’s mastering a single sentence or reading an entire paragraph with expression, our child’s every little progress need to be celebrated.
