Help Your Child Become A Better Reader
It’s wonderful how our kids can comprehend far above their reading level. Kids are clever and they want to learn, so why not enable them to read at that advanced level? Let’s empower our children! They are brilliant! Let them be brilliant! Let’s help our children to learn with confidence and self respect, because, realistically, every child is intelligent, gifted and beautiful and can learn to read with joy. All they need is a little bit of help, patience, love and the right tools to help them succeed. The best purchase I made to help my sons become more enthusiastic readers was the Kindle Fire HD and an Audible Audio membership. Let me show you how to easily empower your child and it will be fun for you too!
Hi, thank you for letting me share my learning experiences with you. This particular topic is very dear to my heart. I have two wonderful sons who have grown into chivalrous young gentlemen. My eldest son was a ferocious learner. Right from the get go he was into absolutely everything and could not do it fast enough. My youngest is sweet as a strawberry tart, a wit sharp as a tack, super observant and never misses a beat. Now how is it possible that these two amazing young men could possibly ever struggle with reading? Teachers kept telling me they were falling behind and I kept shaking my head not believing a word of it. Uggg talk about frustrating! Maybe you can relate?
You know your child is clever, smart and intelligent, and yet their teachers are telling you they aren’t reading at their correct level. They are pulled from the classroom for “extra” help, which did not really seem to help at all! Then you have to help them do their home work for the time they missed in the classroom! It’s ridiculous! You and your child become frustrated. You know your child can do this. You desperately want to help them succeed and not fall behind. I know this hasn’t just happened to my family because I hear so many stories from parents experiencing the same frustration with the school system and the teaching techniques used there.
After much searching I found a few very helpful teaching/learning techniques which I would love to share with you. I hope they bring you and your children joy and hope, because realistically, every child is intelligent, gifted and beautiful and can learn to read with joy. All they need is a little bit of help, patience, love and the right tools to help them succeed. This technique can be used for any age, as well as for people learning English as a second language. It’s a great base to start from.
The fire HD Kids Edition has easy to use parental controls that will help you:
- limit screen time
- set educational goals and curfews
- manage content for up to 4 child profiles
- In Free Time, kids do not have access to social media or Alexa
- In-app purchases require parent approval
- Parents can exit Free Time using a passcode
So many people had so much advice and most of the ideas were just fluff and felt like a lot of extra work to keep us “busy” with little or no results. That just created more frustration. There was one teacher though, who had a great suggestion, have a book and a corresponding CD so my child could read along with the narrator. Fantastic!
I’m embarrassed to say that seems so long ago!! Does anyone still use CD’s? Don’t worry, the concept has been modernized!
Vintage See / Hear / Read Dumbo book and record set
Although this wasn’t a new idea, it was one I had totally forgotten about. So, I gave it a try and found it to be a great way to help my kids read above and beyond their grade level! They loved sitting and reading novels that we mutually chose and they were actually interested in! That is the 1st key in creating someone who loves to read – choose a book with a topic or an adventure they are enthusiastic about. Make learning fun! It’s a little challenge that maintains interest. Kids are clever and they want to learn, so make it fun and interesting.
It’s wonderful how our kids can comprehend far above their reading level, so why not enable them to read at that advanced level? My boys were still able to work on their other programs to learn how to pronounce and decipher all the grammar rules, spelling, sentence structure etc. I felt it was more advantageous for them to read inspiring novels then little kid books, below their comprehension level that just made them feel dumb! Our children always have a way of letting us know if they are happy, curious or excited about learning and doing anything. It is up to us adults to help them along their path, to help them decipher their interest and to put the information in front of them to help them learn and grow. As we help them move along their path, in turn we also grow and learn. Let’s empower our children! They are brilliant! Let them be brilliant!
Home schooling can sometimes be costly and exasperating. so finding the right tools to help our children easily learn is always exciting. This is the second of a few articles where I will share with you all the tools and techniques I used to help my children learn with confidence, fun and self respect.
Shortly after we began reading novels with a CD, the Kindle Fire came on the market. It was advertised as able to read the words aloud and I thought that would be really helpful for my kids and give them a bit more independence in reading. But the reading voice was robotic and dull. Hmm, this wasn’t very engaging. That is when I found audible audio. Wow! This was a life saver! I learnt that I could purchase the audio book and the corresponding kindle book, (at a discount), and play them in sync. Since the narrators are often professionals they often change their voices for each character, speak with engaging enthusiasm and entertain you as they read the novel.
My kids were able to read along and listen to fun, professional readers and sometimes a group of readers performing the different characters. It was great that they were able to stop at any point and easily pick up exactly where they left off. Suddenly they felt empowered, engaged and really enthusiastic about reading! I was thrilled! Now they could read at their level and above their level!
I became an Audible Audio member quite quickly after that. It was easy to get the audios and corresponding books I needed without breaking the bank. There are usually a variety of audio choices with different narrators of the same book available. Audible has a short preview audio you can listen to before purchase. This allows me to choose the narrating voice that I felt would be engaging for my kids. Many times, before purchase, I would choose 2 or 3 audios and then let the boys listen and decide which one was the best for us. The books are always sold at a discount when you purchase the audible version. The best purchase I made to help my sons become more enthusiastic readers was the Kindle Fire HD and an Audible Audio membership.
Although the Kindle Fire HD has many capabilities the immersion reading feature was the most helpful for my sons. You may already have a Kindle Fire and the Immersion Reading feature will work on the following devices:
- Kindle Fire HDX 8.9”
- Kindle Fire HDX
- Kindle Fire HD 2nd Gen
- Kindle Fire HD 8.9”
- Kindle Fire HD 7”
- Kindle Fire 2nd Gen
- Fire HD 6 Tablet
- Kindle App for iOS
- Kindle App for Android
Fire HD 10 Kids Tablet
How do I read and listen to a book in the Kindle App?
