Today's Tip for Families

[En español]

2026-04-16

Help Your Child Decode New Words

When your child is reading and comes to an unfamiliar word, allow some time for your student to figure it out. If your child is stuck, ask questions to help. Say things like:

• "What sound does the first letter make?"
• "What sound does the last letter make?"
• "Are there any letter combinations you recognize in the word? What sounds do they make?"

Have your child point to each letter from left to right and slowly say the sound it makes. Then, have your child blend the sounds together.

Figuring words out in this way gives your child the tools for reading other new words. And that builds reading confidence.

Brought to you by:

West Point Consolidated School District

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