Most children learn to read between the ages of 4-5. However, for some children, reading can cause significant bouts of anxiety, especially when tasked with reading aloud. This might be from internal fear or hesitation or even be from a negative experience they are associating reading with.

Tips To Incorporate At Home 

There are many things you can do to help your child overcome reading anxiety. One way is to practice reading at home in a loving, secure environment. Let your child know that they are in a safe place as you read out loud with them. If they tend to lose their position on the page, take a ruler and hold it sideways underneath the line of words, or use a finger to trace the words. 

Positive reinforcement is a great way to help your child overcome many challenges, especially if they are fear-based. If pronunciation is their main worry, help them spell out each syllable and then offer praise when they pronounce the word correctly on their own.

Improve Speech Impediments 

Some children do not want to read out loud because of a speech impediment. Many services that can help at an early age with speech therapy, such as??

Other children are shy or nervous about reading in front of their peers. As a parent, it might be helpful to ask the teacher for a heads-up about the book selection so you can practice reading it with your child. Knowledge is power, so the more confident your child feels about reading, the better the presentation will go. This helps with self-esteem and encourages reading. The cycle of success breeding success is a proven strategy. 

Regular Vocabulary Lessons 

Some children are anxious because they do not understand the vocabulary. In addition to explaining what words mean and casually mentioning synonyms as you read together, it is a great idea to talk to your child in a very expressive way from an early age. Rather than simplifying your own vocabulary, speak to your child as if they were an adult. Whenever they don’t understand a word, explain it to them without judgement. The confidence they will gain from an advanced vocabulary will help them achieve success throughout their lifetime