A free 3-minute check that shows where the meaning gets lost
Two things look the same from the outside: reading that is still hard work, and reading that is easy but does not sink in. They need different help. Do this check together. It takes about three minutes.
How to do it: do not teach and do not correct. Just listen, and tap what your child could do. Nothing you tap is sent anywhere.
Show your child this screen. They read each word. Tap a word only if your child reads it correctly, with no sounding out loud.
Your child reads one sentence out loud. Then you ask the question under it. Tap the sentence if your child answers correctly. Do not help.
Your child reads this story once:Ben had a big bun. A dog ran up and got the bun. Mom got Ben a hot bun.Cover the screen with your hand and say: “Tell me what happened.” Do not ask more. Tap each part your child told you.
When YOU read a story aloud to your child, can they tell you what happened?
Reading is two jobs at once: working out the words, and making sense of them. A new reader gives nearly everything to the first job. So a child can read a whole page out loud, correctly, and not be able to say what it was about. Parents often take this for a memory problem, or for not paying attention. Most of the time it is neither.
It is not a diagnosis of anything, and it is not a reading-level test. It uses very short, easy sentences on purpose. If your child is seven or older, or does not follow stories that are read aloud, tell their teacher what you saw and ask what the school has noticed.
More help: Why can’t my child blend sounds? A free check · From Sounds to Words: the blending plan · Reading packs
