Support your child with reading

1. Support your child with reading

2. What to do when they can’t read a word • Say each sound if it is decodable, e.g. sh..ar..k. Can your child blend the sounds? • Can they say the first sound and guess? Is there something in the picture that could help? • Can the word be broken up into parts, e.g. • Can you leave out the word and come back to it? • Can you give them a clue? • Is it a tricky word? • If they have a go and it’s not right read that part back and ask them of it sounds right. • Tell them!

3. The path of a reader is not a runway but more a hack through a forest, with individual twists and turns, entanglements and moments of surprise.” (Holden 2004)

4. How do we nurture seedling readers?

5. Immersion in books • Where do children see books • Home • Library • Bookshop • Book events and festivals • School • And other kinds of print too…

6. Researchers said that children coming from a “bookish home” remained in education for around three years longer than young people born into families with empty bookshelves. It found that being raised in a household with a 500-book library would result in a child remaining in education for an average of three years longer than those with little access to literature. • The advantage to a child was just as great as being raised by university educated parents, as opposed to those with relatively poor schooling, the study found.

7. Benefits of reading aloud • Creates a bond – shared experience • Hearing new words enriches vocabulary • Children can understand stories beyond their reading ability • Improves concentration and attention span • Allows interaction, asking questions • Helps them make connections with others’ personal experiences • Listening to complex stories increases knowledge and understanding

8. Listening to a story being read aloud shows beginner readers how fluent readers read. • The words children hear in books give them a rich language when they begin their own writing.

9. Research shows that reading to a young child is the single most important thing you can do to help your child's education.

10. Getting going • Patterned stories. Rhyming stories help to develop an awareness of the patterns of sounds and syllables in words • Look for stories with a clear structure and repetitive language, traditional tales are especially good for developing knowledge of how stories work. • lively storytelling voice • Sound effects are great for encouraging children to interact • . Repeat reading of the same story

11. Off to a good start • Early readers will enjoy having longer stories read to them. Episodic stories, where each chapter tells a different story in a longer book with an overarching story, are particularly suitable. • Series are good as they allow children to develop familiarity with a cast of characters. • Add more complex fairy tales to children's repertoire of well-known stories. • Continue to include plenty of rhyming stories and some poetry.

12. Picking up steam • Children who are starting to read fluently will enjoy longer fiction read in instalments. • Continue to include books with illustrations. • Picture books continue to be important. Choose more complex picture books that provide lots of opportunities for discussion with your child. • Humour is important for most children. Puns, even bad ones, help to refine children's understanding of the different meanings that can be created with language. • Include classic authors as well as more recently published writers to provide a rich and varied language

13. Racing Ahead • Once children become fluent and independent it is important that you continue to read aloud with your child • Choose older classic fiction with literary language as well as contemporary fiction written in a modern style. • Choose books with interesting language and rich vocabulary. Short novels that can be serialised and read a chapter or two each night are perfect. Include the literary fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen or Oscar Wilde.

14. Different types of reader

15. The can but can’t be bothered • Make the most of their other interests • Engage with technology that they may be interested in (reading on screen, computer games) • Bring reading alive (meeting a writer/illustrator/celebrity)

16. Keen and able • Help them choose age appropriate books • Talk to them about the books they are reading • They need support with challenging reads to learn to persevere

17. Keen but less able reader • Help your child bridge the gap between their enthusiasm and their reading ability • Allow your child to feel part of the ‘reading club’ • Offer a broad and rich reading experience

18. The mad about reader • Celebrate your child’s enthusiasm and remember the skills they are building – stamina and pace • Make subtle recommendations for something similar • Supplement reading with a range of rich experiences

19. Struggling reader • Open up the world of reading beyond books • Seek out resources published to support struggling readers • Seek advice about additional support

20. Useful Websites • http://mrthorne.com/ • http://booksforkeeps.co.uk/ • http://www.booktrust.org.uk/ • https://readingagency.org.uk/children/quick-guides/chatterbooks/ • http://www.firstnews.co.uk/ • https://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site • http://justimaginestorycentre.co.uk/ • http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/ • http://www.lovereading4kids.co.uk/ • http://www.readingzone.com/home.php