Parent Learning Support Documents

It is very important that your child should read to an adult on a daily basis.

“My child is tired after school and loses concentration.”

Little and often is best, two sessions of ten minutes each is better than one long session of twenty minutes.

“What should I do if my child doesn’t know a particular word?”

SOUND OUT any new words or words your child gets stuck on. Do not use letter names. Sometimes it is a good idea to just supply the word yourself in order to keep the flow of the story. Some reading books have a list at the back of new words that have been introduced in that book. Has the book you have just finished got a list? If so, check to see if your child knows these words.

“How do I know if my child really understands what he is reading?”

Talk about the story with your child as you read it together. What are the characters like? Are they nice or nasty? Would you like to meet them? Predict what you think is going to happen next. You may have different ideas - which of you turns out to be right?

“There do not seem to be very many words in some of the books my child brings home, but the pictures are terrific!”

The pictures are often a very important part of the book, and if you use part of your reading time talking about them, then this is time well spent. Look at the pictures and discuss them. Do they give clues to the story? Do they tell you more about the characters? There is often far more in the illustrations that at first meets the eye!

REMEMBER - GIVE LOTS OF PRAISE