ReadingEYFS

Janet Duke Primary School'Together We Learn, Together We

Achieve, As One'

Pre-reading skills

In order for children to learn to read, they must:

• Be able to speak

• Have relevant vocabulary

• Be aware of pattern

• Be aware of rhyme and repetition

• Know how books work

• Be able to predict what comes next

Children learn these skills by listening to stories and talking.

Pre-reading skillsRead to your child every day.

Re-telling storiesRead stories over and over again. Use puppets to retell the story using the story language.

Reading at home

Why is it important to read at home?

Top Tips for Reading with your child• Make a regular time daily to sit down and either listen to

your children read or read their books together

• Choose a quiet time when you are not rushed or distracted.

• Choose a time when your child is going to be most engaged.

• Sit close to your child and somewhere comfortable.

• Keep each reading session short and fun!

• Enjoy the time together and if your child starts to lose interest stop.

• Encourage your children to be independent and get out their own books and reading diary.

• Vary the reading activities that you do together.

• Give lots and lots of praise!

When sharing a book...

Look at the front cover:

• talk about the pictures and the title.

• What might the book be about?

Opening the book:

• Let your child tell the story through pictures first.

• Discuss any unfamiliar words that come up.

• In the early days, read the book to your child before expecting them to read it to you.

• When they begin to read, encourage them to point to the words and pick out any they remember.

• As your child becomes confident with their ‘letter sounds’, encourage them to ‘sound out’ simple words like ‘dog’ or ‘pen’.

• Looking at the pictures is another strategy for working out new, longer words, but remind children to double-check by looking at the letters at the beginning of the word too.

• Not all words can be sounded out e.g. ‘the’, ‘we’. Just explain these are ‘red words’ and tell your child what they say.

After reading….

• Encourage your child to relate the book to their own experiences.

• Talk about the characters in the story and what they might be thinking or feeling.

• Ask questions to encourage your child to make sense of what they have read. How/Why?

• Sometimes, practise retelling the story.

• Praise your child! ☺

Reading Records

• Your child’s reading record is a communication tool between parents and teachers.

• Please write down every time you read with your child (this doesn’t have to be a school book).

• Note the date, the title and a brief comment if you can (what your child did well, if you have any concerns or things you have practised).

• Each week your child’s teacher will also write in their book.

• If you child reads 3 times or more in a week, they will receive a sticker in school. This goes towards a prize for your child!

Book Bags

• Your child will receive a free book bag when they bring home their first books.

• As books are an expensive item, we ask you to ensure that your child cares for them properly.

• No food or drink to be put in book bags.

• