Reading level test for children
Reading Level Assessment – Assess your child's reading now!
Thank you for signing up to Red Cat Reading.
Follow our three easy steps to take the reading level test and get your childs reading level on track for the new year.
Want to know how to assess your child’s reading fluency quickly and easily? Just take our 5 minute free reading test below!
Our reading assessment tools and books are developed by experts in language learning, so you can be confident your child will learn to read fast while having fun!
Has your child already tried using a different reading level test? There’s no harm in testing their reading abilities again!
Step 1. How Old is Your Child?
Step 2. Quick Reading Assessment
Use our One-Page Reading Level Assessment to find your child’s level.
Then choose books from your child’s level and start reading!
Can your 3 year old read this sentence?
The cat sat.
Yes   –> Then Start Reading on the 3 Year Old Learning Path
No   –> Then Subscribe to Red Cat Reading and we'll help your child catch up!
Can your 4 year old read this sentence?
I pack my bag.
Yes   –> Then Start Reading on the 4 Year Old Learning Path
No   –> Then Subscribe to Red Cat Reading and we'll help your child catch up!
Can your 5 year old read this sentence?
Birds fly in the sky.
Yes   –> Then Start Reading on the 5 Year Old Learning Path
No   –> Then Subscribe to Red Cat Reading and we'll help your child catch up!
Can your 6 year old read this sentence?
Did you ever see bees crawl inside flowers?
Yes   –> Then Start Reading on the 6 Year Old Learning Path
No   –> Then Subscribe to Red Cat Reading and we'll help your child catch up!
Can your 7 year old read this sentence?
Birds can be many different sizes.
The largest bird of all is the ostrich.
Yes   –> Then Start Reading on the 7 Year Old Learning Path
No   –> Then Subscribe to Red Cat Reading and we'll help your child catch up!
Step 3. Start Reading!
1. Watch the video
2. Watch again & read along with the e-book
3. Complete the quiz
Age 3-5
- Kindergarten Reading Level Books
Age 5-6
- First Grade Reading Level Books
Age 6-7
- Second Grade Reading Level Books
Need help?
Just email us and we’ll assess your child’s reading for free!
info@redcatreading.
com
How to Use RedCatReading.com
Want your child to improve their reading comprehension, pronunciation and vocabulary? You’re all set with Red Cat Reading!
Our phonics, storybooks and leveled books will take your child from early reader to confident third-grader!
Press play on our video below, and earn how to use our book levels, lessons and quizzes to help your child learn to read the fast and fun way!
After your child has finished our guided reading level books, you can use each lesson’s quiz to test their reading comprehension and see if they should level up!
Reading Level Chart
Want to know more about our different guided reading levels? Check out our Reading Level Chart below!
Our books and videos are perfect for ages 3-8.
Children will learn to read and get better at reading with our exclusive learning materials.
Use this chart as a reading level finder. You’ll find just the right books and videos to improve your child’s reading skills.
How to Test Reading Level Online: The Ultimate Guide
I decided to start hunting for a reading level test for my kid during my first year of homeschooling.
I had a first grader who had completed her phonics curriculum, but wasn’t really interested in chapter books. She loved for me to read to her, but was not interesting in reading very much herself – which stressed me.
As a frazzled, first-time homeschooler, I wanted to test her reading level to see if she needed more reading instruction, more practice, or if she was right where she needed to be.
I have tried a number of online reading tests over my homeschooling years and have found that they are not all created equally.
In this post I am going to share with you everything you wanted to know and more about giving your kid a reading level test.
But First, Avoid Reading Level Tests If…
Your kid is still going through a high quality phonics program, such as All About Reading, Explode the Code, or Primary Phonics.
Let your kid finish the program before worrying about what grade level they may be at.
Most reading tests do not assume that the child is learning phonics (since most kids aren’t) and will rely more heavily on sight words they think the child should have learned by a certain grade.
Taking a reading test with a kid who hasn’t finished their phonics reading curriculum is probably not going to be helpful to a parent or child.
