Help learning happen by building a "learning staircase" for your child. After you've defined the concept to be taught, break the lesson into small steps – start on the bottom one and keep going! First, set the goal you want your child to achieve. Then, set reasonable expectations for each day's accomplishments. If your child is a reluctant reader, define how much time you will take reading each day. Take turns – you read a paragraph, have your child read a paragraph. Gradually increase the amount of time you do reading as skills and interest improve.
If you find your child is frustrated, check to be sure you haven't missed an important step in the process or moved too quickly. Are you teaching the student and not the topic? Let your child tell you when he's ready to move to the next step on the staircase. If his body language is indicating frustration, it might be time to use a bit more encouragement or a few more repetitions or even stop for the day and come back tomorrow.
Adapted from www.home-school-inc.com
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