When your child’s assignment includes selecting a book, how do you help your child find the right book? You could ask someone at the bookstore, use the filters in an e-store, ask a librarian, search for books in our Find-a-Book or the Lexile databases. You could also ask your child’s teacher for suggestions for their reading level. But what if you get answers that leave a gap between the information you’re given and how to put that information into action?
Leveled Reading Chart
You might get the answer to your question in the form of a letter from A to Z. Then again, the level might be in numbers or ranges. Either way, you can use a leveled reading chart like this one from Kaeden Publishing to decode what you’ve been given.
Quick and Easy
Then again, you can go by the tried-and-true five-finger method. It’s easy and to the point. Have your child pick a book and read the first page. Every time they are unsure of a word’s meaning or how to pronounce it, they hold up one finger. No fingers or one finger? Too easy. Two or three fingers up? They’ve hit a winner! If they reach four or five fingers, it’s not a great fit, but they could read it aloud with you as a reading buddy.
Bottom Line
If they only ever read books that are two- or three-finger up books, and the words they know are the same words each time, it may be a good idea to step in and read a less forgiving book aloud with your child. BUT – that’s only going to build their reading abilities if you’re sure they’re learning the new words as you go. The younger they are, the more interested they are in spending time with you, though, so making the time to read with your kids when you can will make a difference.