Do Take a Reading Level Test If…
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You have just started homeschooling and have no idea where your kid should be placed for reading.
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You have finished a phonics program, but are still unsure if your kid is where they need to be.
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You think your child might be gifted reader and want to see what level they are testing at.
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You want to make sure your student is progressing, even though they’re not reading aloud to you anymore
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You need to make sure you are buying the right level books for your child to read.
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You want to see if your kid is smarter than someone else’s kid and you want proof.
These are all great reasons, well except for that last one. Definitely do not test your kid for homeschooling glory.
Hopefully that gave you a laugh, so let’s dive in!
4 Tips for Getting the Best Results When You Test Reading Level
1.Take the Reading Test Yourself
I took a lot of time to explain how the test runs below, but it would be helpful to run through the test yourself first. Make sure you know how to administer the test and confirm that the reading assessment is a good fit for your kid.
2. Administer the Reading Test at the Best Time
Make sure that your kid takes the test when they are their best.
Is that first thing in the morning, in the evening, or right after lunch (probably not)?
Ensure your kid has plenty of energy, isn’t hungry, and is in a comfortable environment with minimal distractions.
3. Prep Your Kid Mentally
If you are giving a reading assessment to your kid, there is a good chance that your kid is already a little insecure about reading. Do not put the pressure on them that this test evaluating them.
I have given several reading tests and I make a point to tell them it is no big deal, but I do need them to do their best. I go on to say that I need to evaluate our curriculum. Depending on how they do on the test, I will make decisions about what books I need to buy for the next school year.
This takes the pressure off of them.
The are not being evaluated – the curriculum is being evaluated.
4. Do Not Share Their Results with Them
When the reading level test is complete, tell them they did well and that you are happy with their effort.
If the score is less than you were hoping for, you don’t want to destroy their confidence. If it’s really high, you don’t want them to be prideful and brag about it.
Either way, tell them they worked hard and you’ll use the scores to make the best decisions for their education.
This also helps if you plan to test their reading in the future. They will go into the assessment with no expectations – positive or negative.
3 Free Ways to Test Reading Level Online!
1. MacMillian Reading Level Test
The MacMillian Reading Level test seems to be one of the most popular and trusted reading level tests out there.
I used it with my daughter a couple years ago and I recently tested my own reading level to refresh myself on their process.
How the MacMillian Reading Level Test Works
Everyone starts at the easiest level. You are provided a picture and a fill-in the blank question. There will be 4 multiple choice options to choose from.
As you answer questions you progress through the levels until you have missed a certain number.
Then you are immediately told what level reader you are – Starter, Beginner, Elementary, Pre-Intermediate, Intermediate, Upper-Intermediate, or Advanced.
Interestingly, I found the questions to be a bit slanted towards an understanding of grammar and reading comprehension.
Here is an example of a grammar question. Your kid may be able to read all the words, but does he understand the correct verb agreement?
Pros and Cons of MacMillian Reading Level Test
The benefits of this online reading level test are that it is free, simple to use, and provides you an answer right away (no need to wait for an email).
It is also a great test for a kid who can read, but struggles with comprehension.
The negatives to me are that it seems to be testing more than reading and the results do not provide a grade level. You may not know what to do with an “Elementary Level” result. It is kind of a broad answer.
One More Thing to Know About MacMillian Reading Level Test
The test does not tell your child when they miss a question.
I intentionally missed questions in order to see what would happen and it just went to the next question.
This might help if your kid would be stressed by a reading level test – no big red X when they make an error.
2. San Diego Quick Assessment
I have also used this reading level test with my kid – twice actually – and it lives up to its name!
It really is quick!
How the San Diego Quick Assessment Works
Go to this online PDF and print off the four pages.
You will see grade level words in columns from Pre-Primer through 11th grade. There are 10 words in each column.
Give your child the student portion and ask them to start reading down the first column. Use your grader sheet to check off if they read the word correctly or not.
