Oral Reading Fluency Activities

Family Information:

Oral reading fluency is the ability to read smoothly, with expression, and at an appropriate speed. When children are able to read fluently, their mental energy is freed up to focus on understanding what they are reading, which is the whole reason we read! Check out Reading 101 for Parents to learn more about fluency. The activities below can be done with any text. Short practice sessions of 5 minutes during reading time a few days a week goes a long way!

Fluency Strategies:

• Repeated Reading: Have your child read aloud the same short text or page 3-4 times. Each time, they should try to read it a bit faster, with more expression, and with fewer pauses. Celebrate the improvements when they get faster, smoother, and/or more expressive with each read-through.
• Echo Reading: Read a short section of text a few sentences long using good expression and pace. Have your child echo you by reading the same text mimicking your tone and speed. They may need to echo you several times to read smoothly and with expression.
• Paired Reading: You and your child take turns reading a book, alternating who is reading page by page or paragraph by paragraph. They will hear your fluent reading for half the text and also have a chance to practice reading half the text on their own.
• Choral Reading: You and your child read a text together. Read at the same time, trying to match your pace and expression.

Make it Playful:

• Play with Voices: Encourage your child to use different voices for different characters of the story. You can model this for them–the sillier the better! This adds a fun element to reading and helps them with phrasing and expression.
• Record and Review: Have your child record themselves reading aloud using a voice recorder app. Then listen back together, focusing on areas for improvement like pacing, expression, or tricky words.

Final Tips for Fluency Practice:

Fluency practice is a small but important piece of learning to become an independent reader. Keep practice sessions quick and find the strategies your child likes best.

Reading Aloud to Your Child:

While your child is working on fluency, they also benefit from hearing books read aloud that are too complex for them to read on their own yet. This helps them build vocabulary, background knowledge about the world, and a love of reading. 
Fifteen minutes of reading–for example, each night at bedtime–can make a huge difference in your child’s readiness for learning to read.

• Choose books that are appropriate for your child’s age and interests. Children at this stage may be ready to listen to short chapter books. Reading a chapter book together over many days is a great way to bond over a shared funny or adventurous story.
• Allow your child to help pick out books they want to hear.
• Build vocabulary by explaining new words while you read. (Example: “gigantic” is another word for really big.)
• Ask questions about the story. “What do you think the character is feeling?” “What do you think will happen next?” “What would you do in this situation?”

See more tips on reading aloud to your child.