Reading development benefits greatly when children receive consistent support both at school and at home. This dual approach ensures that children have ample opportunities to practice and refine their skills in different contexts, leading to better fluency, comprehension, and overall confidence in reading. By involving parents in the reading process, children receive the encouragement and reinforcement they need to become successful readers.
If you're a teacher/SENCo reading this, you might want to send over the URL to a parent so they can see for themselves.
Of course, at home is just one place to improve a child's reading skills. To look at tips for in the classroom click here, for assistive technology click here, and for extra support you can click here.
How to get involved
Parental support with reading involves parents actively participating in their child's reading journey by engaging in activities like reading together, playing word games, and integrating reading into daily routines.
This support helps children see reading as a natural and enjoyable part of life. When parents read with their children and engage in reading-related activities, it strengthens the child's reading skills and builds a positive association with reading. It also provides an opportunity for parents to model good reading habits and strategies. Additionally, using tools like decodable books and phonics apps can reinforce what children are learning at school.
Activities to try at home
Read Together
Parents should spend time reading together with their child using decodable books that match their reading level. This not only helps improve their reading skills but also provides a bonding experience. It's vitally important that children should read books that they have 90-95% word reading fluency in, this helps with learning and confidence.
Play "Word Hunt":
Turn reading into a fun game by playing "Word Hunt" around the house. Have your child find and read words on everyday items like cereal boxes, labels, or signs.
Incorporate Reading into Daily Activities
Integrate reading into practical tasks that parents are doing anyway, making it both functional and fun. For example, reading the the options aloud on Netflix or reading out a recipe (or for older children, reading out a newspaper article).
Frequent Short Sessions
Implementing frequent, short reading practice sessions at home can significantly improve a child's reading fluency and comprehension. Regular, brief sessions—such as 10-15 minutes each day—are often more effective than longer, infrequent ones. We know that children often are less patient with their parents!
Active Reading Strategies
Active reading involves engaging with the text through questioning, predicting, and summarising. Encourage your child to ask questions about the story, predict what might happen next, and summarise the main points after reading. This helps deepen their comprehension and makes reading a more interactive experience.
Pre-Reading Key Texts
Before diving into a new book or text, spend a few minutes discussing the key themes, characters, and vocabulary. This pre-reading strategy helps set the stage for what children are about to read, making it easier for them to understand and engage with the text. Asking class teachers to provide texts ahead of time is also helpful.
Choral Reading:
Choral reading is when you and your child read a text aloud together. This strategy is particularly useful for building fluency, as it allows the child to hear the correct pronunciation and pacing of the words while reading along with you. It’s also a great way to build confidence, as your child feels supported by reading with someone else.
Tips for older children
As children grow older, their reading needs evolve, and parental support remains crucial in helping them navigate more complex texts.
Supporting older readers involves encouraging independent reading while providing guidance when they encounter challenging material. This support can include discussing books, integrating real-life reading tasks, and using tools that cater to their specific needs, such as high-interest, low-level books or assistive technology like audiobooks. See the below for more tips.
Tips for older learners
Encourage Independent Reading
Support your child in choosing books that interest them. High-interest, low-level books are particularly useful for keeping older readers engaged without overwhelming them.
Discuss Books Together
After a child finishes a book or a chapter, have a discussion about the content. Ask open-ended questions about the themes, characters, and their thoughts on the story. This practice enhances comprehension and analytical skills.
Integrate Real-Life Reading:
Involve the child in real-life reading tasks such as following a recipe, reading instructions for assembling a project, or exploring news articles. This makes reading relevant and practical, helping them connect reading to everyday life.
Frequent Short Sessions
Audiobooks and Podcasts
These days many people discover their love of reading indirectly. Finding audiobooks, podcasts or Youtube videos that discuss a topic, might be a good precusor to reading physical books.
Recommended tools
Assistive technology tools like text-to-speech and speech-to-text can be highly beneficial for students with a high risk of dyslexia, especially those with dyslexia or other reading challenges. These technologies can also be useful at home - we have written about this in another article, click here for more information.