A lot of people ask “How can I help my child to read?”. Reading with your child is vital. Research shows that it’s the single most important thing you can do to help your child’s education. It’s best to read little and often, so try to put aside some time for it every day. Think of ways to make reading fun – you want your child to learn how pleasurable books can be. If you’re both enjoying talking about the content of a particular page, linger over it for as long as you like. Books aren’t just about reading the words on the page, they can also present new ideas and topics for you and your child to discuss.
Tips for helping your child to enjoy books:
- Encourage your child to pretend to ‘read’ a book before he or she can read words.
- Visit the library as often as possible – take out CDs and DVDs as well as books.
- Schedule a regular time for reading – perhaps when you get home from school or just before bed.
- Read to your children on a daily basis
- Buy dual-language books if English isn’t your family’s first language – you can talk about books and stories, and develop a love for them, in any language.
- Look for books on topics that you know your child is interested in – maybe dragons, insects cookery or a certain sport. Magazines and audio books are another option
- Make sure that children’s books are easily accessible in different rooms around your house.
- Refer to the pictures and help your children how important they are
- Ask your children questions, before, during and after they have read the book.
- Be a reading role model
- Reread what your child has read, instead of keep correcting them
- Identify letters in natural settings
- Word Families- help children to recognise rhyming and families such as, hop, stop, mop
- Phonemic Awareness and Phonics, help your child to use phonics to sound, also to blend and segment words
- Support your children in learning their common and tricky words
- Encourage your child to use a variety of cues to read the words.
- Discuss the book with your child, talk about front cover, blurb, predict what might happen and ask questions about the book.
- https://www.booktrust.org.uk for suggestions of books.
- Read a variety of genres (types)
- Nonfiction (real stories or facts about animals, places, people, newspapers, diaries recipes, letters)
- Fiction, Fantasy (make-believe, can’t happen in real life because of magic, talking animals, poetry, fantasy, science fiction )
- Realistic Fiction (a made-up story, but it could technically happen in real life because the characters and situations are believable
To find out more, or for your free 10 minute consultation, contact us.