How and What to Correct: A Parents Guide to Correcting Reading Mistakes

In my last post, I warned against correcting every single mistake your child makes while reading. That may have left you wondering: Okay, so what DO I correct, and HOW do I do it? My mom always used to say, "It's not what you say, it's how you say it." That holds entirely true for this situation. Let’s break it down.

What to Correct

In short: only correct what affects reading comprehension (understanding what is being read).

(Note: If your child is explicitly practicing basic decoding—the process of sounding out new letters and words on a page—this specific advice doesn't apply. This is for when you are reading a story together.)

For example, imagine the sentence on the page reads:

"I had decided not to meet my friends at the park on account that I had hurt my knee at recess."

Instead, your child reads:

"I had decided to meet my friends at the park on account that I had hurt my knee at reasons."

They made two mistakes here, and both should be corrected because they completely wreck the meaning of the story:

1. They omitted the word "not": By leaving this out, they completely flipped the narrator's intent. This is going to cause major confusion three pages later when the character never shows up at the park.

2. They read "reasons" instead of "recess": This substitutes a word that makes the entire sentence sound nonsensical.

How to Correct

In our scenario, the child made two mistakes in a single sentence, which is incredibly common. However, if you use verbal interruptions to call out every error, you trigger the exact cycle we talked about last time: killing confidence and stalling momentum.

Here is how to guide them back on track without overwhelming them:

• Point, don't speak. Instead of verbally interrupting, simply point your finger right at the skipped or misread word. Experienced readers do this naturally. Your child will quickly learn what it means, look closer, and often fix it themselves. Allowing them to self-correct is a massive win and a sign of a maturing reader!

• Ask them to reread. If they keep going, gently ask them to reread the sentence. Often, a second pass is all it takes to catch the slip. If they still miss it, ask a leading question: "Read that one more time for me, and ask yourself if that sentence made sense." 

  
  

* Be an encouraging guide. If they still don't catch it, kindly point out that they read "reasons" instead of "recess." Ask them how changing that one word changes the whole meaning of the sentence. This builds their critical thinking skills and attention to detail. Then, have them reread the sentence one last time, putting the correct pieces in place.

There you have it! You're ready to get crackin'. Now go grab a book with your kiddo and eagerly await the chance to put your new coaching skills to work.