Literacy Experts Share the Reading Strategies They Use at Home

PORTLAND, Ore., June 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Ever wonder what literacy experts do with their children to promote and support reading and writing? NWEA, a K-12 assessment and research organization, today released tips and activities from literacy experts about how they created a culture of literacy in their own homes.

As U.S. students embark on summer break, concerns arise about how to maintain and even boost their reading skills in preparation for heading back to school. The term "summer slide" describes the phenomenon of students losing some of their academic skills over the summer and entering their next grade at a slightly lower level than in the previous spring. Layered on top are the lingering impacts of COVID-19 disruptions that left many students significantly behind compared to their pre-pandemic peers. 

Family engagement is a critical factor in helping students grow academically, especially now when addressing the challenges left behind by the pandemic. But many families wonder what they can do. NWEA asked early literacy experts, reading specialists, and former teachers within its organization and at HMH (NWEA's parent company) to weigh in on what they love doing with their families that reinforces great literacy habits, whether over the summer or year-round.

Make reading a reward, literally!
Jeannie Votypka, Staff Learning Scientist, at NWEA
Recommended for K-2

We used scratch-off reading rewards to motivate more reading. I would write a reading reward (read to grandma, read past your bedtime, read to the dog, read outside in the hammock, etc.) under a scratch-off ticket. When my child read 5x, they earned a reward and scratched off the ticket to see their reward. It's more reading, and they loved it!

Reading rewards are a form of contingent reward (a reward that is specific to the task). In this case, it's specific to reading and meant to create excitement and fun around the reading process, and it's effective. Research has shown that the type of reward offered for reading has various impacts on intrinsic motivation (meaning the student is driven to read more for their own sake instead of just doing it for an external reward or because of pressure). When designing a reading reward for your child:

• Make it attainable or within reach, like read aloud for 20 minutes, five times = a reading reward.
• Rewards must be connected to reading, so don't get them a new toy (that's a token, external reward); instead, consider a new book or special reading time.

Read to me and I'll read to you
Francie Alexander, Senior Vice President of Efficacy Research, at HMH
Recommended for K-2

As a former teacher of first graders, my colleagues and I used to talk about the kids who seemed to slow down while learning to read. One thing we learned is that our students didn't want to just read on their own, which can feel lonely and intimidating. We don't want this to become a barrier for our children, especially since reading aloud together improves vocabulary development and comprehension. It's also time together, with your undivided attention, which makes reading a rewarding experience. Understanding this, I shared reading with my family where I read some and my children (and now grandchildren) read some, and you can too: 

• Break up the reading of a book by asking if your child wants to read chapter 1 or 2. Whatever chapter they pick, you read the other one.
• Go page by page. Ask if they prefer to read the right pages or the left pages in the book.
• Go character by character if you're reading a graphic novel where characters take turns speaking. Ask if they want to read for a specific character.

Make bedtime reading a big deal
Sara Velazquez, Principal Learning Experience Designer with ¡Arriba la lectura! at HMH
Recommended for K-5

As a working single mother of two, there were plenty of moments where screens stood in as a nanny to my little girls. They spent more time on apps than I would have liked. To counteract the screen time, I made reading a non-negotiable routine at bedtime every night. Having a devoted time to read reinforced a culture of literacy in our home, especially in those critical foundational years when they were just starting as early readers, establishing good habits and essential skills. To build this culture:

• Make reading at bedtime a treat, or something special. For example, my daughters got to crawl into "mom's big bed" with any three books of their choice to read.
• Let them choose the books. Yes, it should be completely their choice. But don't forget to fill their rooms with lots of books. They don't have to be new; they just have to be available to them. I scoured yard sales, accepted hand-me-downs, and regularly borrowed books from the library.
• Make each book reading an event. For example, start by announcing the title and names of the author and illustrator. Ask questions about what you're reading, like what they think the character may be feeling, or why they behaved a certain way.

Start a book club (even virtually)
Shefali Parekh, Vice President, Services Content Development, at HMH
Recommended for grades 3 - 5 (and beyond)

During the pandemic, I started a virtual book club with my nephew, who was in 4th grade at the time. We selected a book, and each week I would suggest the chapters we'd read on our own. Then we'd schedule a video call to discuss what we read. The "book club" provided a weekly touch point to talk about school and life. It also enabled me to model reading strategies and habits of good readers. I engaged my nephew in dialogic reading, which is an interactive, shared reading practice where an adult and child take turns actively discussing a book. We learned new words together and looked up concepts that were unknown (such as mythological creatures in the Percy Jackson series). We shared wonderings and made predictions, then turned to the text to find evidence. The "book club" continued into 6^th grade, and we decided to do a book series. Together, we connected the stories and the growth of characters over time as we built a shared knowledge of a different world. Here are some tips for families considering starting a book club:

• Establish a doable schedule and discussion time, like committing to reading a chapter of a book each week or a book a month. Making it virtual makes it easier to do with children who may not be local to you, like a nephew or niece, grandkids, etc.
• Explore the book options together, and make it part of the club to discuss why they want to read that book.
• Don't worry about being too formal about the club; the goal here is to discuss books, build engagement, and have fun chats with your young reader.

