Reading Rate: How to Develop This Skill in Children

What is reading rate?

Reading rate, in simple terms, is the speed at which a person reads a text. Together with reading accuracy and expression it is a component of reading fluency.

Why does a child's reading rate matter?

When a child reads very slowly it can impact their comprehension of a text. As they may forget the sentence by the time they reach the end of it. It might also mean that they are having to spend time decoding the text.

Reading too quickly can also impact comprehension. Reading too fast, might mean that children skip over words, which can impact the overall meaning of what they are reading.

It also means that they might read without expression, which is again an important skill for reading fluency. This is because reading expression (intonation in particular) can impact the meaning of the text.

If you'd like more support with improving a child's reading rate, take a look at this article here. 

How do we support parents and teachers with a child's reading rate?

In Pageticker, a digital reading record, we provide parents with support to understanding what is meant by reading rate. They can choose, if they wish to, to rate a child's reading rate, accuracy, expression (and comprehension.)

Sign up to follow us as we launch Pageticker in January 2025. You can also get access to a limited edition discount code.