Your child can boost his reading ability anytime he uses language skills, including reading, writing, and vocabulary.

Here are a few ways you can help him improve his reading:

• Ask your child to keep a journal, at least for a week.

• Challenge your child to beat you at a board game that involves reading. Or see which of you can finish a crossword puzzle first.

• Do a project together, such as cooking a meal, or putting together a piece of furniture or equipment. Take turns reading the directions.

• Have your child write and mail a personal note to Grandma or another relative, even if it’s just a couple of paragraphs.

• Have your child use his talents. Can he write a story, a poem or a song? If he likes to draw, have him come up with his own comic strip.

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