Adjust your approach to match your child's strengths and interests
Grant Atkins, Director, Efficacy Research, at NWEA
Recommended for K-2

Everyone with more than one child knows that whatever worked for the first one is certainly not to work with the second. For our family, that applied to literacy. Our first child was a very eager learner from a young age and loved to read. Our second child showed no such interest and, when we tried to engage her, declared she was "not a reader." This was heartbreaking in the moment, but we didn't give up. While she didn't want to read, she did want to draw. Her journey to literacy was through writing (which first started with drawing) and creating notes as a form of self-expression for others to read, rather than reading words, sentences, and books that others had written. Because reading and writing draw upon the same knowledge base and skills, practicing one builds skills in the other. As our daughter became more confident in translating sounds into letters through writing, she also increased her confidence in translating letters into sounds through reading. She is now a confident and avid reader, and our only issue is refilling the books on her shelf. Even if your child is initially a hesitant reader, don't give up:

• Don't assume that the literacy practices that worked for your first child (or for yourself when you were younger) will be effective with other children.
• Identify your child's interests and strengths (art, sports, music, etc.) and find ways to bring reading and literacy into those interests.
• Many children are more interested in creating their own stories than reading stories other people have written, so encourage that through writing and sharing their stories with others.
• Practice writing along with reading! 

Supporting your older students
Amy Endo, Senior Director, Efficacy Research, at NWEA
Recommended for middle and high school grades

My high school child is diagnosed with dyslexia and ADHD. He is highly mathematical, so his strengths lie in math and science, whereas reading, writing, and history require more support. He is an Honors student who is also enrolled in AP classes, so he is performing above average in his school. I mention this only because many people may think support is only needed for those students who are performing below grade level or have misconceptions about students with dyslexia, but providing support for any student is still important as it increases their confidence in all areas of their studies. For families, here are a few tips for supporting your older students, especially those with dyslexia or reading difficulties:

• Reading aloud is still critical with older students: Reading aloud difficult literature together, especially text with older language or regional/cultural dialects (e.g., Shakespeare, To Kill a Mockingbird), improves comprehension. This is particularly helpful with text that uses atypical spelling and structure that can hinder understanding.
• Thinking aloud helps students organize their story: Brainstorming story elements - such as exposition, conflict, and the story's climax - can be challenging for many students. For my son, generating original ideas for short stories or writing assignments was particularly difficult. To support him, we discussed familiar movie plots or book storylines he liked as inspiration, encouraging him to add his own twist. Once he chose a topic, we talked through each narrative phase. These steps helped him clearly verbalize everything before he started writing. Without this step, that blank paper or graphic organizer felt too overwhelming, often leaving him unable to start writing.
• Audio and multimedia can support reading: When reading long chapters in history books or texts, providing my son with audio support where needed was helpful. Additionally, there were often concepts in those history chapters that he did not fully grasp. Therefore, we would go to YouTube (e.g., History channels) to look up short video clips to fill in the gaps of knowledge (or to view the same topic explained by another teacher) to better understand the importance of the text he was reading.

Take your reading on the road
Miah Daughtery, Vice President, Academic Advocacy, at NWEA
Recommended for all ages

Reading is not limited to a book at home. My seven-year-old cousin, for example, loves to draw, so we took him to the Van Gogh Immersion Experience. Not only was he immersed in engaging artwork, but he was surrounded by text…lots of it. Being a curious second grader, he wanted to read everything and came across lots of new words like "extrapolate," "classical," and embrace." We helped him sound out the words and asked him questions about their meaning and what was happening in the passage, which turned into a robust discussion. So much literacy value came out of this excursion. My cousin got to build knowledge of Van Gogh and expand his background of art, something he already had an interest in. The exhibit was engaging to a second grader, and though he didn't understand all the text, he was motivated to keep reading harder words because the exhibit was interesting. There are lots of ways families can look for opportunities to engage in reading outside of their home:

• Building knowledge is critical for reading comprehension. Going to a park? Look for signs or markers to read - discuss any new words you encounter to help define and build comprehension. Consider each sign as a chance for a conversation to build knowledge.
• Play with the words you see out in the wild to build vocabulary flexibility and dexterity. Look for words that have multiple meanings, like "jam," "mine," "trace," and "mold," and discuss their meanings, both the current meaning and other meanings.
• Turn everywhere into a reading mini field trip! Visit locations based on your child's interests. Zoo, aquarium, train station, airport, and even the grocery store have lots of opportunities to engage with text. 
• Use new vocabulary as a way to practice decoding by sounding out words.

For more strategies on how to improve reading and writing at home, go to https://www.nwea.org/blog/2025/parent-strategies-for-improving-their-childs-reading-and-writing/

About NWEA
NWEA^® (a division of HMH) is a mission-driven organization that supports students and educators in more than 146 countries through research, assessment solutions, policy and advocacy, and professional learning that support our diverse educational communities. Visit NWEA.org to learn more about how we're partnering with educators to help all kids learn.

Contact: Simona Beattie, Communications Director, [email protected] or 971.361.9526

SOURCE NWEA