How can I help my child enjoy reading? (you reading with and to your child)
- Read every day at a
time that is right for both of you
- Sit comfortably in
a warm, loving place
- Re-read favourite
books, over and over! Let your child choose a book.
- Look for books that
have rhyme, rhythm and repetition
- Share lots of talk
with your child. Use your strongest language to do this.
- Make your voice fun
to listen to
- Stop sometimes and
let them ‘fill in the gaps’
- Talk about the
pictures
- Talk about the
story
- Make connections
with ideas in the stories and things in your lives
- Allow time for
questions that either of you have
- Guess (predict)
what is going to happen next
- Take turns at
reading/ read together
Other Ways of helping:
Play games like:
- I Spy – beginnings
and endings
- Alphabet Cars
- Hangman
- Can you find the
word /picture
Learning to read and write is as natural as learning to walk or talk. We do not get it right first time – we make progress with practice and encouragement.
Suggestions for happy home reading (your child reading to you):
Provide opportunities to read ...books, newspapers, recipes, magazines, manuals, cereal boxes, texting, game instructions, selected on-line material...ANYTHING!! Choose different types of texts on different days.The main emphasis should be on understanding the text and enjoying it together.
When they are reading:
- Give them time to have a try
- Ask them how they can work out the word
- Listen! Don’t jump in with
corrections too quickly.
- If the child stops or hesitates, wait for five seconds before helping.
This gives the child time to try.
- "Try that again.” – suggest that the child starts again from the beginning of
the sentence, or that he/she continues, reading until the end of the sentence before
having another try.
- You can say: "What would make sense?”
- Encourage them to look for "chunks” they know to help them work out a word. Don’t tell
them to sound it out.
Tell them the words they can’t work out
- Give them lots of encouragement and praise
- Talk about the pictures
- Talk about the story so far (summarise)
- Make predictions about what might happen next
- Make connections with ideas in the story and
things in your lives
- Enjoy the story!
Children learn to read by reading, being read to and reading together.
HOW TO HELP WITH READING
- Praise, praise, praise! Praise everything they can do. It lets the child know they are doing the right things.
- If
the child is really struggling with a book get the child to read one page and
you the next page or read the story to them.
- Remember
your school and your child’s teacher; the school librarian and your local
library are there to help you.
HAPPY READING!!