Reading
How can I help my child with their reading at home?
We cannot stress the importance of reading with your child daily enough. Five to ten minutes, or a few pages, each day can make such a difference to their academic progress.
Each time you hear your child read and discuss their book with them, please sign their green reading record book. They will receive credits for each read towards our Reading Challenge, for which their is a reward at the end of term if they complete 60 reads. Books are changed twice per week in Year 1 (usually a Monday and a Friday).
Good times to hear your child read are
- straight after school - if they are a reluctant reader at this stage, this can help them (and you!) feel like it is done and then they can relax for the evening.
- whilst the dinner is cooking - could they sit in the kitchen with you and read, whilst you prepare tea? You will be able to tell if they are struggling, if the story doesn't make sense or they hesitate over words.
- while a younger sibling is having a bath or an older sibling is at a club - your child could see this as quality 'alone' time in a busy household, where they could read to themselves, followed by quality time with you, where they can tell you about what they read and ask you to help with words they struggled on.
- at the same time as older siblings are doing their homework - this can be seen as a team activity, to help one another, or a competition to see who can do their reading with the most expression or retell their story in the most exciting way.
- while at Grandparents' house - sharing a story is a lovely way to spend some time together and gain a new perspective on a story.
Please try to take an extra few minutes after hearing your child read to talk about the story too, as this is an important skill. You could ask questions like:-
"Why do you think the character did that?"
"How would you feel if that happened to you?"
"What do you think they'll do next?"
"Is this what you expected to happen in the story?"
....then follow these questions up with "Why?" or "Why not?" to encourage your child to think deeper about their opinions and reasons.