What technology is available to help a nine-year-old read?

Reading doesn’t come naturally to some students, but there are many things you can do at home with your child to help improve his reading skills. The Reading is Fundamental(opens in a new window) website has a great list of 20 Ways for Parents to Encourage Reading(opens in a new window), and Reading Rockets(opens in a new window) has a robust parent strategy(opens in a new window) section. You can find helpful suggestions at both of these sites.

There are also a number of free games and activities online that can help encourage struggling or reluctant readers. Depending on your son’s reading level and maturity, some of these websites may feel too young, so it is important that you give him a variety of options and see what he likes best. A good resource to help you get started is Learning to Read with Multimedia Materials(opens in a new window). The article discusses the different ways multimedia tools can be used to support reading instruction and provides a resource list with suggestions of different websites and games to help kids build reading skills.

Starfall(opens in a new window) has a collection of online books and activities for different reading levels and ages. Students can hear words read aloud and read at their own pace. The section I’m Reading(opens in a new window) might be most appropriate for your son. Sylvan Learning has a free website called Book Adventure(opens in a new window) that may also be motivating for your son. Students read books, take a short quiz and earn points. Points can then be redeemed for prizes (books, games, etc.). Book Adventure also has a page for parents(opens in a new window) with suggestions for encouraging reading, making reading fun and recognizing reading challenges.

A game format can be a non-threatening way to practice reading. If your son enjoys the game or wants to find out what happens next, he may be more motivated to read. PBS has a great selection of educational games and activities for students. PBS Kids Cyberchase (opens in a new window) is designed for slightly older elementary or middle school students. While not a reading game specifically, there is a significant amount of text for students to read. All spoken dialogue is also shown on screen, and players have to read signs and other information in the game. This type of experience may help your son practice reading without even realizing it. The Kaboose Family Network(opens in a new window) also has a page with a variety of free online reading and spelling games for different age groups.

If you’re interested in purchasing a software program for use at home, educational publishers such as Tom Snyder(opens in a new window) and Houghton Mifflin(opens in a new window) sell a number of programs, both games and skill building tools that can help struggling readers. You can also search for and compare reading programs using the Tech Matrix(opens in a new window).