Reading Together

Read To, With and By your children

Reading together is a valuable thing to do. Reading increases your child’s vocabulary, expands your child’s understanding of the world, and gives them confidence when using language. Reading is also an important way to make the link between spoken words and written words. Show your children that reading is a priority by following these three simple steps:

• Read to your children- they are never too old to listen to you read to them. This will give them time to concentrate of the storyline and think about what is happening within the story.

• Read with your children- be a reading partner and share an enjoyable book. Take turns reading the words or talking about what is happening within the book.

• Read by your children- be a good model by making time to read your own book or newspaper while your child reads, too.

Here are some general tips:

· Set aside time for reading every day. Reading before bedtime is a good habit to get into.

· Position yourself so your child can see the words and the pictures.

· Point out important features about a book – for example, the words and pictures, the front cover, the spine, the contents page, or the title.

· Run your finger across the page with each word to help your child identify and remember words and sounds.

· Encourage your child to take over some or all of the reading if they feel confident.

· If your child is confident with their reading, allow them to read without interruption. Fluency is gained with confidence. Mistakes can be discussed after a block of reading, or in subsequent readings.

· Allow your child to read at their own pace. Model good pace when you read to them.

· Give your child the opportunity to re-read books.

· When reading to your child, read stories with expression, or try putting on the voices of characters. This will help make reading fun.

· Look for rhyme, rhythm or repetition in books. This will help develop your child’s love of language.

· Encourage your child to select books, magazines, catalogues, or multimedia stories according to their interests.

· Share wordless picture books to develop imagination, ideas and vocabulary by naming and describing things in pictures.

· Explore words using a dictionary.

· Visit your local library to select and read books together, and to attend story time sessions. Library story time sessions are a great way to share the joy of reading with your child in a group setting.

· Encourage your child to join the Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge, which runs each year from March to September. Participating early childhood services and schools will register your child – otherwise you can register your child at: Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge

· Join the 1000 Books Before School program at your local library: State Library Victoria 1000 Books