Contact Details
- 01962 853179
- adminoffice@allsaints-pri.hants.sch.uk
St. Catherine's Road, Winchester, SO23 0PS
All Saints
Church of England
Primary School
Ways to support your child with reading
At All Saints C of E Primary School we believe reading should be an enjoyable experience.
Sharing a book is one of the most rewarding things you can do with your child. You can discuss things that you like about a book and see if your views differ to those of your child, link experiences in stories to things that may be happening in your lives or experiences you have had. It also helps you check whether your child understands what they is reading. This is crucial in developing the ability to read for meaning. Being able to read the words fluently and not understanding what is happening or the meaning of words, does not always build a successful reader in the future.
Tips for when you’re helping your child read:
When you’re helping your child read a tricky or new word, think about asking the following questions:
Choosing when to read with your child is crucial in remembering and valuing these ideas. If your child is tired, just had an argument with their sibling or in the middle of doing something they really enjoy, may not be the best time to read! Likewise, when reading with your child who is finding it particularly challenging on that day, it is sometimes better to leave it until later or the next day. This avoids making reading a stressful experience for both of you.
If your child is making sense of the text, this does not matter e.g. "house" instead of "home", "Good dog, Spot" instead of "Good boy, Spot". It would matter, however, if your child had read: "He got on his house and rode away", as this would have changed the meaning. Always be ready to take over if your child is struggling. With your help your child will succeed and will want to read more and more as a result.
Even if your child can read fluently, it is important that you still read with him/her to ensure he/she understands what is happening in the text. Using questions beginning with – Who, Where, When, What and Why? (part of our narrative language strategies) are good ways to check that your child is reading for meaning.
It is vital that reading is a pleasurable experience! Reading helps develop and broaden your child’s vocabulary and experiences of different styles of writing which directly supports his/her development as a writer.
Ways to support a confident reader
Confident readers have reached the stage where they no longer wish to read to an adult and want to read silently to themselves. The interaction between you and your child changes at this stage. To ensure that your child's reading development continues to move forward, we would encourage you to question your child about what he/she is reading, at an appropriate time, in order to extend his/her reading and so share in the enjoyment of the book. Checking the understanding of unfamiliar vocabulary is a crucial role you can play when your child is reading more challenging texts. The following questions will provide ideas that you can extend to suit individual needs:
Questions to ask
Questions to ask before your child begins or resumes a book
Questions to ask when your child has finished reading a book
What do I do if my child doesn’t want to read at home?
We would like all of our children to enjoy reading rather than see it as an effort/ hard work/ something they don’t enjoy! If your child doesn’t want to read, try some of the suggestions below:
Comments to write in your child’s reading record
It is important for your child to take his/her reading record home each evening and then to bring it back into school every day. It is an expectation that children at All Saints read at least three times a week and that they get their reading record signed by an adult at home. When you are signing the reading record, you are encouraged to also write a comment about how your child read. If you have asked him/her some questions then you may record the answer down in the reading record. The records are checked by adults in school and they really help us to track the amount of reading practice each child is receiving each week.
We really do appreciate every bit of reading practice you are able to give your child at home.
St. Catherine's Road, Winchester, SO23 0PS