Seven Ways to Help Kids Read Better

If you're like most American parents today, you started thinking about your child's education almost as soon as your bundle of joy arrived. You may even have started a college savings fund. But all the cash you can put away will make no difference if you overlook the single most important educational investment you can make for your children: helping them learn to read well.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in 2003 more than a third of 8th-grade students failed to demonstrate basic reading skills. Slightly less than one third achieved or exceeded proficiency. The majority - 63 percent - demonstrated merely basic skills.

Studies show that when parents become involved in actively supporting their children's literacy, most kids are capable of developing excellent reading skills. Educational and literacy experts agree on ways parents can nurture children's reading skills:

1. Read to your child every day. Children who are read to learn to love reading. Continue reading aloud even after your child is old enough to read on his own.

2. Provide plenty of opportunity. Keep age-appropriate and interesting books and magazines in your home. Make them easily available to your child.

3. Lead by example. Read every day. It doesn't matter what you read - a newspaper, magazine or novel. Just show your children by your actions that reading is a fundamental part of your life.

4. Provide respectful support. Praise your child's progress. Respect their reading choices - as long as they are age-appropriate.

5. Help your child build a personal library. Provide a book case in your child's room or a shelf in the family library area for your child's favorite reading material. Help him or her choose books by favorite authors or on particular subjects of interest.

6.  Encourage your child to write and tell stories. Writing skills go hand-in-hand with reading skills, and developing both early on will help your child create a foundation for future academic success.

7. Don't be afraid to seek help Give extra attnetion to children experiencing reading challenges, and find creative ways to help proficient readers build their skills even further. Most of us learn to read sub-vocally, hearing each word in our minds as if we were reading aloud.  But research by Dr. Akihiro Kawamura, one of Japan's leading brain enhancement researchers, suggests that learning to read and think this way can actually hinder our ability to effectively process information. Kawamura's research shows that reading skills are best improved by learning to process several words at once, then advancing to entire lines and eventually paragraphs.

Kawamura and other researchers have found a "whole brain" approach to learning, which allows the brain to absorb information quickly, is the key to learning to read and process information faster. Kawamura's research was the basis for the development of the eyeQ program to improve reading ability.

EyeQ helps readers develop conceptual skills through 12 seven-minute sessions that emphasize exercising the eye muscles and improving the eye-brain connection. The program also tracks the user's progress and offers levels appropriate for children and teens. On average, users of the software program improve their reading speed two to 10 times. Short sessions, bright graphics and text from popular literature make the program appealing for children.

To learn more about eyeQ, visit www.eyeQ.tv.

Copyright © 2006, ARA Content