The test helps you break down the results in terms of Independent Level, Instructional Level, and Frustration Level.
Pros and Cons of San Diego Quick Test
The benefits of this online reading level test is that it does give a quick and free snapshot of your kids reading level.
No lengthy test that your child gets bored with.
It is also on paper, which many kids do better with than reading off a screen.
The test doesn’t have any context or pictures to help your child. It will really tell you if they can read or sound out the word or not.
Parents will also like that they get a solid grade level result – a little easier to understand and work with.
The only con I have is that determining grade level with just 10 words is pretty arbitrary. You child may know many other grade level words, but not necessarily the ones on this list.
3. Pioneer Valley Reading Test
This is the most recent online reading level test we’ve used and by far my favorite. I found it to be much more comprehensive and I felt the results were a much more solid reflection of my daughter’s true reading skills.
How the Pioneer Valley Reading Test Works
This online reading assessment is broken into two parts.
Part One: High Frequency Word Reading
The first part consists of words coming across the screen for your child to read.
The words are simple at first and then get more complex. The parent sits with the child and clicks “Correct” or “Incorrect” as the child reads each word.
Once the child misses two words, she is moves on to the next step.
Part Two: Reading
You will be asked to sit with your child while they read through an interesting story. Make a mark on a piece of a paper every time your child misses a word in the story.
At the end of the story you will be prompted to record the total number of words your child missed and whether or not they struggled to complete the story. Based on those results your child will either move forward or backward on a scale of A-Z. Eventually your child will be assigned a Letter Level and you will see a chart that corresponds to a grade level:
Pros and Cons of Pioneer Valley Online Reading Assessment
I thought this was much more involved and thorough than other tests we have tried.
Even if your child encounters words he doesn’t know in the first part of the assessment, there are still many other chances in part two to show their reading skills.
Other benefits include: it is free, the stories were interesting to read, and there was an option to test reading comprehension after each story.
Cons for me would be that the scale does not go beyond 6th grade. It just says 6 grade +. I would have liked to see a scale that goes into high school level.
Other Free Online Reading Level Tests to Try
There are many other resources to try out there to test your kid’s reading level!
Here are some other tests that might be the perfect fit for you and your kid:
Red Cat Level Reading Assessment
Oxford Owl Online Reading Test
Oxford English Reading Test
Good and the Beautiful Reading Level Assessment
Wide Range Reading Test
Not Happy with Your Kid’s Reading Level Test Results? Try these ideas!
1. Take a Different Reading Assessment
It is possible that the test you chose just didn’t jive with your kid. If you are unsure about the results, don’t be shy about waiting a day or two and then doing another reading test with your child.
2. Think about what they struggled with the most during the the Reading Level Test
These reading level tests are excellent tools to help you pinpoint exactly where your child needs help.
Did your child struggle because of any of these issues:
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Sounding out
When your child came to an unfamiliar word, did he freeze up, melt down, or give ridiculous guesses? If so, consider working with your kid on their phonics.
A high quality, low cost phonics program we love is Explode the Code. These simple workbooks are known for giving kids confidence and raising reading levels.
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Vocabulary
Did your child manage to sound out a word, but have no idea what it meant? As your kid climbs the reading levels, increasing their vocabulary is crucial.
Some simple ways to increase vocabulary are reading aloud to your child regularly, using higher levels of vocabulary around the house, and including vocabulary curriculum in your homeschool.
I recently bought Word Roots for my 4th grader and we are so excited about it. It teaches the Latin roots of English words so that kids can break down AND understand a large number of difficult words.
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Comprehension
Is your kid reading beautifully, but has no earthly idea what he just read? Many parents would be jealous of the beautiful reading, but the comprehension is just as important – if not more so.
Providing your kids with a continuous flow of interesting books that spark their imagination will help a lot in this area. And I hate to say it, but decreasing their screen time will also dramatically help.
