Welcome Parents! Did you know that you are your child's best tutor? Many parents may feel that they are not equipped to help their child, but did you ever stop and think about what a great teacher you are for your child? After all, you were their first teacher--you taught them how to walk and talk. You taught them what they need to know about the culture in which you live. Whatever your child is today is due to you. Just because they are older now does not mean that you no longer are able to help them learn and grow. You can! Many parents spend time helping their children with homework. When a child brings home low grades on a test or a report card, many parents feel puzzled on how to help the child. They already spend many hours helping them yet at times it does not seem to produce better results. The secret is in knowing HOW to help your child. There are several ways in which you can help your child. Here is a checklist of questions to ask yourself: 1) Can your child read the textbooks or materials accurately? 2) Does your child understand the vocabulary used in the text? 3) Does your child comprehend the ideas in the text? 4) Can your child recall what he or she has read? 5) Does your child understand what is expected of him or her in the assignment? 6) Does your child know how to study for a test? 7) Does your child know how to take a test? The answers to these questions will help you pinpoint the type of help to give your child. For example, if your child can not sound out or decode the words, then the child may need help with phonics. If your child can not understand the vocabulary used, then your child needs to build his or her vocabulary and learn vocabulary strategies. If your child can not understand what was read, then you need to help your child learn comprehension skills. The first step is to diagnose the problem. After that, then you can remedy the problem. Another factor to look at is the child's best learning style. It is possible that the child is struggling because the lessons at school, or your help at home, is being given in a child's weakest learning style. If you find out what your child's learning style is and then try to help your child presenting the material according to that style, you may find that the information is processed more quickly by the child. The child will understand the material better and faster. "Once parents are aware of these skills--letter-sound relationships or phonics, vocabulary, comprehension, and independent reading strategies--they can pinpoint where their child's difficulties lie. Diagnosis is the first step. If we know that the child's problem is in phonics, we can teach or reteach the missing sounds. If we know that the problems is in vocabulary skills, we can teach children how to figure out new words. If the difficulty lies in comprehension, we can teach them how to picture what they read in their minds. There is a solution for each type of problem." (from Your Child Can Be a Great Reader, by Ricki Linksman, pp.16-17) ReadingInstruction.com