Helping Your Child With Their Reading

Here are some ideas for parents and guardians who would like to encourage their child to read more:

Read to your child regularly and take in it in turns to listen to your child read aloud.

Join the library for free - here you can borrow books, and other resources such as CDs and DVDs which can help your child immensely.

Make time to talk with your child about what they did that day in school and in particular the books they have enjoyed.

Create an imaginative research project that requires your child to ask their parents/carers questions and to record them, so they can read back what they found out to you.

Watch a specific television program with your child and make up a story together based on that programme, which your child reads back to you and others.

Include your child in any of your own educationally enriching activities, hobbies, or lesiure interests.

Make up games or group activities related to your child`s schoolwork that can be played by either parent/carer and child, or by child and siblings, where they have to read information to play.

Encourage your child to read materials and activities that occur naturally in and around the home, to stimulate your child's interest in literacy for practical purposes. Make little post-its with messages for your child.

Set up a reward system for reading, which you agree with your child, perhaps with a weekly reading challenge - celebrating achievement is really important to build your child`s confidence.

Join in with school activities such as family learning programmes, so that you become more aware of what your child is learning at school. Ask your school for information about their reading programmes, and ask them how you can help your child improve their reading at home.

Have a reading room or reading area at home which is comfortable and encourages your child to settle down to reading.