By Cindy Puryear

This article is the first installment of a three-part series addressing the importance of reading fluency – what it means for your child and what you can do strengthen his or her skill set.

A common misunderstanding is that reading fluently means reading as fast as you can. The more words read per minute, the more fluent the reader. The truth is, reading fluency is more about reading smoothly and effortlessly with expression and rhythm, as opposed to struggling with decoding individual words or sentences. Reading fluency is crucial for reading comprehension because it allows us to understand and interpret written text more effectively.

Think of it like driving a car. When you're just learning, you focus on each step: starting the engine, shifting gears, and watching the road. But as you become more experienced, these actions become automatic, and you can focus on the bigger picture, such as navigating traffic and reaching your destination. Similarly, when reading, fluency frees up mental space to comprehend the text's deeper meaning, making it easier to grasp the main ideas, make inferences, and make connections within the text.

Moreover, reading fluency aids in maintaining a steady pace while reading – this is essential for maintaining engagement and interest. It allows us to absorb information more efficiently and retain it for longer periods. By being fluent readers, we can more easily enter the "flow state" where reading becomes an enjoyable, immersive, and effortless experience. Fluent readers get lost in books as they lose track of time and redirect energy to think about the text and its meaning.

We agree with William James, the nineteenth century teacher, psychologist, and philosopher who said, “So it is with children who learn to read fluently and well: They begin to take flight into whole new worlds as effortlessly as young birds take to the sky.”

 Overall, reading fluency acts as a bridge between decoding words and comprehending their meaning. It enhances our ability to make sense of what we read, broadens our vocabulary, and expands our knowledge.

Rereading aloud a familiar text and practicing sight words, also known as high frequency words, for both word recognition and meaning are two of the most important ways to help a child enhance fluency. Ask your child’s teacher for a list of high frequency words and recommended books that may feature those words. Then, get reading and rereading with your child!

Think of it like driving a car. When you're just learning, you focus on each step: starting the engine, shifting gears, and watching the road. But as you become more experienced, these actions become automatic, and you can focus on the bigger picture, such as navigating traffic and reaching your destination.