If your child continues to struggle with comprehension, consider looking into the Reading Detective series. We have added this workbook to our homeschool curriculum and I think it has really stretched my daughter. The workbooks teach children how to analyze a short story while answering multiple choice questions AND citing the paragraph or sentence number that proves their answer.
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Fluency
Did your child painstakingly struggle through sounding out just about every word? Even the short vowel words?
The best thing for fluency is a high quality phonics program as mentioned before and practice, practice, practice.
I am a huge fan of easy phonics readers and keep multiple sets around the house. Here are some of our absolute favorites:
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Bob Books
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I Can Read It! Books
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Primary Phonics Readers
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Now I’m Reading! Books
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Tug the Pup Books
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Usbourne Phonics Readers
Recap Reading Level Test Guide for Kids
Remember above all else that a reading level test is a tool to help you customize your kid’s education and help them succeed.
It is not a grade for your parenting.
Or a grade for your homeschool.
You are not necessarily a failure or a success no matter how your child scores.
Use these free online reading tests to drive you forward and you can’t go wrong!
Have you tried an online reading test that isn’t mentioned here? Please share in the comments!
Do you want to make sure you save all this information for later – smart thinking! Just pin this article to your favorite Pinterest post and definitely share with your friends and followers!
Read Next:
Read speed test. Online simulator for developing reading speed and awareness skills in 2021!
Reading speed is an important indicator not only for schoolchildren, who regularly check it. It is very important for an adult in the modern world to be able to navigate in huge flows of information. A reading speed test will help you determine your current level and see if you need to work on improving this skill or if you are reading fluently enough.
Contents
1. How to check reading speed?
2. How can I check my reading speed myself?
3.
How to test a child's reading speed?
4. What reading speed is considered normal for adults and children?
5. How to choose the right text to test reading speed?
6. The book "Everything you wanted to know about speed reading, but were afraid to ask"
How to check reading speed?
The easiest way is to take a stopwatch (you can use the application on your phone), a text to check your reading speed and read it at a normal pace for one minute. It is important that the text is non-technical, does not contain highly specialized terms and concepts, and is not familiar to the reader. The text should not be too primitive. The testee must see the text for the first time so that the results are not artificially inflated.
But what do you care about speed, if you don't understand with what awareness you absorb the text? :)
A much better way to find out your reading speed is to take a free online test. To do this, sit back, enter your name in the form above, press the button and you will immediately see the text that you need to read, slowly, trying to understand everything that is written.
When the entire text is read - click on the button at the very bottom. The program will automatically determine the reading speed and prompt you to answer a few questions to understand the degree of assimilation of the material. As a result of testing, you will receive not only the result of your reading speed and awareness, but also recommendations for improving your reading technique in the format of the book "Everything you wanted to know about speed reading, but were afraid to ask." Enter a name. Click the button and find out your real reading speed. Have a good day.
How can I test my reading speed myself?
We have prepared for you a tool with which you can independently check the speed of reading. Our tool include a certain amount of text that you need to read as quickly as possible. You will then have the opportunity to answer a series of questions about the text, allowing the program to determine your level of understanding. Based on the data received, a result and a certificate are issued.
This certificate can be shared with your friends on social networks and challenge them to a battle to test the speed and awareness of reading :).
If you want to do it yourself, you can do it according to the following scenario. A text of medium complexity is taken, located on one sheet. You will need an assistant who will keep track of the time and will be able to test the level of your understanding of the information. Check algorithm:
Simultaneously with the start command and the start of the stopwatch, you begin to silently read the text.
When the text is finished, you say stop - time stops.
Then you need to answer a few questions regarding the content (reading speed implies a full reading comprehension).
The last step is to count the words in the text and determine the average number of words per minute (words in the text can be counted before reading).
This is the certificate you can get based on the results of passing the test
How to check the reading speed of a child?
A child's reading speed can be tested in a similar way.
The child should read aloud, at least in elementary school. Then you can switch to the usual way of checking for adults.
Schools often test reading technique by counting the number of words read per minute. This gives a small error, since words come in different sizes, but a similar verification method can also be used.
