Helping first grader with reading

Reading Tips for Parents of First Graders

By: Reading Rockets

Give your child lots of opportunities to read aloud. Inspire your young reader to practice every day! The tips below offer some fun ways you can help your child become a happy and confident reader. Try a new tip each week. See what works best for your child.

These tips for parents of first graders are also available to download and print:

Don’t leave home without it

Bring along a book or magazine any time your child has to wait, such as at a doctor's office. Always try to fit in reading!

Once is not enough

Encourage your child to re-read favorite books and poems. Re-reading helps kids read more quickly and accurately.

Dig deeper into the story

Ask your child questions about the story you've just read. Say something like, "Why do you think Clifford did that?"

Take control of the television

It's difficult for reading to compete with TV and video games. Encourage reading as a free-time activity.

Be patient

When your child is trying to sound out an unfamiliar word, give him or her time to do so. Remind to child to look closely at the first letter or letters of the word.

Pick books that are at the right level

Help your child pick books that are not too difficult. The aim is to give your child lots of successful reading experiences.

Play word games

Have your child sound out the word as you change it from mat to fat to sat; from sat to sag to sap; and from sap to sip.

I read to you, you read to me

Take turns reading aloud at bedtime. Kids enjoy this special time with their parents.

Gently correct your young reader

When your child makes a mistake, gently point out the letters he or she overlooked or read incorrectly. Many beginning readers will guess wildly at a word based on its first letter.

Talk, talk, talk!

Talk with your child every day about school and things going on around the house. Sprinkle some interesting words into the conversation, and build on words you've talked about in the past.

Write, write, write!

Ask your child to help you write out the grocery list, a thank you note to Grandma, or to keep a journal of special things that happen at home. When writing, encourage your child to use the letter and sound patterns he is learning at school.

Reading tips in other languages

A downloadable handout, for parents of babies, toddlers, and children in preschool to grade 3, is available in the following languages:

Reading tips for parents of…

Reading Rockets (2021)

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Comprehension: Activities for Your First Grader

Overview

First graders are quickly developing impressive skills as active readers! Here are some of the things your first grader can do:

• Independently read and retell familiar stories.
• Notice when a text doesn't make sense, and begins to use strategies such as rereading, predicting, and questioning to understand it.
• Read and understand fiction and nonfiction and know the difference between made-up stories and facts.
• Predict what will happen next in stories.
• Think about and share prior knowledge before reading a nonfiction book.
• Discusses how, why, and what-if questions in sharing nonfiction texts.
• Answer simple written comprehension questions.

Here are some basic things you can do to boost your child's comprehension skills:

Try to read at home together every day

Just 15 minutes each day makes a big difference! Although your first grader may be reading independently, reading aloud allows you to introduce your child to more sophisticated vocabulary and stories, including chapter books.  It's also one of the best ways to help children learn about the world and make connections between their own lives and what's in the book — and that helps children see the world with empathy. And last but not least, it's a wonderful time to snuggle up with your child and share the experience of reading and discovery together.

Keep it fun 

Remember that reading together should spark curiosity, joy, and a desire to explore and learn. Conversations about books should be enjoyable, and not a set of quizzes and questions. As you try some of the activities listed below, remember to keep it light and lively for your child.

Storytelling and audiobooks count, too 

Sharing family stories out loud and listening to audiobooks are wonderful ways to expose your child to language, how stories are built, and knowledge about the world.

Bring in the nonfiction

There are so many great nonfiction and informational books for very young kids (such as the popular DK Eyewitness series and National Geographic series). Try to include some of these during your next trip to the public library. Children love learning about the real world and are proud to share what they know!

Explore your world together

Even a walk around the neighborhood or a trip to the grocery store can be a rich learning experience for young children. On a walk, your child may watch what's going on at a construction site, and then be able to connect it to stories about building and the big machines that make it happen — bulldozers, cranes, cement mixers, and more. These personal connections help children connect what they read with what they know — a powerful way to build comprehension skills!

Signs of good reading comprehension in first graders

Try these comprehension activities at home

"I predict ..."

When you sit down for a read aloud, look at the book's cover together. Ask, "What do you think this book might be about? Why? Can you make some predictions?" Guide your child through the pages, discuss the pictures, and brainstorm what might happen in the story. Talk about any personal experiences your child may have that relate to the story.

Five-finger retell

After reading a story together, have your child tell you five things about the story, using her fingers to talk about each one:

1. Characters: who was in the story?
2. Setting: where did the story take place?
3. Events: what happened in the story?
4. End: how did the story end?
5. Favorite character or part of the story

Active reading

Model active reading when you read with your child. Talk about what's happening as you're reading. Stop and discuss any interesting or tricky vocabulary words. Help your child make pictures of the story in his mind. Ask your child, "What just happened here? How do you think that character feels? Have you ever felt like that? What do you think will happen next?" Not only will this develop your child’s comprehension, but critical thinking skills as well.

Mind movies

When you come to a descriptive passage in a book, have your child close her eyes and create a mental movie of the scene. Encourage her to use all five senses. Read the passage over together, looking for details that bring the scene to life. Ask questions like, “How do you know it was a hot day? Which words help you understand that the child was lonely?”

Tell me about it

After a read aloud, one of the best and easiest ways to check for understanding is to ask your child to summarize what the book was about in their own words. You can ask a question or two to help your child clarify her thinking or to add more detail.

Can your child tell you what happened in the story?

This video is from Home Reading Helper, a resource for parents to elevate children’s reading at home provided by Read Charlotte. Find more video, parent activities, printables, and other resources at Home Reading Helper.

Think alouds

Connect the book to your child's own life experience. For example, A River Dream: "This book reminds me of the time my father took me fishing. Do you remember the time we went fishing?"

Connect the book to other books they have read. For example, Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters: "This story reminds me of Cinderella. Both stories are about sisters. Do you know any other stories about nice and mean sisters? Let's keep reading to find out other ways the stories are similar."

Connect the book to big ideas/lessons. For example, Stellaluna: "This story helps me understand that we are all the same in many ways, but it's our differences that make us special."

Wordless

Wordless picture books provide your child with practice using clues to create meaning. There are no wrong stories with wordless picture books, only variations based on what the "reader" sees and puts together. Rosie's Walk, Good Dog, Carl, and Beaver Is Lost are all interesting and fun wordless picture books to explore. Find more wordless books on BookFinder.

Map this book!

Draw a map of the book's setting, and be sure to include the places where the main action happens!

Beginning-middle-end

This is a great way to see if your child understands the main parts of a story. After reading a book together, give your child three sheets of paper, with "beginning" on one sheet, "middle" on the second sheet, and "end" on the third sheet. Ask your child to think about the three parts of the story, and then draw what happened on each on the sheets. Arrange the sheets in order, left to right. What happens if you re-arrange the sheets? Does the story still make sense?

Words, words, words

Be sure to include books with rich vocabulary in your read alouds and call attention to interesting words and phrases from the story. This may include repeated phrases or idioms (such as "get cold feet" or "I'm all ears"). Offer a kid-friendly definition and connect the new word or phrase to something your child already knows. Talk about how the author used language or words to make the text interesting, informative, funny, or sad.

Illustrated timelines

After reading a story, have your child create an illustrated timeline of events from the story. Tape together five sheets of paper along the 8-1/2-inch side to create one very wide sheet that is 55 inches X 8-1/2 inches. To help plan the timeline, your child can add numbers that mark important points of the story. Then it's time to fill in the sequence of events with words and pictures. Once the timeline is complete, ask your child to re-tell the story — acting it out is okay, too! Variation: Create the timeline using Post-Its on a wall or outside using sidewalk chalk.

Talk show

Set up a talk show set with two chairs facing each other. If you like, make two microphones out of paper tubes or other craft supplies. You are the host and your child is a character from the book. Ask questions about the character, such as who you are, why you are important to the story, what happened to you in the story, what is the craziest interaction you had with another character, etc. Then switch roles!

Book trailer

Using a cell phone camera or other recording device, make a short video of your child talking about about why he recommends this book. Encourage your child to show the book cover and some of the inside pages when talking about a certain character or action sequence. Share the book trailer with family and friends!

Picture the character (Part 1)

Try this activity from the Florida Center for Reading Research (FCRR). The FCRR "At Home" series was developed especially for families! Watch the video and then download the activity: Picture the Character. See all FCRR comprehension activities here.

Picture the character (Part 2)

Try this activity from the Florida Center for Reading Research (FCRR). The FCRR "At Home" series was developed especially for families! Watch the video and then download the activity: Picture the Character. See all FCRR comprehension activities here.

Does your first grader read to learn about things?

More comprehension resources

How to instill in a first grader a love of reading? Step-by-step instructions from Gaidarovka

By the beginning of the school year Central Children's Library named after. A.P. Gaidar offers a plan for the development of reading skills in a first grader. The step-by-step instruction is designed for 9 academic months, and at the end there is a mini-list of books about studying, reading and schoolchildren. Go!

With the advent of a first-grader, many things change in the family: from logistics to the psychological atmosphere. Even if the parents responsibly and scrupulously approached the choice of the school, and especially the first teacher, they still have fears: what if the school curriculum, the very principles of teaching, lists of references, which are formed as if without taking into account the interests of the little reader, will discourage him from taking a book into your hands? But the habit of reading, which without love, craving and interest does not arise and does not develop, is a basic skill for successful learning. Without it, the whole structure of knowledge transfer collapses.

And, in the end, not everything in this life rests on knowledge and benefit, nobody canceled the pleasure from a good book either.

And what should parents do in this situation?

To slip only the modern, nag “read-read-read”, pay for what you read, support by your own example, read yourself everywhere and everywhere, discarding gadgets, or shift all responsibility onto the shoulders of the teacher?

