On the very important subject of learning to read while at home.

There is no escaping the fact that there is one particular age group of students that will feel the disadvantage of not being in a school environment for a while. That age group are the children starting school and are in their foundational years. This is especially the first two to three years of school.

Learning to read in ISO

Here I refer particularly to the disadvantage of not learning reading in a school setting. The child, at those early ages, is like a sponge and the total stimulus provided by the classroom and teacher sets them off on an amazing discovery of reading. It is like a light bulb goes off in their brain and suddenly you see a massive acceleration in learning. There is no question that reading is the key to so much learning that follows in those early years.

Parents cannot be providing the stimulus that is on offer in a   classroom. Therefore, don’t feel guilty that you are in any way responsible for what your young child is missing out on.

However, given the nature of our limited year with the pandemic, we make the best of what we have and help the child in the most effective way possible. Keep in mind that this is a level playing field for all children who should be happily ensconced in school across the five days. Education will need to make adjustments to their teaching and learning to compensate for the deficit of learning in those early years.

Here are some suggestions to give your child opportunities to get on the gravy train of reading. But beware! Make it an enjoyable experience and one where your child feels successful and not anxious that they are displeasing you. Such a reaction will shut down the child when it comes to learning. Throughout the process, it should be seen as an adventure to discover words etc.

• Read daily to your child. Choose suitable books that are age-appropriate.

• Allow your child to mimic words. At some point, they may learn the story off by heart. Let them tell the story and this is also a legitimate way to learn to read.

• Label their bedroom and kitchen etc. with simple words depicting the room. For example, write words like bed, fridge, seat etc. Don’t make this too complicated.

• Recite poetry and sing songs regularly. The rhythm and pattern of simple poems and songs helps the reading process.

• Point our words in the street such as Stop and GO.

• Write simple sentences for your child and read them out together. Sometimes putting words on cardboard can be a fun word game.

• When they draw a picture together you can write what it is under the image. Ensure all attempts at writing are visibly displayed around the house.

• Obtain audiobooks where the child can follow the prompts and sound to turn pages. These can be found in libraries and online.

• If the child attempts to read something that is difficult, simply guide them and praise their efforts at having a go.

• Simple words that sound out with phonetics can be introduced as well. Remember nothing is a test or trial. It is all about experimenting with words and being positive.

Learning to read is complex but also needs your simple input with providing the stimulus around the house. Leave plenty of paper and pencils around as experimentation with writing words is a legitimate way of learning to read. You role is not to correct their writing but talk about it and copy below the correct version.

Keep the conversation going with children. Allow them to talk a lot and experiment with new words. Reading, writing and speaking are strongly linked together in the learning process. One feeds off the other.

There are many online reading programs to be used. Take care not to spend too much time on them as they can defeat the purpose if they totally consume the child. Remember, literacy is all around us and children can learn to read with so much stimulus that you offer on a daily basis.

“We should teach our children to dream with their eyes open.”

— Harry Edwards

Simple clues on helping your child to write.

If I say now I want you to write a story on dogs, how would you go?

Most likely not too well! The idea of writing starting with a blank page and no connection to the story is so hard for most people. Even children who are great readers can find this difficult. Just simply asking a child to be creative on the spot is not generally possible when it comes to writing stories.

Often children find the task to write stories very difficult if in isolation of the classroom. As a parent, it can be difficult to help with homework tasks that require story writing.

Here are some simple tips on helping your child write with enjoyment and with a feeling of success.

Does your child struggle to write a story?

• Ask them to tell you a story. Ask them to tell it to you in sections. This story is one they know and love. Then keep checking in with “what happened next?” etc.

• Try putting the story in dot points. Then build some sentences around the dot points. Keep it simple and let your child add to the sentences if desired.

• Sometimes children can start with a question.

“I wonder why I like dogs?” starting with a question gets them thinking and talking about the concept.

“Why did I go to the beach that day?”

• Giving children sentence starters can help.

“Today was a hot day and I enjoyed ……”

• Confronting a blank page can be daunting. Ask them to draw the story perhaps in cartoon form and then tell it through words.

• If a child is struggling with writing a story, ask them to tell you about a time that made them happy or perhaps a funny situation. Write it down. Always keep in mind that the purpose of writing with a child should be enjoyable.

• After reading a story to your child have fun with them by changing some of the plot. This can be a great chance to talk about story plots. Also, have fun changing the title of the story and some of the words.

• Audiobooks are a very pleasant way of following stories and some children are very strong audio learners.

• If they have a great story in their head invite them to record it and play it back to the family.

• Try writing a story together. Start off with some sentences and invite your child to write a few more, building the plot together. Also, it can be a fun activity sitting in the car making up stories together.

• Let them see how you enjoy reading what they write. At a family gathering time, read out their work and talk about the story written.

• Look at some simple cartoons. Invite your child to write about each scene.

These suggestions are simply to encourage the child to see writing a story as a possibility. Many children, especially those who are not into fantasy or fiction, will write better when the writing has a purpose. For example, the child may write about how we pollute the earth with plastic. Here they are writing to tell you about a situation that is real and has a purpose with facts. As the child ages, school’s expectations in writing are more about writing for a purpose. As a parent of a primary aged child, simply keep their interest in writing by reassuring them that they can write and it can be in many and varied forms. There is no incorrect way of writing a story, nor is there any incorrect way of telling a story. Also, we place no value judgements on the quality of their story. It’s their tale after all.

“You can make anything by writing.”

— CS Lewis

A NIGHT TIME DISCOVERY

Do you just love chatting to your child at bedtime? There is something magical about being together and disclosing the stories of the day. This is a time when children feel safe and secure enough to chat to you intimately. One great way to invite your child to talk about the day is to simply say:

One great way to invite your child to talk about the day is to chat at bedtime.

“What made you happy today?”

Also another way to express the day is to ask:

“What made you feel good about yourself today?”

A simple, harmless invitation to talk about the day. It doesn’t focus on the negative at all. Often from the child will come their feelings of being happy but also they may chat about the incidence that didn’t make them feel so good in themselves.
This is a real listening time and doesn’t need to be a time of solving problems.

The invitation to just chat about the happy experiences makes the child relive positive feelings that reassure them. This is important before bed as it gives them a feeling of being safe with their thoughts. Of course having the reinforcement from the parent makes it all the better.

Sometimes you may find the child asking you the same question,

“What made you feel good today?”

This is a perfect time to talk about the values and experiences that enriched your life on that day.

The purpose of using night time to reflect positively on the day is an excellent way to teach children a little about positive psychology which is all about reinforcing the positive and diminishing the negative which acts as an obstacle to happiness.

When working with children at school they would often tell me that the most looked forward to time was talking to parents at bedtime. It was time to feel secure and happy within themselves. The presence of having a parent present gives them such emotional reassurance that all is well with the world.

Home is a great place to start reading

Parents have such an influence on their children.

Teachers often comment on how a child repeats what their parents say, or shows mannerisms like mum or dad, or simply talks frequently about their parents.

One of the most valuable things a parent can do as a model is to read with them.

Research tells us that early reading with children has a significant influence on the development of their speech, how they interact with parents and sharpening their auditory skills.

I recommend leaving picture books scattered around the house and having special times together to read. Share the reading together at night. Reading together can be so much fun and a chance to further spend quality time together.

If the child sees that you value reading, they value reading.

Your example has an impact on your child.