Reading Strategies for Kids — What Good Readers Do
Strong readers use five habits: read daily, choose their own books, reread favourites, ask questions, and talk about stories.
Strong primary readers have five habits in common and almost nothing else. They read every day. They choose at least some of their own books. They reread favourites instead of only moving on. They ask questions while they read. And they talk about what they've read with someone, often an adult. That's it. Those five habits produce more strong readers than any single reading scheme.
The habits are easier to support than to teach. Daily reading needs ten minutes a day, at a set time. Choice means a weekly library visit or a well-stocked home shelf. Rereading means resisting the urge to swap books too quickly. Questioning means pausing to wonder out loud. And talking means dinner-table conversations about what the child read today.
The worksheet and testing side of reading is important for school, but it's not what makes readers. What makes readers is the five habits above. Build those first and the test performance comes with them.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How much should a child read each day?+
Ten to fifteen minutes of independent reading for Year 1 to 2, twenty minutes by Year 3 to 4, thirty minutes by Year 5 to 6. That's the fluency benchmark in most guidance.
Should kids reread books?+
Yes, lots. Rereading builds fluency, deepens comprehension, and — crucially — builds love of reading. Kids who reread favourites grow into strong adult readers more reliably than kids who never do.
Does the type of book matter?+
Less than you'd think at primary age. Comics, graphic novels, non-fiction, joke books all count. The genre hierarchy doesn't apply to developing readers — quantity and engagement matter more.
What if my child only likes non-fiction?+
Fine. Lean into it. Kids who only read non-fiction for two years and then get interested in fiction turn into perfectly good all-round readers. Don't force a format.