Reading with Your Child

Young children learn by watching what adults do and copying them. If you show your child that reading is fun and enjoyable, then they will soon want to read for themselves. Boys, in particular, need to know that reading is important, and fathers and other male role models can help by spending time reading and looking at books together.

Start reading to your child when they are young; babies love words and language. Increase their language skills by singing, reading and telling stories, poems and rhymes. The first books most children come across are board and bath books; although these can be treated as toys, they also teach babies how to handle books, turn pages and enjoy the pictures, shapes and colours.

Help your child to become a reader by sharing books and reading aloud to them. You may find that they often want to listen to the same story again and again; this will help to build confidence and familiarity with words and will reinforce that stories are fun. Your child will soon learn to talk about the story and pictures, join in the parts they know and eventually recognise the words on the page. Show your child the words on the page by underlining them with fingers - yours first, then theirs. Praise your child when they work out a new word for themselves, or when they go back and correct a word they got wrong the first time. However, if they do get stuck on a new word, don't leave them guessing for too long; help them spell it out slowly using the sounds of the letters and then say it faster together.

Make a point of showing your child words in everyday life; for example by looking at shop and street signs, words on advertising hoardings or at the supermarket.

Try to share books together each day, and not just at bedtime. A few minutes of special, quiet time with a book every day is much more effective than half an hour a week. You may want to consider joining your local library; it's free to join and to borrow and there are hundreds of brightly coloured books for your child to choose from.