10 speed reading tips

We understand that your child has many textbooks to read for school and for their assessments. That is why it is important to help your child find the most efficient way to finish and understand what they read. We will share some useful tips on how to maximize your child’s reading speed without sacrificing their understanding...

1. Read early in the day

It is said that people can double their reading time and focus when they start reading early on in the day.

2. Read in a proper environment

Create an efficient reading environment by getting rid of any distractions. That means moving to a quiet room and turn off the TV, radio and mobile phone. Avoid places that are near windows or door as these areas are prone to noise. You should also prevent your child from getting too comfortable such as letting them read in bed, as that is where our mind and body tend to relax. They should instead stay alert by sitting by a desk.

3. Skim material for the main ideas

Familiarise your child with the structure of the material. Scan the table of contents, be sure to look at the main headings and chapter divisions as this will tell your child which sections they need to read thoroughly and which sections they can just skim through. Your child should also practise identifying the main ideas in the text by looking at the first and last sentences of each paragraph.

4. Use a pointer

Your child can use their finger, pen or a card as pointers. It will maximize their eyes’ efficiency by using the pointer to guide them along the lines faster and at the same time pick out information quickly.

5. Practice reading blocks of words

Although we were first taught to read word-by-word or even letter-by-letter, it is not the most efficient way of reading. Not every word is important. Your child can dramatically improve their reading speed by reading several lines of text instantaneously.

6. Learn to isolate key words

Focusing on the key words in a sentence is another way to improve your child’s reading speed. They should learn to skim over the "filler" which usually consists of propositions (i.e. about, along, before, despite) and conjunctions (i.e. and, so, but) and they should also look out for repeated words, bold print and other indicators of important concepts.

7. Write notes

Your child should take down some brief notes on essential ideas and concepts they got out of the text. This enables your child to simply refer to their notes rather than reading the entire piece again.

8. Train yourself to not reread

Most people tend to stop and reread the sentence or phrase just to make sure that they understood the meaning. This can sometimes become a habit and it is usually unnecessary.

9. Rest if you are tired

When your child reads when they are tired, it will slow their reading speed and comprehension. They will end up simply wasting their time and not picking up any information from the text. Your child should therefore take a short break from their reading and get back to it once they have recharged.

10. Practice!

Lastly, practice these techniques to find out which strategies work best for your child.