READING AT HOME

Your child’s reading experience is much more than the reading book which comes home from school. Reading is happening all the time in a classroom and in the school. It is taught in specific Guided Reading and English lessons, but children are practising and using their ‘reading’ constantly across all subjects too.

Parents can support this ‘reading journey’ through regular reading at home. Reading to and with your child every evening for at least ten minutes can make a dramatic difference to a child’s achievement within school.

Here are some top tips for storytime:

1. Make it a treat – introduce each new book with excitement
2. Make it a special quiet time – cuddle up!
3. Show curiosity in what you’re going to read
4. Read the story once without stopping so they can enjoy the whole story. If you think your child might not understand something say something like ‘Oh I think what’s happening here is that…”
5. Chat about the story e.g. I wonder why he did that? Oh no, I hope she’s not going to…
6. Avoid asking questions to check what they remember
7. Link to other stories and experiences you have shared e.g. this reminds me of…
8. Read favourite stories over and over again – encourage your child to join with the bits they know. Avoid saying ‘not that story again!’
9. Use different voices – be enthusiastic!
10. Love the book – read with enjoyment

Please refer to the documents below for further guidance and support on the use of questioning when reading with your child.

The links below are some questions and prompts you can use when reading with your child at home.

Reception

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

Year 5

Year 6