Developing Reading Skills Further

When your child is confidently able to read few simple phonic words, it is a good time to start introducing a few synthetic phonic combinations. Ch is a good blend to start with. Spell out chair and find the word chair in a baby book. Baby books with simple words are great because they use pictures, which help reinforce the word in picture form.

Now is a good time to invest in a reading scheme. We recommend the ladybird reading scheme. ( amazon plug) The Read With Me key words reading scheme has been used very successfully. This reading scheme uses the 300 key words that make up 75% of everyday vocabulary. Although this scheme is based on a look and say approach, by using phonics to decode the reading scheme your child will benefit from both phonics and the repetition of the 300 key words. Familiarity with key reading words helps builds confidence quickly.

Advice on teaching your child to read - The teaching process. – Reading schemes.

Make the introduction of a new book an exciting process and give it a big build up.

Discuss what the book may be about with you child. Take clues from the title and front cover.

Put you finger under the first word of the page and get your child to sound out the word. In the read with me series, the first word is Tom, this is the name of a character and there is a picture of a boy. In this example you should tell your child that Tom is the boys name. To encourage engagement with the boy ask questions about the character. Ask your child if the boy is happy or sad. Talk about the picture.

Move your finger along the words of the page slowly and encourage you child to sound out the words phonically. Give lots of praise and tell them how wonderfully they are doing.

After a few pages, ask your child if they wish to continue or stop. You may find that your child is having so much fun they wish to carry on. If they are losing interest it is best to put the book away and bring out at another time. Never pressure you child to read. Reading should be a fun experience.

Later in the day talk about the characters in the book and see if your child can remember the names. Tell the child that you are curious about what happens to the characters. Suggest you look at the book again.

Gradual encouragement in this way should develop your child’s sense of natural curiosity as well creating excitement in their newly acquired skill and an activity that you can do together. Children thrive on praise and being the focus of attention. By reading together in this way your are encouraging your child to develop an important life long skill as well as spending important quality time together.

You may wish to read a book again before moving off to the next in the series. If your child is becoming bored it is suggested that you move onto the next book in the series to keep their interest.

Teaching Early Reading and Comprehension

You may at first feel that you child is memorizing words instead of reading them. To test this theory re-write a simple sentence in printed easily recognised handwriting. For example the sentence, Tom is here., can be rewritten as, Here is Tom. Getting your child to read sentence in a different order may make you feel more confident that they are progressing.

Teaching a child to read phonetically means that they are often able to read words that they will not fully understand. Following the stories in storybooks and reading schemes places words in context and aids comprehension. However you may find your child sounding out words and headlines in Newspapers and these will have to put into context by a parent.

There are some people who feel that younger children do not understand what they are reading. This theory can be very easily dispelled, by asking your child questions about characters and storylines. Asking questions about the story you are reading will ensure that you understand exactly what your child comprehends, as well being an excellent tool for involving your child emotionally in a book.