Top Tips for Reading at Home

Learning

Reading at Home

 

Reading to and with your child is one of the most important things that you can do for your child’s education – A life-long reader is a life-long learner!

Here are some top tips to help you make the most of your reading time together:

  1.    Find or create a cozy place to read together. Children love to read when they are comfortable. This cozy place could be a special chair, a beanbag or even a Reading Den!
  1.    Read everyday! It is really important to try to read something every day even if it is only for a few minutes – this will model the importance of reading for your child and will hopefully encourage them to become independent and enthusiastic readers.
  1.    Read what your child is interested in. Let your child choose what you read together. It doesn’t always have to be their reading book from school. It could be a comic, a newspaper, a recipe or the rules of a new game.
  1.    Talk about the story. When reading, ask your child questions about what they have read or what they think is going to happen. Encourage them to talk about the plot and the characters.
  1.    Model Reading Aloud. When reading aloud to your child, model how to read with enthusiasm and expression. Change your voice for different characters and don’t read too quickly. Take your time and enjoy the story!
  1.    Take turns to read. If your child is reluctant or struggling, take it in turns to read a paragraph or a page each. Listening to you read will inspire and motivate your child.
  1.    Use a phone or a tablet. Children love technology so use it as part of your reading time. Read a book on a tablet or let your child help you to read an email or message.  There are also a number of websites that have lovely reading activities for children such as Oxford Owl.