Encouraging Reading At Home

Many studies have shown that children enjoy reading at home and learn to read for pleasure are the ones most likely to fulfil their ambitions – in other words, children who read, succeed.

But how can parents encourage their child to read at home? Early Years and Key Stage One teachers in prep and primary schools will teach children to read accurately and fluently with good comprehension, but support with reading at home is key to pupils gaining in confidence, independence and enjoyment in reading.

It is important to remember that learning to read is about listening and understanding, as well as working out what is printed on the page. If you can read to your child every day, it will really benefit their own reading development. Listening to stories exposes children to wide range of words, which in turn helps them to build their own vocabulary and improve their understanding, which is vital as they start to read and their reading develops. It is also important for children to understand how stories work – even if your child doesn’t understand every word, they will hear new sounds, words and phrases which they can then try out, copying what they have heard. It is important to encourage children to read accurately, and, as their comprehension develops, to read with expression and pace, using the punctuation to guide them.

Every parent (and teacher) wants their child to enjoy their reading. If a child is particularly tired one day, consider reducing the number of pages they read to you that day, and enjoy a story or poem with them instead.