Mighty Oaks Day Nursery | Learning to read is a very important set in a child’s development and some parent’s worry that not enough time is spent in schools on this. The idea that some children get left behind others in the classroom is a concern for many, though there are ways in which you as parents or guardians can help your child at home so that they get the most out of learning in the school environment when they are there. See how your child’s school is teaching their pupils to read. Various techniques should be being used, as each child will find a particular way of learning helps them best.
· By acting out plays with scripts it makes the process enjoyable for children and they will be encouraged to read and act out their part. Learning lines, even if they are only small will help them to identify words and phases they will encounter in the future.
· Encourage your child to ask questions of the teacher in school if they feel like they are struggling rather than staying silent thinking the work is too hard for them.
At home acting out plays might not be practical! But there are many other ways in which you can help if you fell your child’s voice is struggling to be heard in the busy classroom environment.
· By giving a bedtime story or simply reading aloud to your child will help them to understand and be able to identify what different words look like on the page. Allow your child to see they page you are reading so they can identify the pictures and words with the story.
· Follow the words with your finger so it is easy to see what you are saying in relation to the words on the page.
· Encourage your child to read a few lines on their own, help them with the words they struggle with by just saying the first letter. This gives them time to think about it on their own rather than just being given the answer. Soon they will feel confident enough to read alone!
· Choose a book that your child loves and read a chapter a night. Have a bookmark to mark the pages and this is something nice you can do together and helps with their reading because children learn by copying whether consciously or subconsciously watching their parent read they will not only enjoy the time but will be encouraged to try and read themselves.
· Playing word games is a great way to interact with your child and get them to practice their language and reading skills without them even really knowing they are learning. The game “I spy” is a great game that can expand knowledge of words. Word association games and trying to make a sentence fit around a word are all good ways of helping to learn new words and expand the vocabulary your child will recognize when reading.
Mighty Oaks Nursery 