Plenty of parents worry about their child's ability to read. They may send them to school with the hopes they will learn there, but there is a certain level of responsibility that is left with parents to teach their children to read, and ideally before they even start school. School availability has varied across many different countries, and families are choosing to or are having to take a much larger role in their child's education. When it comes to reading and writing, this is especially important.
At the foundation of all of it, it's literacy, and promoting that literacy at home can have a massive impact - a positive one - on their child's learning. Even when you start out with phonics, teaching a child to read can feel daunting. But there are so many simple things that you can do to encourage a positive relationship with reading so that you and your child can enjoy discussing stories together. If you're looking for more ways to boost literacy at home, here are some of the things that you could be doing so that your child gets the best of their reading.
Read to them. It's such a simple concept that so many forget. Reading to your child is the best way to help them to develop the best literacy skills. Children who are read to by their caregivers can see huge academic benefits, and those who are read to have a much stronger foundation for literacy skills early on. This makes learning to read much easier for them. They'll end up with a larger vocabulary and simply reading books with them every day will have a big impact on their literacy skills in a positive way.
Learn through songs. Nursery rhymes are not just cutesy songs that children love to repeat. Nursery rhymes actually play a critical role in language development with children. Rhymes can help children to develop a good understanding of language patterns and understand the blend of sounds that come with phonics. Teaching and practising nursery rhymes at home on a plush play mat can lay that foundation for literacy, and from there you can talk about word sounds and move into phonics before reading actual story books.
Model the right behaviour. You don't have to be an avid reader yourself, but making sure that your children see you reading books is as important as anything if you want to encourage literacy in the home. Make sure that you're modelling the correct behaviour and set aside some time to turn off the distractions like the TV so that you have reading time as a family. If everybody has a book, they can snuggle down together and read their independent stories. You could read to them, or when they're playing you could be reading near them so that they can see that you are getting enjoyment out of reading.
Put subtitles on the TV. Reading is not just about reading with a book. If you're watching TV or your kids are watching movies during the day, then promote literacy by just putting the subtitles on. It helps children to make a solid connection between the words that they hear and the words that they're reading on the screen, and it's also a good way for them to subconsciously be reading without realising it. They're going to be able to correctly identify a lot of different words just because they've seen it on subtitles on TV.
Keep talking to your children. A good way to increase your child's vocabulary is to have a conversation on the way to school and on the way home from school. Ask them about their day and encourage them to be receptive in their language. Many in education point to a word gap in vocabulary between children when they enter school because usually this is down to children being not. You shouldn't be afraid to use big words, and you don't have to dumb down all of your speech into baby talk just to get their attention either. You can always explain the meaning of larger words, and the more often kids hear those new words, the better.
Tell stories. A great way to promote reading is to get your imagination out and start telling your children stories. This would encourage your children to tell you stories and it will help them to gain a good understanding of the rhythm of narrative storytelling. This benefits them as they grow and they read more complicated fiction.They'll be able to tell you the real stories about their lives, or they'll make up stories to flex their imagination.
Play word games. A fun way to encourage reading is in game playing. Whether it's matching cards or word searches, you can encourage your children to read more and have a better vocabulary when you are playing games with their language. There are so many different options, from Wordle on the New York Times website to Zingo, Quiddler, Bananagrams and more.
Make it easy. The fewer barriers you put on reading the better. It is all about building habits. So you have to ensure that books are readily available to your child wherever they are. Having books in their bedroom, the living room, the kitchen, the library, and even the car can really help. Take them to get signed up to the local library, especially if it's within walking distance, because you can bet you could spend hours whiling away the time looking through all of the story books in there.
Encourage reading in any form. From graphic novels to comics, audio books to picture books, and thick children's youth fiction. You can encourage your child to read by allowing them to read anything that they are interested in reading. Graphic novels can keep those reluctant readers engaged through pictures, and audiobooks are a great way to make reading accessible.In the same content as a physical book. Trust that your child is able to make the distinction for themselves as to what they feel most comfortable reading, and encourage it as much as you can.
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