Supporting Reading at Home | Glebefields Primary School

Reading – Birth to Nursery

Babies and young children learn through play and by copying adults.

It is never too early to start sharing books. Babies and young children will love listening to your voice as you read aloud.
Babies can play with books- look for board books, touchy-feely books, books for bath and many more…
Toddlers love to hear familiar stories and rhymes over and over again. Any nursery rhyme or fairy story will do.
As they get older, children will start to take interest in the text as well as the pictures. Encourage them to join in with the words they know and read words all around you- road signs, shop signs etc.
Join the local library. They have special sections for babies and toddlers.

Now the children are at school they will learn how to read. You can support this learning at home in many ways.

Remember reading a little each day is better than a longer session occasionally.

Take an interest in the books your child brings home from school. Celebrate their achievements as they try reading to you.
Carry on reading aloud. Children will enjoy reading longer stories but not all by themselves.
Keep visiting the library. Children need a constant supply of new books to gain more confidence in their reading.
Play games like ‘I spy’ to help your child hear and identify the initial sound in a word.

Now your children are moving towards independence as readers. They may be trying to read much longer and more challenging books.

Continue to take an interest in what they are reading. You could offer to take turns to read a page each, or read one character in the story. Celebrate their success as they complete longer tasks.
Get your children interested in activities you can do together that involve reading. You could follow instructions for building a model or try out a new recipe together.
Offer a wide range of reading material like information books, comics and magazines. Keep visiting the library and borrow story CDs as well as books.
Carry on reading aloud. You can introduce your children to some great adventure and fantasy stories or books of their favourite films.