What reading speed is considered normal for adults and children?
The average reading speed for an adult is 200-230 words per minute. Below average, but an acceptable rate is 150-200 words per minute. Adults who read more than 230 words per minute are considered fast readers. For the speed reading technique, the optimal speed is 350-400 words per minute.
In children, the indicators are dynamic and change depending on age. Approximate norms used in elementary school:
20-30 words per minute for first grade;
45-60 words per minute for second grade;
70-85 words per minute for third grade;
90-125 words per minute for fourth grade.
How to choose the right text to test reading speed?
The criteria for selecting text to test reading speed are identical for adults and children. The only difference is the volume and complexity of the information. The text must match the following parameters:
medium difficulty appropriate for age;
the absence of specific unfamiliar words or their minimum number;
no dialogs;
location on one page;
large, comfortable to read font;
lack of pictures and other distracting elements.
In our tool for testing reading speed and comprehension, we tried to take into account all these factors so that the resulting tool would be convenient for both adults and children. At the same time, he gave a fairly clear answer to the question about the real reading speed.
It should be remembered that reading speed is a variable parameter, which decreases if a person rarely sits down at a book, and increases with constant reading.
There are many special techniques aimed at significantly increasing the speed of reading text information.
Everything you wanted to know about speed reading but were afraid to ask test. So don't waste a second,
go back to the very top of the page and go take the test!Reading speed test online is simple, convenient and fast
We have already written so much here about how to correctly measure your reading speed, achieve awareness and interpret the results, that every second of delay before you pass the online reading speed test and receive a personal certificate is just like death. Return to the very beginning of the page, enter your name in the field under the video and go to the enchanting world of unfamiliar texts and tricky questions :).
📖 Reading speed Q&A section
📕 What formula is used to calculate reading speed?
If it’s very short, then the formula for calculating the reading speed is as follows: V = (Q / T) x K.
This formula allows you to get a real reading speed figure with a correlation to the meaningfulness coefficient. You can read more about the formula here in this article .
📗 What books do you recommend reading to develop speed reading?
We have compiled a list of the most useful books for the development of speed reading and posted it in a separate post on the blog. The list is constantly updated and gives an idea of the main books with which you can develop speed reading skills.
📘 What if I want to increase my reading speed?
You can start by studying the theory, or you can download our workbooks , which we have created especially for those who who wants to start learning speed reading. There are two of them: one notebook for adults, the second for children. Contains some theory and practical exercises designed for several weeks of regular classes.
📙 How to check a child's reading speed?
The reading speed test, which is located on our website, is suitable for both adults, as well as for children. We specifically tried to choose mostly literary texts that will be easy to read. to understand the child. Just go to the reading speed test page from the link above, enter child's name and start reading. Then the program will do everything for you.
📔 I want to check my reading speed online for free. How to do it?
Easier nowhere. The tool, which is located at https://bukva.info/rapid/ , was created just for this. You just enter your name, read the text and answer the questions. The program monitors the speed of your reading and its meaningfulness. After answering the questions, you will receive a certificate with your result. The certificate can be shared with friends in social networks :).
📓 What is the "Read Fast" project?
Read Fast is a project dedicated to the problem of fast and conscious reading. We believe that you can read 3-4 times faster. However, the quality of memory reading material will only increase. Let's try together :).
Reading speed in children ✅ IQsha.ru Blog
What affects high reading speed? To answer this question, let's understand what it is. Fast reading suggests that the skill of putting letters into words and translating printed characters into speech is automated. So, while reading, you can think not about finding out the meaning of each individual word, but about extracting meanings from the entire text. You can think, ask questions to the text, fantasize. That's why teachers around the world don't stop at learning letters and putting them into words, but encourage children to increase their reading speed.
Do you want to study online? Start right now
So, the faster the child reads, the better he/she:
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understands the text more successfully;
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learns unfamiliar words more reliably;
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completes tasks faster in the lesson;
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learns more information per lesson.
