Reading is one of the most important factors in your child’s success in life.
Parents and carers are the people with the most influence on a child and have a really important part to play in children to learn to read. We can work together as a team to ensure everyone at Plover can and loves to read!
Here are some suggestions on how you can help to make reading at home a really positive experience and a lifetime habit.
10 Tips For Reading With Your Child
1. Choose a quiet time
Try to set aside a quiet time with no distractions. Ten to fifteen minutes is usually long enough.
2. Make reading enjoyable
Make reading an enjoyable experience. Sit with your child. Try not to pressurise if he or she is reluctant. If your child loses interest then do something else.
3. Maintain the flow
If your child mispronounces a word do not interrupt straight away. Instead allow opportunity for self-correction. It is better to tell a child some unknown words to maintain the flow rather than insisting on trying to build them all up from the sounds of the letters. If your child does try to 'sound out' words, encourage the use of letter sounds rather than 'alphabet names'.
4. Be positive
If your child says something nearly right to start with that is fine. Don't say 'No. That's wrong,' but 'Let's read it together' and point to the words as you say them. Boost your child's confidence with constant praise for even the smallest achievement.
5. Talk about the books
There is more to being a good reader than just being able to read the words accurately. Just as important is being able to understand what has been read. Talk to your child about the book; about the pictures, the characters, how they think the story will end, their favourite part. You will then be able to see how well they have understood and you will help them to develop good comprehension skills.
6. Visit the Library
Encourage your child to use the public library regularly.
7. Regular practice
Try to read with your child on most school days. 'Little and often' is best.
8. Communicate
Your child will have a reading sheet or bookmark from school (if they haven’t, ask the teacher). Try to communicate regularly with positive comments and any concerns. Your child will then know that you are interested in their progress and that you value reading.
9. Spot the skills
Look below at the skills information to help you spot which skills your child is using when they read.
10. Variety is important
Remember children need to experience a variety of reading materials eg. picture books, hard backs, comics, newspapers, match reports, postcards, magazines, poems, and information books...giving them a choice is really powerful when it comes to reading for pleasure!
Reading Skills...what stage is my child at?
1. Your child will be starting to hold books the right way up and turn pages well. They will be talking about the pictures and spotting some sounds they recognise, maybe putting these together to make words. They might start to notice full stops too.
2. Your child will be using the sounds they see in words more to make sense of words by blending the sounds together (phonics), as well as recognising tricky words which can’t be sounded out (for example ‘said’). They will be able to talk about what is happening in what they have read.
3. Your child can now sound out most words they come across, and know how to work out what it says even if they’ve never seen the word before. The reading aloud will sound more fluent, more like talking.
It doesn’t stop there...now children are learning to understand what they have read.
At this stage it is important to start to clarify what new words mean. Slow down and talk about what has been read. What might happen next (predicting)? What have the most important parts been (summarising)? Asking questions about what has been read, to show that they are taking it in and wondering about the text they are reading. At this stage children may not read aloud to you, but your reading session becomes more a discussion about what has been read.
Chatting to your child can be one of the most effective ways for them to improve their speech and language.
In this new series, 'Weekend Words', the Speech and Language Therapy team will demonstrate key language strategies for you to try.
Visit this playlist for weekly ideas on how you can help your child's speech, language and communication develop through play, daily routines and having fun together at home!
Please click on the link below.