Reading at home
Schools value parents as partners in the process of teaching reading. Children bring home books to share at home. These are likely to be at the level that your child can read independently so they should be able to read most of the words without much help.
Tips for sharing reading books
- Make a regular time each day when you turn off the TV and sit down with your child. It doesn’t have to be very long – 5 minutes of your full attention is better than a 15-minute session with lots of interruptions.
- Make it relaxed and enjoyable. Find a place where you both feel comfortable and make sure that you give your child lots of praise.
- Start by looking at the cover together. Ask your child to predict what the book might be about. For children reading longer books, ask them to summarise the story so far.
- If your child gets stuck, give them some thinking time. Then you could suggest that they sound out the word or look at the picture or read on to the end of the sentence. Praise them when they work it out.
- If your child is still stuck, say the word and encourage them to repeat it. They may want to re-read from the beginning of the sentence so that they don’t lose track of the meaning.
- If your child is getting frustrated because the book is too difficult, offer to share the reading. Let your child’s teacher know.
Beyond the school reading book
The school reading book is only one part of reading at home. There is so much more that you can do to help your child enjoy reading and grow in confidence.
Top three tips
Things to remember whatever the age of your children:
- Read every day: read aloud to your children and encourage them to read to you.
- Have all sorts of books at home: borrow books from the library, give them as gifts and help your child to build up a collection of their own favourites.
- Read yourself: make sure your child sees you reading for pleasure and for different purposes.
Fun ideas to try
- Make your own book - use photos and mementoes of a holiday or special occasion. Work with your child to decide what the text should say and help them to read it back to you.
- Everyone in the family selects their three all-time favourite books. Encourage your children to rediscover favourites from when they were younger. Then take it in turns to read them to one another.
- After you have watched a TV programme or film, challenge your child to tell you the story.
- Read a comic together using different voices for the characters.
- Read a book and then watch the film – decide which version your family likes best and why.
- Make up a challenge to do at the library, e.g. find three different books about dogs (or for older children: find three books by different authors who all have the surname ‘Smith’).
Common concerns
It isn't always easy to support your child's reading. Here are some tips to help overcome some common problems.
- My child doesn't want to read their school reading book.
Offer to share the reading with your child or read it to them. Sometimes a particular book is too hard and it just gets too frustrating for the child. Older children can find it hard to choose something they will enjoy or find it hard to get into a longer book. You could remind them of books they have enjoyed before so they can look for similar ones, or read the beginning of the book together to get them started. - My child wants to hear or read the same book over and over
again.
This is a very normal part of reading development even though it can drive you mad. Your child is building their confidence with the familiar text. Try getting them to join in with words or miss words out for them to fill in. Older children (and many adults!) often want to return to a book they know well. It is like having an old friend. You could look for similar books - in a series, by the same author or in the same style. Booksellers, teachers and librarians can often offer suggestions. - My child can read but refuses to do it.
Many children, particularly boys, reach a stage in their reading where they know the basics but lose motivation to read independently. Try links with their other interests, e.g. storybooks tied in with films or TV, magazines and manuals to do with a sport or hobby.
Some children’s interest level outstrips their reading ability – they want to try longer novels but can’t read quickly enough. Story tapes can be a great way to introduce a longer story and children will often then feel confident to try reading the book. Try to carry on reading aloud regularly – you can read the start a chapter and then your child may want to carry on by themselves. - I don’t know what my child is reading because he/she
reads on his/her own now.
Let your child know that you respect their independence but you are still interested. They may like to read a page aloud and tell you about what has happened in the story so far. You could ask them to recommend something that you would enjoy reading and then you could talk about it together. They may be interested in trying books that you enjoyed when you were that age.