The steps to use the immersion reading feature are simple.
Be sure to have purchased and downloaded both the Kindle ebook and Audible Audiobook before using the Immersion Reading feature only found on the Kindle Fire.
- Open your eBook.
- Tap on the screen to reveal a tray at the bottom of the screen that will say “Audible Narration”.
- Tap on this section to begin downloading the audio version, or if already downloaded tap the play icon to begin playing and reading the book together.
The professional narration will play and highlight the text as it narrates. Also, real-time highlighting will help your child to follow along easily, making Immersion Reading a valuable tool to boost reading comprehension and overall retention of content.
Just a little side note: I’m not sure about other countries, but in Canada Immersion Reading highlighting as the Audible Narration began does not work in this specific way, but my son figured out to just flip between the book page and the audio page on our Kindle Fire. Start the audio then go back to the book page and follow along. The high lighting didn’t happen, but they were ok with that and able to easily follow along. It’s a couple of little extra steps, but still works.
Sharing stories is always fun! As the kids are reading and listening, you can be cleaning, cooking or working out while listening along with them. It is also great for journeys in the car. Everyone becomes so engaged in listening while observing the scenery and we usually talk about the story when we arrive at our destination. Sometimes, no one wants to get out of the vehicle until the chapter ends! It’s a great way to interact with your kids. We discuss what was read or listened to and I’ll ask them what they think about a character and who their favorite character is and why. By asking a few questions and letting your children explain their opinion about what happened or what they think will happen next is a great way to get them to think a little deeper. Just 2 or 3 questions are enough. Remember, it’s supposed to be fun not a chore! Little ones could draw pictures for what they hear. They can create their own illustration book to go along with the novel. Older kids can keyboard a review every few chapters or write up a novel review at the end. How about create a cover for the novel, penning their name in as illustrator.
Kindle unlimited is a great way to try books out for a month, for free, to see if it will work for you. You don’t even have to own a Kindle, but could use it on other devices as well. To read and listen at the same time though, can only be done on a Kindle Fire at this time.
The advantage with Kindle Unlimited is that it includes over 2,000 free Audible audiobooks, which are Whispersync for Voice-ready so you can switch easily between reading the Kindle eBook and listening to the audiobook on a regular Kindle or do both at the same time using immersion reading on your Kindle Fire.
The Kindle fire HD is available in an 7 “ with 16 GB, 8″ or 10″ tablet version with 32 GB and all have an HD display. You’ll also have the ability to upgrade to add a micro SD card for up to 400 GB of expandable storage. Extra storage is always nice to have and something I always seem to run out of, so if I have the option I always get as much extra storage as I can. I found extra storage to be so useful as our Kindle Fire quickly filled up with many books and audios. Definitely a good sign of a great investment!
audible gift subscriptions begin at $15.00 for 1 month up to $150.00 for 12 months
Sharing the Kindle Fire in our household is cost efficient so we all have a chance to use it. I can enjoy my favorite novels while cleaning, exercising, doing dishes, cooking, in the bath on the bus or in a car. And it’s a fantastic gift! People of all ages always get a lot of use out of their Kindle Fire since it is so versatile and easy to take with you anywhere. An upgrade to a newer version is always nice as well!
Audible created this help page that shows how to connect your Kindle Fire to a Bluetooth device. Enjoy Audible on mobile devices, Bluetooth-enabled speakers, or any Echo device. Just say, “Alexa, read my Audible book.” This is fantastic when your hands are busy cooking, cleaning or in the bath! Try an Audible 30-day free trial and receive Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Book 1 free.
Waterproof Portable Bluetooth Speaker
Protecting your Kindle Fire with a versatile and stylish case is always a smart choice. Cases are available in a wide variety of choices from lovely and feminine, strong and child proof, worldly, pretty in pink or just plain black. Whatever you choose, the cases all protect your device and come with a stand to prop up and share while you view or be totally hands free. They also have easy access to all the buttons and ports.
Well, the Kindle Fire has worked so well for our family that we now have 2 Kindle Fire, so everyone can listen and read their current novels without waiting in line!
As I was doing research for the Kindle Fire HD I noticed there is a cute Kindle Kids Edition strictly for reading or listening available.
The Kindle Kids Edition has a choice of 4 cute covers, a 2 year worry free guarantee replacement and a black & white glare-free display with weeks of battery life and it’s geared for reading books or listening to books – no games, ads or videos. With purchase it includes 1 year of Free Time Unlimited so kids can explore popular titles and series. After 1 year, your subscription will automatically renew every month starting at just $2.99/month plus applicable tax. You may cancel at any time.
It also has easy-to-use parental controls so you’ll be able to set educational goals and manage content. On the Parent Dashboard, you can adjust age filters, add books to your child’s library, view reading progress, and more. And because Kindle Kids Edition is designed for reading, in Free Time kids do not have access to the Internet or social media.
It also has access to Audible Audio, so your child will be able to switch between listening or reading their stories. Their Kindle Kids can also be paired with Bluetooth headphones or speakers to listen to their story or share them with a friend. It is not capable of immersion reading, which highlights the text as you listen and read. So no listening and reading at the same time. For that you need a Kindle Fire.
I hope this information brings you a little closer to helping your child become a more ferocious reader. I will have a few more tips for you in my next article to help make learning fun and easy, which is exactly what learning should be…for all of us! Happy reading!
P.S. If your child struggles in math check out this article. It’s easy, on line and you won’t have to try to figure out how to explain the formulas either! This is another great way to empower your child without frustration and overwhelment! https://sandeelane.com/the-best-math-program/
