READING MATTERS

1 Tuning In

Your Child may:

• enjoy listening to stories and joining in
• know how books work, eg, start from the beginning, read from left to right
• know some sounds and letter names
• notice print in the environment

• choosing a 'cosy' time for reading
• reading with your children
• learning nursery rhymes together
• spending time looking at the pictures and talking about them
• spending time talking about the book
• pointing to the words as you read them
• pointing out print in shops, on packets and tins, road signs, etc
• playing 'I-Spy'
• doing jig-saws together

Try to avoid:

Busy, noisy times

2 Cottoning On

Your Child may:

• be able to read familiar words
• use pictures as clues to what is happening
• know the first sounds of some words
• tell you what will happen next

• pointing out words your children know in different situations, eg, when you are reading to them, at the shops, etc
• pointing out the first sounds in some words
• letting your child re-tell the story
• asking them to tellyou what they liked about the book, who their favourite character was, what they thought of the pictures, etc
• stopping part way through the story and asking them to tell you what they think might happen next, and why

• letting your children sound out every word
• waiting too long before telling your children a word
• 

Your child may:

• read on their own
• start to put expression into what they read
• have a go at words they don't know
• think and talk or write about what they've read
• enjoy different kinds of books
• choose their own book

You can help by:

• praising your children for the 'good' reading and not worrying about difficult parts
• reading books to them that may be too difficult for them to read on their own, but which they can enjoy
• visiting a library regularly
• allowing your children to choose books that interest them
• letting them listen to stories on tapes. This will help them to read with expression
• encouraging your children to build up their own collection of books, comics, etc
• encouraging them to read a wide range of texts, eg, recipes, magazines, advertisements, TV listing, etc
• giving your children some 'easy' books to encourage enjoyment and fluency

Try to avoid:

• asking too much too soon
• covering up the pictures

Please Remember

Children like to be read to even when they can read
Children like to see you read
To encourage your child to appreciate and care for books
There's nothing wrong with not finishing a book if it's too hard or too boring
We all like to read 'easy' books from time to time
And above all, READING IS FUN