Deputy Director of the Central City Children's Library. A.P. Gaidar Marina Solomonova advises parents to remember: “School is school, but no one knows your child better than you, his pace of learning new things and the pace of life in principle. What is your dreamer, good-natured, or bully? But the school curriculum for all these children will be the same.”

To help parents, we came up with a plan with life hacks for the entire school year. However, not only parents of first graders can use it: it is also suitable for preschoolers and other younger students. It is important to simply understand which stage your child is currently at and smoothly move him to the next level. The main thing is not to take the plan literally and enjoy reading together.

September. Reading aloud as psychotherapy

At this stage, reading is a ritual, a cozy habit, a time for parent and child only. The little man is in the process of adapting to new conditions. Even in the most ideal case (we wish you just that), he experiences the stress of changing his life, and a pleasant ritual helps to reduce anxiety. With the beginning of school, you should not give up the habitual reading aloud at night and transfer the child only to independent reading, even if he can read and does it well himself.

Oct. Separate reading, reading in turn with a parent

The oldest and kindest way to get a child interested in books. Sheer manipulation for good. You open something very exciting, and at the most interesting place you sigh: "I'm tired of something, let's finish it tomorrow?" For parents-facilitators who do not even accept this type of manipulation, a life hack - try to agree with the child to read in fairness: the page is me, the page is you. It’s not a fact that it will help, but then the next item will help you.

Nov. Reading-competition for speed

Unfortunately, competition in any school, even super-liberal, cannot be avoided. There will always be children in the class who read faster, more, more voluminously, in the original. Someone competitive moment motivates. But some children refuse to compete or are frustrated by such speed reading. What do we offer for those who do not want to participate in this? Paying for a page read and penalizing for an unread page are barbaric, outdated methods.

Play and fantasize! If a child needs to master skills that are not close to him in a short time, you can do this through a game form. For example, imagine that he is a gamer passing through the levels of the game. The reward for passing should be intangible, let it be an experience or pleasure: a picnic, rides, an interesting trip. Everything a child wants and loves.

December. Independent reading

It is difficult for children to read on their own. At first, agree that you read together. You are your book, the child is yours. For starters, 15-20 minutes is enough. Read while sitting next to each other.

It is also important to include this in the existing daily routine of the first grader as a new item. If possible, choose to read at the same time of the day or evening. And complement it with an atmosphere: a blanket, a lamp, calmly and well together. The more peaceful reading brings, the better. This ritual is a complete replacement or a great addition to reading aloud at night.

January. Vacation Reading

Get the most out of it. Make an event out of reading on vacation. You can go to a library or a bookstore, walk between the shelves for a long time, choose, flip through, buy a special shopper, funny bookmarks, notepads for quotes, impressions, drawings. And, of course, choose an atmospheric New Year or Christmas story - there will definitely be a lot of such books in libraries and stores at this time.

Feb. Reading what is not interesting to read according to the school curriculum

If the program requires you to read a dull poem or an uninteresting story, turn on the “at least something good” principle. Is there anything good in this? Phrase, word, author's name, joke or dialogue?

This principle, by the way, will be useful not only for reading, but will be useful further - during study in general.

Mar. Reading and writing

From reading to writing, but not in a direct way. Invite your child to describe his past day in one word and write this word in capital letters. Try to come up with new words every day and not repeat yourself.

You will start with the word "normal", but then everything will be much more interesting.

April. Reader's diary.

Let the child keep a diary as he wants. Write down everything that comes to mind, and don't be afraid of mistakes and absurdities, play and remember funny cases. Spilled juice on a book? Did a strange bird fly in while reading? All this can be written down, even if it is not directly related to what was read.

May. Summer Reading List

This month's motto is total autonomy.

Invite the child to think over and form a list of books for the summer holidays, estimate how much he will master, what topics interest him most - and go to the library together. At this stage, the Moscow “Summer Reading Program”, which takes place every year in the libraries of the capital, will help you.

Its goal is to introduce children to reading, the main principle is the absence of competition, and the motto is "Reading is pleasure and a variety of opportunities."

List of books about school and study:

• The book as medicine for children, Ella Berthou, Susan Elderkin
• Like a Novel, Daniel Pennack
• Calculation. How to help your child fall in love with reading”, Yulia Kuznetsova
• Franz Tales series, Christine Nöstlinger
• Big Little Girl series, Maria Bershadskaya
• "My happy life" and other books by Ruse Lagercrantz
• Ella in First Class, Timo Parvela
• "Notes of an outstanding loser", Artur Givargizov
• Matilda, Roald Dahl

This autumn, the Central City Children's Library named after A.P. Gaidar traditionally holds an action of acquaintance of first-graders with children's libraries "First-class reader". The action has already started in an online format, access to a family lesson with the participation of children's writers and scientists is open on October 31. To participate in the lesson, you need to register on the "Online. Library City. After registration, you will also get access to the free selection of First Grader Books on LitRes and Boomate services.

Illustration: Shutterstock / Archv. PhD, Associate Professor, Moscow State Pedagogical University