Reading will accelerate your child’s learning journey like few other pursuits. It helps your child build their language skills and reading comprehension by exposing them to new words and meanings. It also helps to improve their general knowledge, which makes it easier for them to learn new topics as they move through school.
But in today’s world, there are regular barriers that could stop your child from focusing during reading time. They could be distracted by external influences, unmotivated, or have other demands on their time, like extracurricular activities or other responsibilities.
Here are nine ways to help your child focus during reading time.
1. Chunk it Up
It is hard for anyone to maintain their focus for an extended period, but this is especially true for children.
Don’t expect your child to be able to sit and read for an hour. Set a timer for 10-20 minutes and then have them move on to another activity.
They can return to reading later with a refreshed brain and renewed focus.
2. Encourage Physical Activity
Physical activity improves your child’s mood by releasing endorphins, and the increased blood flow to their brain enhances concentration.
Suggest to your child that they get physical exercise before they start reading. Physical activity will help release excess energy and make their reading time more focused and enjoyable.
3. Remove External Distractions
Kids will have an easier time reading if they are separated from external distractions.
Try to provide a quiet and calm area for them to read peacefully. It should be cozy and snug but away from things like the television or your home’s main thoroughfares.
4. Give Them Control
If you make reading a compulsory task, your child will see it as a chore.
Consider giving your child control of their reading. You could encourage them to choose their books or decide when they want to read.
If you give your child more agency over their reading, they will feel empowered to read rather than feel like it is an assignment.
5. Make Reading a Family Habit
The more routine and habitual reading feels to your child, the easier they will find it to focus on their dedicated reading time.
Try to create a family habit of reading for pleasure at a time that suits everyone. This might be reading before you try to sleep at night or at some peaceful time on a weekend morning.
If your child sees that everyone in the family participates in this habit, they will be more likely to join in with a good attitude.
6. Make it Fun
Even avid readers may need an extra incentive to pick up their books and read each day.
Set up a reading challenge (with prizes) to encourage competitive children, or link their reading to other hobbies, like crafting bookmarks or redesigning book covers, to keep kids engaged with their reading.
And above all, never use reading as a punishment for your child.
7. Try Not to Interrupt
It might seem obvious, but sometimes, you could be the distraction to your child’s focused reading.
Even if it is a simple question like “Would you like a drink?” or a request to “Please set the table when you finish,” a distraction can jerk your child out of the zone and throw off their focus.
If your child is absorbed in their reading, try to wait until they’ve done a solid 10-20 minutes of uninterrupted reading before engaging them. At this point, they will probably be ready for a break, and you know they have already spent a good amount of time focused on their book.
8. Find Their Optimal Time
Everyone has times of day when they are their most productive. Help your child to read better by finding their optimal reading time.
Early birds might like to read first thing in the morning, while night owls are more focused on reading in the evening. Some children might read after their extracurricular activities before sitting together to eat dinner.
9. Realize That Focused Reading Might Not Be Silent Reading
Older children are more likely to read silently in their heads, but younger children who are still learning how to read will find that impossible.
They can still be focused when reading aloud, which will also help you hear their progress. If you can’t sit with them while they read, try a “reading bear” (or other stuffed animal) and get them to read the story aloud to the toy.
Developing Concentration Improves Cognitive Growth and Academic Success
Following these strategies will help your child maintain focus while reading. This will improve their reading proficiency, cognitive development, and academic success in all other subjects.
A consistent reading routine also has many emotional benefits. There’s strong research showing that children who read regularly for pleasure are more relaxed, sleep better, and form relationships more easily than their peers who do not.
If you’re looking to boost your child’s reading ability, contact our Christian school in Atlanta. We use research-backed, phonics-based reading programs to help students thrive.