Get Reading: 5 – 6 year olds
By this point, your child will probably have had some experience of early reading and will be building up a range of reading skills. Now it’s all about gaining more confidence so take a look at these top tips to help you get a good balance of reading for enjoyment and skills practice.
Sharing reading
Tip 1: It’s still good to share
Don’t give up on talking about picture books and sharing that bedtime story or information book. It’s just as important now to enjoy reading these books with your child, as well as those they bring home from school.
Tip 2: Read with expression
Read with expression when reading to your child. Use different voices and vary the volume for effect or for different bits of information such as, Did you know that the Tyrannosaurus Rex...? Wow! You’ll soon see that your child will then try these skills when reading to you!
Tip 3: Talk about books, words and pictures
Talk about books when you’ve finished reading together and ask questions. What was your favourite bit? Why do think he/she did that? What gadget would you choose? Ask your child about things like exclamation marks. Get them to ask you questions too!
Tip 4: Retell stories or events
It’s still important to ask your child questions about the school day or a special event and to talk about a book or TV programme you have shared. Help them by asking What happened first? What next? How did it end? What did you enjoy most? It’s good for talk and good for memory skills.
Practising early reading skills
Tip 1: Listen to your child read
Books that your child brings home from school should be at the right level for your child. The words should be readable for your child – we say they are levelled reading scheme books. These books are written to ensure steady progress and success. Many of these books include helpful notes for parents inside the front cover.
Tip 2: Sound it out
If your child gets stuck on a word, try phonics first. Get your child to say the letter sounds and say them quickly to try to hear the word; this is called ‘blending’. If the word can’t be sounded out then it’s best if you say it quickly and move on. If the book is at the right level then this should not happen too much.
Tip 3: Clap and chunk
Clapping out syllables or chunks in words and names can help with reading longer words: Di-no-saur! Cho-co-late! Or point out that some words are made up of two words, so wind and then mill makes windmill.
Tip 4: Try expression and flow
Your child’s expression might sometimes sound stilted on the first read of a sentence or a page. This is because they are focusing on making sounds into words. To keep your child hooked into the story, read it again with expression – after lots of praise, of course!
Tip 5: Don’t be afraid to back track
It’s sometimes good to get your child to re-read a sentence or even a page if it has been tricky to work out. This helps with meaning, flow and confidence – and we all still have to do this sometimes!
Tip 6: Read, read, read!
It’s really important to read as much as possible with your child. Read the books that come home from school, borrow library books, buy books and magazines. Read signs and notices, and find interesting websites to read. And keep reading together at bedtime too!
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