Reading with your child

Between the ages of four and seven, most children learn to read, but even when they can read, you should still try to read to them as often as possible. Children develop their reading skills in different ways. Some may want to get every word exactly right while other children will race to the end of a story. Other children may read hesitantly. Try to respond to your child’s needs and let them read at their own pace. Eventually, you will know in which ways your child needs more help. Some children may need to slow down and look more carefully at each word. Others will need to move the story along and not worry so much about their mistakes. If they get stuck, encourage them to use all the available information and everything they know to make a guess. They should look at the pictures and remember what has happened in the story. Their ability to predict and guess accurately will gradually improve.

Read aloud to your child- whatever their age!

Research has shown that reading aloud to children of all ages helps them to develop their writing skills. This is because it helps pupils to develop their knowledge of language and story structure. It also provides them with a greater range of ideas which they can use in their own writing, and gives them access to texts that may be too complex for them to read alone.

At school, we regularly read books aloud to pupils from YR to Y4, and we would encourage parents to continue enjoying the pleasure of sharing bedtime stories (or at any other time!), even after their child has become an ndependent reader.

Children are great mimics. The best way to encourage your child to read, is to read yourself.

You can find more information about reading with your child by clicking on this link:

https://www.booktrust.org.uk/books-and-reading/tips-and-advice/reading-tips/