Top Tips for Reading with Children
As a former Primary school teacher, parents often ask me about how they can support their children with reading at home. Here are some of the most asked questions, and my answers to them, based on many years of experience as both a teacher and a parent.
Q. “How long should I spend reading with my child?”
Invariably as parents, we feel the guilt that we are not doing enough – and therefore when we get in the swing of something and it’s going well, we feel like we should keep going. We end up keeping going for a really long time and end up, accidentally, slightly spoiling it!
Reading at home can be a very varied activity - and the bit that we actually do with our child isn’t the only bit. It is, however, good to keep it quite short and have a mixture of reading activities within it. These might include:
1. Reading together.
Reading a story/ information text/ newspaper/ web page/magazine together is all about reading for pleasure and information. It may well be far beyond their reading ability, but it is a really special time where you enjoy finding out information or getting involved in a story. It grows their imagination, understanding of the world and a whole host of new words. They can join in with spotting words they know and chatting about the content /pictures. This can take as long as you like! But – it may eat into bedtime so make a plan or agreement before you start.
2. Learning to read.
Keep it short! This is the part which is more difficult for your child as they have to work hard to use their skills. It should, however, involve reading sounds that they know already and nothing new. (If there is a word with a sound in that they don’t know yet, you are allowed to help them!) Keep it short! This session is just about creating fluent reading skills, rehearsing the sound patterns they have learned and the ability to blend them together to form words.
Keep these sessions short (5 minutes) but regular (daily) so that the routine becomes a normal part of the day. Remember they have already done a reading session at school, so you are just reinforcing what they have been learning, and helping it stick.
Did I say” Keep it short!” enough?
It's great to change it up! Make it fun! Keep it short!
• Take turns reading a section each
• Just read one part of the book, and a different part the next time
• Read the words out of order
• Play a game – “Spot the word” “Spot the sound”
• Write the word in chalk outside
• Write some words/sounds on cards and hide them
• Read in a den or other comfy place
• Be creative! It’s all reading and it’s all good
Q. “How often should I read with my child?”
Well now this is dependent on their age – to a point. When they are in Reception and Year 1, they are, generally, learning the basic sets of sounds and how to blend them together (Phonics). They have a lesson every day at school so it is good if you can do a tiny, daily, session at home too. It just keeps it in the memory more effectively and gradually builds their fluency. It’s also a good routine to have – they know what to expect from home routines and they don’t spend emotional energy wondering if they will be reading at home or not. (I would strongly advise food and rest after school before even attempting any reading for learning time!!!)
Q. “What should I read with my child?”
You can read anything and everything which matches their age in terms of content!
• Road signs
• Shop signs
• Menus
• Recipes
• Instructions for flat pack furniture
• Sports news
• Children’s newspapers
• Websites about their interests
• Cereal packets
Sometimes, if you have a very fluent reader at a young age, it is difficult to find substantial texts with age-appropriate content. Sometimes the content might be too scary or perhaps the plot too complex. Bookshops and libraries are worth their weight in gold at this point as their staff are great at suggesting titles. Also, it’s worth finding other like-minded readers to lend each other books and make recommendations.
Q. “What should I do if they get stuck on a word?”
You can help them use the sounds they have learned and blend them together to say the word. You may need to show them and let them copy you. It’s fine to help – they need to enjoy the reading time and not feel anxious about it. Focus on what they have done well and how hard they have tried. If they are getting stuck on lots of words within a few lines, maybe the text is too tricky just yet. Leave it for now and play a game, or, read it to them instead.
If you want to see how to say the sounds, there are lots of clips on Youtube and Oxford Owl is a very useful site for this too. Here’s the link:
Q. “What if they’re too tired to read, or we are too busy?”
Family life is very busy and children get tired. School is very tiring!
It’s important to make some form of reading part of your daily routine – you are investing in their future. However, there will be days where it just can’t happen for one reason or another and there will be times when the time is just not right. DO NOT BERATE YOURSELF!
You know your child. By keeping reading time very short, you have more chance of keeping up with it and feeling like it is an achievable goal. If they are super tired- let them rest. Maybe this is the point that you read TO them rather than them reading. See if you can spot a time where it would work best. After food is usually good! (But before the tidying up from food - as they are likely to have got busy doing something else)
We all just do our best. Good enough is good enough. Perfection (whatever that looks like) is not necessary and leads to anxiety and negativity and we don’t want that!
Would you like to learn more about how to support your child with their learning? You might like to explore my courses in Leeds for parents of Primary School children.