As children learn to read independently, they learn many reading strategies. Good readers use a variety of strategies and can choose the right strategy at the right time. Try some of the following strategies with your child. Help your child know what to do when he or she comes to a word he or she does not know.

• Reread
• Sound out the word
• Skip the word or come back to it
• Study the pictures
• Read ahead for information
• Guess or predict what the word is
• Use the first letter of a word to make a guess or prediction
• Use the first two letters of a word to make a guess or prediction
• Substitute another word that means the same thing
• Find smaller words or known parts inside larger words
• Listen to yourself read and make changes
• Ask someone for help