Although your child will be taught to read at school, you can have a huge impact on their reading journey by continuing to support their practice at home.
As with anything, performance improves with practice. Encourage your child to read at home. Create a culture of reading in your household by reading with your child. Visit a local library or bookshop on a regular basis, let your child see you reading as often as you read, and discuss books and things you have read – magazine, newspapers, texts, recipes are all forms of reading. When reading with your child, stop and ask questions to be sure your child is understanding (comprehending) what they are reading. Read with your child, no matter their age, as it is an important part of developing as a reader and becoming a good and a life long reader.
Your child will bring home different types of books.
Sharing books – a book of their choice – to encourage them to become a lifelong reader, it is important that they learn to read for pleasure. This begins through sharing book sessions in school and at home, where someone else reads the book and they have the opportunity to talk about the pictures, discuss what is happening, predict what might happen next. Use different voices for characters and in a non-fiction book, explore the facts, choose some new vocabulary and discuss the meanings of the words. The main thing is that you have fun reading and sharing together.
Home Reader books: These will be reading practice books that will be matched to their current reading level in school. Please encourage your child to read daily, if your child finds this book too easy, don’t worry, as your child needs to develop fluency and confidence in their reading.
Listen to them read their book, remember to encourage them and to give them lots of praise. If they can’t read a word, encourage them to decode (sound it out) and blend it. Once they have finished, talk about the book together.
In Nursery – children choose a book from their class book box as a sharing text.
In Reception – children have their Home Reader books and a sharing book.
In Year 1 and 2 – children have their Home Reader books and a sharing book from the library.
In KS2 – children have a free choice Home Reader book from their classroom. They can read this independently but can also still share with you too. They choose an AR book from the library, but this book remains in school for daily AR reading sessions.