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What reading speed should be?
In elementary school, students are given a kind of reading speed test. It is believed that a child in grade 1 reads “normally” at a speed of 25 words per minute, in grade 2 - from 50 words per minute and faster, in grade 3 - from 75 and in grade 4 - from 95. A primary school graduate reads well if his reading speed approaches the speed of speech - 120-150 words per minute.
“Normal” speeds are achieved by some children solely due to natural learning abilities. For some, motivation in the form of family reading or interesting texts helps. And some do not like reading as a process (like adults, for example, do not like to draw or fish) - and it will not work to achieve a combination of “speed-quality-understanding” of reading with ordinary suggestion and notations from adults.
How to improve reading speed in children? Let's separate the two goals: reading aloud and "silently". Each of these goals will have different methods and practice exercises.
It should be noted that the success of classes to increase the speed of reading does not depend on the duration of these classes, but on the regularity. It is better to practice every day without skipping three times a day for 5 minutes than once a week for 30 minutes.
Develop your working memory
Memorizing a character or word you just read is a subtle but important point in increasing your reading speed. Working memory can and should be improved, this will require special exercises. For example:
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Visual dictation. The child considers a set of characters or reads a short text for literally 10 seconds, and then draws or writes down what he remembers on a piece of paper.
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Schulte tables. You can find a huge number of them on the web. The meaning of working on such tables is to visually find certain symbols or to find in order the numbers that are randomly scattered around the sheet. The child must remember where on the sheet he already looked for and counted the symbol, or where this or that number was when he was looking for a completely different one.
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Name the objects. Show your child a group of real objects or picture cards, 5 to 10 pieces. Ask to turn away and name everything that the child saw and remembered.
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Remember the figures. Draw shapes on a sheet of paper in a certain sequence and color them. Invite the child to look at the sample for 10-15 seconds, and then draw and color the figures in the same sequence on their sheet.
Complete online tasks from Aikyusha
Speed reading aloud
1. Reading with a stopwatch. Set a timer or hourglass for 1 minute and have your child read aloud. When the minute is over, you need to remember which word the child stopped on, and then start the timer again. Let the child read the same text and again remember at the end of the minute which word he stopped on. Repeat the stopwatch reading the next day. There is no need to draw any conclusions and comments, and there is no need to strive for a faster reading at this stage either.
On a familiar text, automation of the reading skill will happen by itself!
2. Reading tongue twisters. To get started, teach your child to quickly pronounce some simple tongue twisters by heart. When the principle “what to do with the language and everything else” becomes clear, invite the child to read unfamiliar tongue twisters - first slowly, and then several more times faster and faster. For example:
Staffordshire terrier is zealous, and black-haired Giant Schnauzer is frisky.
Beavers wander into the cheeses of the forests. Beavers are brave, but kind to beavers.
Our Polkan from Baikal lakal. Lakal Polkan, lakal, but not shallow Baikal.
3. Interrupted reading. Prepare a template from paper or cardboard with narrow vertical stripes that will cover part of the text. The task of the child is to “finish” the interrupted words to complete ones and understand the entire text. After reading through such a “cage”, be sure to ask the child to retell the text.
With regular exercise of this kind, reading speed will soon increase.
4. Lightning. The child reads one text, but according to a prearranged signal (clap, snap of fingers), his task is to read either very quickly, or more slowly.
Silent reading speed
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Selective reading. In any text editor, write down a short text, highlight it in a certain font, make the letters large. And between the letters of this text, place small gray letters. Ask your child to read only what is written in large black letters.
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Tug. The text is read by an adult, changing the tempo from slow to fast and vice versa. The child must follow the text with his eyes.
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Trap. The adult reads the text, the child follows the text with his eyes. Instead of some words, an adult pronounces synonyms aloud (for example, instead of a road - a path, instead of a white one - light, etc.), the child’s task is to immediately stop the adult and point to the word that is actually printed in the text.
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