The Preschooler

Echo Reading

Think about how you are reading this article right now.  Are you spending time slowly decoding each individual word?  Or are you able to smoothly read each word consecutively in your head?  This smooth flow is called “fluency”.  Fluency can be difficult to assess in pre-readers because they are not yet ready for recognizing a large vocabulary of words and are probably not ready for decoding skills.  However, there are activities you can do with your child that will help him be ready for reading independently when the time comes.

Echo Reading is exactly what it sounds like.  A skilled reader reads a sentence or phrase aloud, and the child repeats what was read.  The child learns to mimic your fluency and expression that will one day guide him in his own reading.

You can do this with your child every now and again when you read a book together.  Talk it up and make it a game.  Begin with a short book, and simply instruct your child to repeat what you read.  Congratulate him on his wonderful reading skills, and continue the activity as long as he shows interest.  Point out when he is able to repeat exactly what you read and when he uses great expression in his voice.  Don’t worry about mistakes as the point of the activity is to learn to read with fluency and expression.

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Written by Laura on October 1, 2010