3 Tips to Make Sure Your Kid is Game Ready
In honor of the Super Bowl, here’s the analogy-Hail Mary pass and older kids that struggle with reading. According to Wikipedia, ” A Hail Mary pass is a very long forward pass in American football, typically made in desperation, with only a small chance of success. As such it makes a reference to the Catholic Hail Mary prayer for help.
Very often I have teens come to me saying, “I passed my permit test,” grinning from ear to ear. Some attribute it to luck rather than hard work. I remind them often that they used reading strategies and studied! They worked hard for this win and deserve it.
However, many high schoolers bump along through school not meeting the requirements to be good readers.
Then they need to meet real life literacy demands like the driver’s license test. Like job applications , like the SATs and like college applications.
There are no teachers to make accommodations and no parent influence to help. It’s time for them to stand on their own with their reading difficulties.
It’s the big game and will tackling real world literacy demands be met with game plans, strategies or a lucky Hail Mary pass?
In a perfect world, practice reading, intensive training, and expert coaching make our kids game ready.
This is not always the case. If you are worried that your kid is not prepared for real world literacy demands it is never too late.
Here are 3 Tips;
1. Get an exact idea of your kid’s strengths and weaknesses through an evaluation. Continue to highlight the growth your kid has made and keep tabs on their weaknesses.
2. If your kid is in a reading program monitor their progress, communicate with teachers and communicate with your child frequently. Ask them if they feel prepared to face reading challenges and win!
3. Understand that small steps, practice and good coaching lead to big wins for your kid no matter what age.
Melissa Saliva is a Reading Consultant and founder of Beacon Valley Literacy Services. Follow Beacon Valley Literacy Services on Facebook and YouTube.