How to help kids become more fluent readers

Quick tips to help kids read fluently

  • Quick tip 1

    Model fluent reading.

    Model fluent reading.

    Read naturally, with emotion or tone that matches the words you’re reading. If you’re not comfortable reading out loud, kids can listen to audiobooks to hear fluent reading. You can also ask another adult or an older sibling to help out.

Reading fluency is the ability to read at a good pace, with accuracy, and with the right expression. Fluent readers also understand what they’re reading.

Here are some ways kids can improve their fluency:

  • Listen to models of fluent reading, like read-alouds. Audiobooks can also be great models of reading fluency. 
  • Practice sight words so kids can automatically recognize words.
  • Have kids read a short text at their reading level several times. Count how many words they read correctly in one minute. Record the results on a graph. Repeat several times. (This is called “repeated readings.”) Soon they’ll see that their speed and accuracy improve.
  • Read a sentence together. Then draw slash marks to “chunk” the text into meaningful phrases of three to five words. Kids should take a short pause at the slash marks when reading.

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About the author

About the author

Ginny Osewalt is a dually certified elementary and special education teacher with more than 15 years of experience in general education, inclusion, resource room, and self-contained settings.

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