• November 9, 2022 TopicsBook Clubs Book Fairs books parents reading aloud reading fluency

Reading Skills: Books to Help Your Child on Their Reading Journey

As a parent, it can be overwhelming to try and find the right books for your child’s reading development. The days get busy and it’s hard to find that perfect book to engage your child. Here you’ll find curated lists of the perfect books for your child’s grade, reading level, and interests, online and in every flyer we offer. One of the best ways to encourage a lifelong love of reading is to share books together. Your child is never too old-or too young-to be read to.

Here are some tips to help guide you through your child’s reading journey, every step of the way, with the right books to match!

Pre-Reading Skills

The reading journey starts with these simple steps:

Learning how to hold a book.
Turning pages.
Recognizing letters of the alphabet.

Incorporate letter recognition into playtime by using modelling dough or sand to draw out letters. Choose sturdy board books to stand up to your preschooler!

Shop all board books here.

Learning to Read

Phonemic awareness, phonics, and sight words are some of the building blocks of reading. Rhyming words and phonics help children learn letter sounds. Sight words teach high frequency words that children can memorize.

Ask your child to point out letters and words they recognize on the page and in the world around them (e.g. at the grocery store, in the car, etc.). Encourage kids to ask and answer questions about the books you are reading together.

Shop all phonics here.
Shop all sight words here.

Reading Practise

Build reading stamina, fluency, and concentration by encouraging your child to read independently every day! Some ways to make reading practise fun are:

Find a series.
Match their interests.
Build your home library.

Reading for 20 minutes a day exposes your child to more than 600,000 words in one year. Talk to your child about what interests them and ask them what type of characters they like to see in books. Getting started on a series is a great way to keep kids reading book after book!

Shop all early chapter books here.

Reading with Confidence

Build comprehension and discover the joy of reading by reading books with longer page counts, reading more complex stories and themes, letting them read what they want, even if it’s a magazine, newspaper, or article on their phone.

Talk to your child about what interests them and ask them what type of characters they like to see in books. Getting started on a series is a great way to keep kids reading book after book!

Shop all chapter books here.
Shop all novels here.
Shop all non-fiction here.

Teen Readers

It may seem like a challenge to keep teens engaged with books when competing with social media and videos. Keep them reading with:

Bestsellers.
Edgy new fiction.
Tough topics & situations.

Talk to your child about what interests them and ask them what type of characters they like to see in books. Teens want to see themselves in the books they read that help them make sense of the world around them. It’s never too late for a parent and teen to share a book together.