Helping your child when s/he doesn't know a word

There are many things you can do to help your child figure out a word.  First of all, help your child before he becomes frustrated.  Have him check the picture for clues.  Tell him to look at the first letter of the word, say the sound, and make a guess.  Always encourage him to make the story "sound right" and "make sense".  Rereading is another good way to figure out an unknown word.  Ask your child to go back to the beginning of a sentence and make another attempt at the difficult word.  If your child is still struggling after 5-6 seconds, simply tell him the word.  Let him give it a try first though before supplying the answer.  This builds independence and use of strategic activity on his own.