Developing Reading Skills

One of the most important ways you can help your child to learn is by promoting reading at home. Do this by encouraging your child to read out loud and checking they understand what they read. If they get stuck on a word, encourage them to use all the available information (such as the pictures and what has happened so far in the story) to make a guess. Their ability to predict and guess accurately will gradually improve. You should also make sure that you read to them as often as possible; sharing stories with an adult will teach them new words and encourage them to become better readers.

Here are some more tips on helping your child with reading:

• Make the most of books your child brings home from school. Read them and talk about them with your child.
• Make the experience interactive - ask questions about the story, the pictures, and what they think of the characters.
• When reading a book together, ask them to read out some of the words. As their reading skills improve, get them to read more and more of the words until they're reading the whole book to you.
• Allow your child to re-read favourite and familiar stories, or to hear you re-read them. Knowing a familiar book will help them notice more about the words on the page and they will start to recognise the patterns in new words and stories.
• Check your child is really following what they're reading by asking them to tell you the story in their own words - who's it about? What happens?
• Enrol your child at the local library so you can try new books regularly.
• Watch out for the themes that catch your child's imagination at school; help follow it up with some additional reading.
• As your child's reading ability grows, encourage them to pick up other books around the house to boost familiarity with 'grown-up' language.

You can even help to develop your child's reading skills when you don't have a book handy:

• Write labels on things at home or when they're older get them to do it themselves. Start with simple words.
• When you come across an unusual word, help your child find out what it means and write it on the fridge door with magnetic letters.
• Look at the words on cereal packets, milk and fruit juice cartons. Get them to see how many words they can make out of the letters.
• Your child can help you find things in the supermarket by reading out what's in the aisles.
• When your child wants to watch a DVD, get them to read what's on the box as well as watching the film.
• Print out the words to their favourite songs, so they can sing along.
• Ask your child to read the words on your groceries while helping you put shopping away.
• Look at holiday brochures together - your child can learn about new places.
• Look at all the words around you when you're out and about. Get your child to read place names on the front of the bus or train, posters on the bus or tube, shop signs and road signs.