New workshops to help you read with your child

“Children are made readers on the laps of their parents,” said Emilie Buchwald and how right she was. Reading is one of the most important things we can learn to do; without it, we cannot get by in life.

Children who are able readers are also more likely to do well in all their other subjects. A child that struggles to read will not be able to access the curriculum as well as those who are more fluent.

Evidence suggests that children who read for enjoyment every day not only perform better in reading tests than those who don’t, but also develop a broader vocabulary, increased general knowledge and a better understanding of other cultures.

In fact, reading for pleasure is more likely to determine whether a child does well at school than their social or economic background.

What difference can I make as a parent?

You can make a huge difference! Parents are the most important educators in a child’s life – even more important than their teachers – and it’s never too early to start reading together.

Even before they’re born, babies learn to recognise their parents’ voices. Reading to your baby from birth, even for just a few minutes a day, gives them the comfort of hearing your voice and increases their exposure to language.

Building vocabulary and understanding

Learning to read is about listening and understanding as well as working out what’s printed on the page. Through hearing stories, children are exposed to a wide range of words. This helps them build their own vocabulary and improve their understanding when they listen, which is vital as they start to read. It’s important for them to understand how stories work too. Even if your child doesn’t understand every word, they’ll hear new sounds, words and phrases which they can then try out, copying what they have heard.

As children start to learn to read at school, you can play an important role in helping to keep them interested in books. Find out what interests them, help them to find books that will be engaging and fun, and spend time reading the books they bring home from school together.

How can I get more out of a reading session with my child?

To help parents find out more about how children are taught to read at Yoxall St Peter’s and how they can help their children at home, we are hosting three sessions in the next few weeks. On 27th September, Mr Draper will show you how to read with your child in KS1 and then on 4th October the session will be repeated but tailored to KS2. You will find out all about our new VIPERS initiative and receive hand outs and example questions to help you make reading with your child more enjoyable and effective.

On 9th October, Mrs Timmins will lead a ‘Phabulous Phonics’ workshop, giving parents whose children are starting out on their phonetical journey an insight into the Read Write Inc. scheme we use in house and we will show you resources that you can use at home. So if you want to know what ‘Fred Talk’ is, come along!

All sessions start at 3.30pm. For parents that are unable to make it, the slides will be available. You are of course welcome to bring the children too!