What is a reading strategy in simple terms?

A reading strategy is a specific action or plan a reader uses to make sense of what they read. Examples include previewing the text, asking questions, making predictions, and summarizing important ideas.

Why are reading strategies important for my child?

Reading strategies help your child stay focused, understand difficult parts, and remember key details. They also give your child tools to handle harder books and school texts more independently over time.

How can I teach my child a reading strategy at home?

You can model the strategy by thinking aloud while you read together. For example, pause and say, "I am going to predict what might happen next" or "I am going to summarize this paragraph in my own words," then invite your child to try it.

What is a reading strategy my older child can use with textbooks?

For grades 6 to 8, helpful reading strategies for textbooks include setting a purpose before reading, taking brief notes or highlighting key ideas, and stopping after each section to summarize and check understanding. These strategies make it easier to study and review later.

What Is a Reading Strategy? Definition and Examples

Kid-friendly explanation

A reading strategy is like a game plan for your brain when you read. It helps you know what to do if the story is confusing or has lots of facts. You might stop and ask yourself questions, make a picture in your mind, or guess what will happen next. Using reading strategies turns you into a strong, active reader!

Examples of reading strategy in action

Example 1 (upper elementary): Using a reading strategy to understand a story

Imagine reading a story about a kid who moves to a new school. Before reading, a reading strategy could be to preview the text by looking at the title and pictures and thinking, "This might be about feeling nervous or making new friends." While reading, another reading strategy is to ask questions, such as "Why is the character so quiet in class?" or "How does the character feel right now?" After reading, a reading strategy is to summarize by telling in a few sentences what happened and what the main problem and solution were.

Example 2 (middle school): Using a reading strategy to understand an article

Suppose you read an article about how plastic affects ocean animals. Before reading, a reading strategy is to set a purpose by deciding, "I want to find out how plastic harms animals and what people can do to help." While reading, you might use the highlight and annotate strategy: underline key facts, circle important vocabulary, and write short notes like "cause" or "effect" in the margin. After reading, you can use a organizing strategy, such as making a quick chart of causes and results, to help you remember and explain the information.

Going deeper with reading strategy

As texts get longer and more complex in grades 6 to 8, reading strategy use becomes more important. Students are expected not just to understand what a text says, but also to figure out deeper ideas like theme, central idea, and author's purpose.

Older students often combine several reading strategies at once. For example, they might predict what will happen next, then check and adjust that prediction as they read, or they might pause to summarize a section and then ask themselves how it connects to the main idea. Over time, using reading strategies regularly helps readers become more independent and confident, whether they are reading stories, textbooks, or online articles.

Reading strategies also support writing and discussion. When students can explain how they used a strategy to find the main idea or to track cause and effect, they are better prepared to answer questions, write responses, and participate in class conversations.

Common mistakes with reading strategy

Only using reading strategies after reading. Some students think strategies are just for answering questions at the end. Correction: Effective reading strategy use happens before, during, and after reading to build understanding all the way through.
Rushing through the text without stopping to think. A student might read every word but not remember much because they never paused. Correction: Good readers stop to ask questions, make predictions, or summarize small sections so they stay engaged and understand better.
Using the same strategy for every text, even when it does not fit. For example, a student might always try to visualize, even with a very abstract or technical article. Correction: Readers should choose reading strategies that match the type of text and their purpose, such as using note-taking and organizing strategies for informational texts.

How reading strategy shows up in everyday life

Reading strategy use is not just for school. Kids use it when they read game instructions and stop to reread a tricky step, when they scan a recipe to find how long something needs to bake, or when they predict what will happen next in a favorite book series. Any time a child has a plan for how to read, checks their understanding, and fixes confusion, they are using a reading strategy in real life.

Related terms to explore

Reading strategies connect closely with these ideas:

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What is a reading strategy?