If you would ask me as a Reception teacher to tell you the most important thing you can be doing to support your child at home, it would be to consistently read. As that first year of school goes on, the gap between the ability of children that read at home and children that don’t only gets wider. It seems so simple and so easy, but as a parent of a 4 year old learning to read, I know that sometimes reading practice is a bit of a struggle!
We’ve been there: your little one comes home from school excitedly clutching their first reading book and raring to go. After a promising start things just seem to fizzle until even opening the book is beginning to become a battle. Having worked with little ones on their reading and knowing a teacher’s expectations, I have some top tips for you!
1) Little and often. My school’s expectation is that children read at least 5 times per week. Some schools ask for less and some for more but I think it’s really important to stress that this doesn’t mean reading the whole book each time! It is so much better to read a few pages every day than to try to battle through the whole thing just once.
2) Take the text out of the book. Often there will be a list of words and sounds in the front cover of the book that your little one will need to know to read the story. If you have a particularly active child, they will find it easier if you take the words out of the book. Try writing them in chalk on the pavement, putting them on the fridge to read when they go past or even writing them on paper and leaving them on the stairs to collect and read as they make their way up to bed. You will find that they’re so much more confident when they do eventually sit down and open the book with you.
3) Get the wider family involved. Often children are motivated to ‘show off’ their skills to their wider family and friends and it’s always good to accept support. You don’t have to do everything on your own! Just make sure you get them to write in your little one’s reading record.
4) And while we’re at it, write in their reading record. It helps your child’s teacher keep track of how often they’re reading. If you have a difficult week (and let’s face it, we all do) and don’t get to read as often as you’d like with your little one, their teacher can always do a few extra reading sessions with them during the school day. This is also a great place to note any difficulties they may be having.
5) And finally, reach out to your child’s teacher if you are struggling. They are there to support you and to give advice. I have helped countless parents to get their little ones motivated to read and we’re a friendly bunch, we will always help if you need us.
