Does your child skip small words when he’s reading?
Skipping small words is actually a very common problem that we usually notice when our children are reading aloud, but the truth is that many adults skip words as well.
Interestingly, the most commonly skipped words are small, high-frequency words such as the, in, on, a, and of.
These are function words that a child cannot visualize, and since the sentence can still be comprehended without them, the words are easily skimmed over.
In addition, shorter words are much more likely to be skipped than longer words, and predictable words are more likely to be skipped than non-predictable words.
When I first explored the reasons for skipping small words while reading, I was surprised to find out how much research has been done on this topic. Generally, researchers wanted to study the way the eyes move during the process of reading: how they track, how they jump forward to the next word or phrase, and how much text is taken in at a single glance.
I’ve cited the research at the bottom of this post, but for our purposes, the main thing we need to know is this:
As a person reads, their eyes jump forward to the next word or phrase, and in this process, small words can be missed.
Longer words or unusual short words grab our attention, while smaller common words are more likely to go unnoticed.
In addition to the scientific explanation, there are several other reasons a child may skip words:
If your child doesn’t have a vision or decoding problem, the tips below will help your student pay attention to smaller words when reading.
Brysbaert M, Drieghe D, Vitu F. (2005). Word skipping: Implications for theories of eye movement control in reading. In: Underwood G, editor. Cognitive processes in eye guidance (pp. 53-77). Oxford, England: Oxford University Press.
Choi, W., & Gordon, P. C. (2014). Word skipping during sentence reading: effects of lexicality on parafoveal processing. Attention, Perception & Psychophysics, 76(1).
Drieghe D., Rayner K., & Pollatsek A. (2005). Eye movements and word skipping during reading revisited. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 31, 954–969.
Ehrlich, SF & Rayner K. (1981). Contextual effects on word recognition and eye movements during reading. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 20, 641–655.
Fitzsimmons, G. & Drieghe, D. (2011). The influence of number of syllables on word skipping during reading. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 18, 736–741.
Hyönä J. (1995). Do irregular letter combinations attract readers’ attention? Evidence from fixation locations in words. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 21, 68–81.
Rayner K., Slattery, T.J., Drieghe, D., & Liversedge, S.P. (2011). Eye movements and word skipping during reading: Effects of word length and predictability. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 37, 514–528.
Does your child skip words when he is reading? Have you discovered any helpful tips?
Photo credit: Rachel Neumann
Tasha
says:Thank you for the suggestions. I’ll have to try it out on my son.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome! I hope they help, but if you need additional ideas, please ask. We’re always happy to help more!
Tasha
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Robin
says: Customer ServiceI’m sorry you got error messages like that, Tasha. I am having our IT Team look into this.
Maria
says:Skipping small words has become MORE of a problem as my son has become a better reader. This article has so much helpful information and strategies I can implement when working with him!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceMaria,
Interesting that you noticed that your son has had more issues with skipping small words as he has become a better reader. That is pretty common! I’m glad this article will be helpful for you for working with him.
Lori
says:I love the curriculum, but all the extra information provided via these blogs…LOVE IT!!! This particular article about skipping small words is a great reminder for my last two readers. Thank you!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceOh, thank you, Lori! I’m so glad the blog information is so helpful for you!
Joanna
says:This is helpful!
Samantha
says:This is our first year homeschooling and we were looking for a fun engaging curriculum that would help my child have fun learning to read and spell. She has dyslexia and prior to this year our homework nights ended in tears and it was hard for both her and I. I didn’t know how to help her but I have to say my child has really enjoyed your books and has come so far this year! Thank you so very much for that. We are really looking forward to your color editions!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceSamantha,
Oh, I’m so glad that your child has turned from tears to enjoying learning! That’s so important!
Annabel
says:Thanks for the tips, I find this happens a lot
Kelsey McClintock
says:My daughter definitely does this! After reading this article, I’m confident that she’s reading faster than she can speak, which is a fairly easy fix.
Tomorrah
says:This was a “thing” for two of my older kiddos. Although my son hated it, pointing to his words really helped. I think they’re so excited to be reading fluently that they’re not always hearing what they’re saying.
Great information and tips!
Eman Ezweik
says:Nice
Alinda
says:My son skips small words sometimes. This was interesting. We actually just got him glasses and he does tend to read to fast.
Thanks!
Celine Legaspi
says:This is something one of my students do. I always wonder why, thanks for this blog! It gave me ideas.
Chelsea Rodrigues
says:Thanks for the great tips!
Chelsea Rodrigues
says:I still struggle with skipping words as an adult when engrossed in a great book so I find all of this info very helpful.
Jami H
says:Great article. Thank you!
Erin young
says:I still do this. Good tips on when my son starts reading!
Miranda
says:My daughter definitely tends to read to fast and skip words. Having her point out each word has definitely been helpful. Thank you for the tip.
Miranda
says:My daughter definitely reads to fast sometimes and skips little words. Making sure she is pointing at each word has definitely helped.
Miranda England
says:My daughter definitely reads to fast sometimes and skips little words. Making sure she is pointing at each word has definitely helped.
Daniela
says:My son has started skipping words recently and these are very helpful tips!
Jessica Friday
says:This is so helpful! Thank you, my son does this and ice always wondered about it. I will try some of the tips to help him out
Robin
says: Customer ServiceI would love to hear how things go as you try these tips, Jessica.
Lauren
says:This is super helpful – thank you for taking the time to share these tips!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome, Lauren! I’m glad this was so helpful!
Aimee
says:I’ve noticed this with both of my children and as they increase in their skill level the more they skip if you don’t nip it in the bud!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceAimee,
Yes! It seems to happen a lot as students really start to become skilled and fluent in reading. It’s a good sign of progress, but reading accurately is very important too!
yvette
says:We have just finished AAR 1 and halfway thru AAR 2. These tips and the program has been so beneficial for my special needs student
Robin
says: Customer ServiceYvette,
It’s great to hear that All About Reading is benefitting your student! Thank you.
Leslie
says:Very helpful tips to try. Thank you!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome, Leslie! I’m glad this was helpful for you.
Sharon Begley
says:My son Always tries to guess the words based of n pictures. These are helpful tips!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceI’m glad these tips are helpful, Sharon!
Deb
says:Thank you for this article!
Bethany
says:This is really helpful! I’ve always had my daughter “ice skate” under the words as we read or “make a smoothie” to blend, but reading that she needs to point to each individual word makes sense for her dyslexia. Thank you!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome, Bethany.
Angela Land
says:Thank you so much for this blog! It has helped knowing there are different reasons and having a checklist to go through to find an answer!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceYou are so welcome, Angela! I’m glad this will be helpful for you. If you have questions or additional concerns, however, please let us know. We are very happy to help!
Melody
says:Interesting, thanks.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome, Melody.
Nicole
says:My daughter skips words. I usually get her to re-read but will try some of these other suggestions. Thank you.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome, Nicole. I’m glad rereading helps, but I hope these tips will help as well. But if you need additional ideas or help, just ask. I’m happy to help!