Encourage students to ask questions about the reading before they start. They can develop questions by previewing a book or article for about five minutes prior to delving deeper into the writing. Allow students to develop a natural curiosity about the text, examining the introduction and conclusion to the book. Instruct them to flip through the pages of the book and make note of other key information, such as subheadings or chapter summaries.
Practice regularly. Regular reading can build your student's mental muscles and make her a more effective reader. She will need to read every day for a specified period of time in order to make reading habitual rather than something additional that needs to be done throughout the course of the day.
Instruct your student in the art of speed reading. Some students struggle because of what they perceive as an inability to read quickly and efficiently. Reading from left to right and word-for-word can be an inefficient and cumbersome method for students. Different speed-reading techniques can increase not only the speed of a child's reading, but also his comprehension. Students who learn to speed read learn to process the information much faster than they would have if they were sounding out the words one at a time.
Integrate reading into your daily living. Don't just make it an activity that your child has to sit down and complete on her own. Instead, find ways to let your child practice reading throughout the course of the day. Teaching her to read street signs, restaurant menus, television credits and any other type of reading source can provide ways to gain a little additional reading instruction.
Use various multimedia resources to reinforce learning. The number of available software programs and educational websites makes if fairly simple to find additional resources to help your children read better.