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7 Tips to Slow Down Your Speed Readers

Anne Hauth • July 24, 2023

Does your child seem more focused on rate than on overall reading improvement? As young readers build fluency, it’s natural for them to them to try to read faster. When they become too focused on speed, however, they often lose accuracy and expression. Reading fluently means reading accurately, expressively, and at an appropriate rate. In other words, fluency means reading “like you speak,” at a rate others can easily understand. The ultimate goal of reading is always comprehension, not speed.


How can you slow down readers who are overly focused on rate? Here are some ideas we've collected over the years:


  1. Read along with your child and tap the table twice for every period and once for every comma. This helps them internalize how long to pause for punctuation. Then teach them to tap the table in the same manner as they read alone.
  2. Teach your child to take a breath before each punctuation mark.
  3. Model fast reading and then reading with expression to demonstrate the difference.
  4. Use a metronome to help your child stay with the beat.
  5. Show your child a segment on the Discovery Channel or a similar program and direct them to pay attention to the narrator’s voice. Encourage them to sound like the narrator when they read—to have a clear voice that people can easily understand.
  6. Have “Radio Friday” (or another day of the week) in which your child can practice reading a passage like a newscaster or a radio personality.
  7. Post a humorous sign in your reading space with the message you want to get across, such as, "Slow down, or you will be pulled over for speeding!" 


If your child is working in One Minute Reader or a program with a timed-reading component, try the following:


  • Have your child read the passage to you, untimed and with correct phrasing, before the timed reading.
  • Emphasize comprehension by having your child retell the story to you before the timed reading.
  • In One Minute Reader, reduce the number of read-alongs. With less audio support, developing readers will need to work harder on word recognition, forcing them to slow down and learn to read the words accurately.


If you’re taking remedial actions like reducing the number of read-alongs, it’s important to try just one remedial action at a time, and give your child time to adjust. Often a nudge in the right direction is enough to help them slow down.


It is exciting for young learners to increase the rate at which they can read, but becoming truly fluent is inherently more rewarding. When readers are fluent with the text, they have enough mental energy left to comprehend. As we already know, comprehension is what makes reading enjoyable and life-changing.


Do you have additional suggestions for slowing down your speed readers? We’d love to hear what’s worked for you. Click here to share!


Highlighted Posts

By Anne Hauth September 23, 2025
Reading fluency is a crucial skill that bridges the gap between decoding words and understanding their meaning. One effective strategy to build fluency is repeated reading —a technique where a student reads the same text multiple times until they achieve a level of fluency that feels natural and confident. What Is Repeated Reading? Repeated reading involves selecting a short passage at an appropriate reading level--ideally at or slightly above the student's instructional level. The student reads this passage several times, focusing on improving speed, accuracy, and expression with each reading. This practice allows for mastery of the text, leading to fluent and confident reading. Fluent reading should sound like conversational speaking--natural and expressive. Why Does It Work? Research shows* that repeated reading can lead to significant improvements in reading performance. The benefits include: Improved Word Recognition : By encountering the same words repeatedly, students become more familiar with them, leading to quicker and more accurate recognition. When these words become automatic, the students no longer need to put effort into decoding them. Increased Reading Fluency : Reading the same passage multiple times allows students to build fluency--each time reading it more smoothly and with greater expression. Enhanced Comprehension : As fluency improves, students can focus more on understanding the text, leading to better comprehension. This improvement in comprehension extends to unpracticed passages as well. Increased Confidence : Repeated reading is a form of mastery learning. Many beginning or struggling readers don't often get the opportunity to hear themselves sounding like fluent readers. After reading a passage multiple times, they've mastered it--and they sound great! This is a huge confidence boost that motivates them to keep reading. Repeated Reading at Home Incorporating the repeated reading strategy into your child's home reading routine doesn't have to be complicated or boring. In fact, many kids already do it! You've probably noticed that they often want to read the same book over and over. Don't discourage this--as long as they haven't totally memorized the entire text, they're building skills each time they read it. To work on repeated reading with your child at home, here's a simple strategy: Use an Appropriate Passage : Have your child choose a new short text that is slightly challenging but still within their level. Listen to Your Child Read : Have your child read the passage aloud to you. Note any words that are difficult for them to decode. Read Aloud Together : Read the passage aloud with your child, modeling fluent reading. Do this one to three times. Identify the difficult words together, and provide definitions. Independent Practice : Encourage your child to read the passage independently a few more times, focusing on improving their expression with each reading. Celebrate Progress : Affirm how much your child improved from the first reading to the final reading. Acknowledge their hard work and progress to build confidence and motivation. Additional Tips Keep Sessions Short : Aim for 10- to 15-minute sessions at first, to maintain focus and prevent frustration. Consider Using a Timer : If your child is open to the idea, set a timer each time they read the passage. Note their improvement in time, and celebrate their fluency growth. Make the timing element a fun challenge, but emphasize that this exercise isn't about speed reading--it's about building fluency. Repeated reading is a powerful strategy that can significantly enhance your child's reading ability. If you're looking for an easy-to-use program that incorporates this research-proven strategy, check out One Minute Reader . This program uses repeated reading and gamified learning to help kids at various reading levels build fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and confidence. * Dowhower, S. L. (1987). Effects of repeated reading on second-grade transitional readers’ fluency and comprehension. Reading Research Quarterly , 22(4), 389–405. Kuhn, M. R., & Stahl, S. A. (2003). Fluency: A review of developmental and remedial practices. Journal of Educational Psychology , 95(1), 3–21. LaBerge, D., & Samuels, S. J. (1974). Toward a theory of automatic information processing in reading. Cognitive Psychology , 6(2), 292–323.
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