Reading resources

Here are some resources and ideas to help your child with their reading.

Reading at home

It’s really important that children read every day, even if it is only for a few minutes. We find that children’s reading skills do become rusty if they are not being used at home regularly, even though they are practising in school. Your child should always have an appropriate reading book (please let me know if they don’t!), and they should be reading this on their own and out loud to you. There are also many other opportunities to read at home, from the TV guide to recipes, from bus timetables to the instructions for the DVD player. All of these reading experiences will add together to increase children’s confidence and accuracy.

It’s important not just to listen to your child, but also to talk about what they have read. This helps to develop their comprehension and understanding of the text. Ask them what they think about characters and events, why events have happened and how characters feel. This helps children to “read between the lines” and deduce story elements.

Another aspect of becoming a fluent and expressive reader is listening to other people read. I regularly read to my class, choosing books which they will be able to engage with and understand, but that might be beyond their current reading ability. Giving the characters different voices and acting out the dialogue is all part of the fun! Choose a book which you enjoyed as a child, or ask me for recommendations.

For more advice, see Why Reading and Sharing Stories Matters and Reading Advice from the National Literacy Trust.

Reading Strategies

If you are listening to your child read and they come across a word that they are unsure of, here are some strategies to help.

Look at the beginning and end of the word, and see if they can work out the sounds.
Look at the pictures- there are often clues there.
Look for any “hidden” words (e.g. any in many, each in teacher etc)
Read on to the end of the sentence, see if that helps.

Once your child has worked out what the word is, ask them to go back and read the entire sentence again. This will reinforce the tricky word and also help them to understand what’s happening.

Useful Links

Here are some useful web links connected to reading:

The Children’s Poetry Archive
This site is full of wonderful poems for children to read and hear.

LoveReading4Kids
This is a good bookselling site, but what makes it really special is that you can download extracts to see if you like the book before you buy. This is particularly good for choosing a book which isn’t too easy or too hard, but that also has an engaging story.

The National Literacy Trust
Advice on helping your child to become a fluent reader.

The Oxfordshire Library Service
A fantastic way to increase your choice of books- borrow them from the library! Please see me for recommendations or ask your local librarian.