Reading is one of the most important skills your child will learn. Regular reading at home helps children develop vocabulary, comprehension, confidence and a lifelong love of books. Just 10-15 minutes of reading each day can make a significant difference.

Why Reading Matters

Reading helps children to:

• Develop language and communication skills
• Build knowledge about the world
• Improve writing and spelling
• Increase concentration and imagination
• Become confident, successful learners

Children who read regularly generally achieve more highly across the curriculum.

Establish a Reading Routine

✔ Read together every day, even if only for 10 minutes.

✔ Choose a quiet, comfortable place with minimal distractions.

✔ Make reading part of your daily routine, such as before bed.

✔ Let your child see you reading too. Children learn by example.

Before Reading

Talk about the book before you begin:

• Look at the cover and title.
• Ask:
  • What do you think this book will be about?
  • Who might the main characters be?
  • What do you predict will happen?

Making predictions helps children engage with the text.

During Reading

If your child is learning to read

Encourage them to:

✅ Sound out unfamiliar words.

✅ Blend sounds together.

✅ Look at pictures and context for clues.

✅ Re-read sentences if something does not make sense.

Give praise for effort rather than focusing on mistakes.

For example:

• "Well done for trying that tricky word."
• "I like how you went back and read that again."

If your child is becoming a fluent reader

Encourage them to:

✅ Read with expression.

✅ Notice punctuation.

✅ Read smoothly and accurately.

✅ Think about the meaning of the text.

Remember that children still benefit from reading aloud, even when they can read independently.

Talk About the Book

Discussion is just as important as reading the words.

Try questions such as:

Retrieval

• What happened first?
• Who helped the character?
• Where did the story take place?

Prediction

• What do you think will happen next?
• How might the story end?

Vocabulary

• What does this word mean?
• Can you find another word that means the same?

Inference

• How do you think the character feels?
• What clues tell you that?

Author's Choice

• Why do you think the author used that word?
• Which part did you enjoy most and why?

Reading Beyond Books

Reading happens everywhere!

Encourage your child to read:

• Recipes
• Shopping lists
• Road signs
• Menus
• Instructions
• Comics and magazines
• Information websites
• Library books

Every type of reading helps develop literacy skills.

Reading to Your Child

Even confident readers enjoy being read to.

Reading aloud:

• Introduces new vocabulary
• Develops comprehension
• Models fluent reading
• Encourages a love of books

Continue reading to your child throughout primary school.

Choosing Books

Let your child:

• Choose books that interest them.
• Re-read favourite books.
• Read a variety of genres, including stories, information texts, poetry and graphic novels.

Remember: enjoying reading is just as important as the level of difficulty.

Top Tips

⭐ Read little and often.

⭐ Praise effort and perseverance.

⭐ Talk about what you read together.

⭐ Visit the library regularly.

⭐ Make reading enjoyable and pressure-free.

⭐ Celebrate progress, no matter how small.

Remember

The most effective way to support reading at home is to make reading a positive experience. When children see reading as enjoyable, they are far more likely to become confident, lifelong readers.