Reading guidance
Helping your child to read:
These guidelines are to help you when you are hearing your child read. The most important thing is that reading should be a positive, enjoyable experience for both the child and adult, not a ‘chore’.
Beginning the session
- ask the child about the book to begin discussion, e.g.
- What is the book’s title?
- What is the story about?
- Do you like this book?
- if the child has already started the book, ask about where they have got to and about the main events of the story so far.
Reading with your child
- encourage the child to ‘sound out’ unfamiliar words and to try to blend the letters.
- if this ‘phonic’ approach doesn’t work, encourage them to use the context/meaning of the text to help (e.g. by reading to the end of the sentence).
- if the book contains pictures, encourage the child to look at them to get clues about unfamiliar words.
- if the child hesitates, wait. Given time, they will often show that they can work out words successfully.
- provide the word if none of the above strategies works or if the child is getting anxious.
- don’t correct every mistake the child makes; as they read on they will often self-correct when they realise it does not make sense.
- if the child substitutes a similar word for another, but the meaning is retained, let him/her carry on. However, if they are rushing and make careless mistakes, encourage them to slow down a bit and look carefully at the words.
- some children will have flashcards and it is important that these words are practised, both matching the word where it occurs in the text, and in isolation.
- ask questions to check that your child understands the text, both vocabulary and context.
- for the more fluent reader, encourage expression and point out aspects of punctuation, e.g. speech marks, question/exclamation marks etc.
- finish the session positively with a note of praise and encouragement!
Talk about the book
- sometimes, children read the book fluently, but they haven’t always fully understood what they have read!
- therefore, it is important to talk to your child about what they have just read – ask them questions to make sure they know what has happened in book. Encourage them to predict what might happen next. Why do they think this?
Finally,
- if you have any concerns about your child’s reading, do not hesitate to see the class teacher.
HAPPY READING!