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Supporting your child

Improving literacy is much more effective if supported at home.

Here are some ways in which you can help to support your child with literacy:

Read newspapers, magazines and books yourself. If you are a regular reader then your child is more likely to see the value in it.
Give a dedicated time to sit with your child and ask them to read aloud.
Perhaps read before bed to help set up a healthy routine and limit ‘blue light’ sources before sleep.
Ensure your child leaves phones and other electronic devices away from the bedroom at night and encourage your child to end the day with reading as a way to relax.
Ask questions about what they are reading; What do they think will happen next? Who is their favourite character?
Choose 3-5 unfamiliar words each time and test their understanding of the meaning.
Don’t treat reading as a chore or a punishment.
Start small, limit reading to just 5 minutes a day to begin with.
Talk about items in the news with your child.
Encourage your child to read by finding reading material about their interests. Any reading that your child does is a good thing.
Encourage your child to read other text, newspapers, magazines.
Use a wider range of vocabulary at home in your discussions.
Use audio-books and e-books such as kindles, these can be a gateway to accessing books.
Visit book shops and libraries, use suggestions from our departmental reading lists if you need support with selecting books.

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