In part 1, we talked about 5 ways that you could help your child further their reading skills at home. These were strategies such as talking to your child a lot, having your child tell you a story, reading to your child, teaching your child phonemic awareness, and understanding that teaching literacy is similar to teaching other essential skills. As this is such a huge subject, we knew that you’d benefit from hearing some more!

So, here are 5 more strategies you can try to help your child’s reading skills at home:

1. Teach phonics (letter names and their sounds). When children are learning to read, learning to write words or sound out words can be very helpful for their progress. Although your child would have learned this in preschool, it doesn't hurt to reinforce the skill at home. To do this, grab a piece of paper and a pencil, and help them write out some words as you audibly sound them out. Other tools such as cards, charts, floor mats, magnet letters, puzzles and ABC books can also be useful. Spending just ten minutes a day helping your child learn phonics can massively contribute to their reading skills over time.

2. Listen to your child read. Try to give your child any opportunity for them to read to you. Doing this will naturally boost their confidence and skills within the area, and has previously been proven to help young children become better readers overall. So, when they bring home books from school, encourage them to tell you about the story, what they like about the characters they have read about, and what they believe the characters were feeling throughout the story. Ask them to read the story to you if they can, and if they are clearly finding this difficult, then feel free to guide them by reading the book to them first.

3. Encourage your child to write. Another fantastic way to build on your child’s reading skills at home is by encouraging them to write. To make this activity more appealing to them, gather some crayons, pencils, papers, markers, magazines and books, as these will stimulate your child to want to engage in writing. Try writing out some short letters or notes, and you might just find that they will write some back!

4. Ask questions. Asking your child questions while they read to you will help them retell the story they have just read. Try asking them what the story is about, who the story is about, and altogether how they feel about it. This will actively encourage your child to relate to the book they are reading, think about the text, and remember the ideas conveyed within it. Asking your child questions in this way will strongly contribute to improving their vocabulary, and helping them grasp the concept of what they’re reading.

5. Make reading a regular activity at your home. Making reading a regular activity within your family home is a great way to help your child pick up this good habit early on. To do this, set aside a particular time in the day for everyone in the family to read for around 30 minutes. Before you know it, this habit will become ingrained in your family’s timetable, and your child will be used to picking up a book and persevering with reading.

How to help your child's reading skills at home (Part 2)

Reading is a gift that keeps on giving, as well as a bonding activity.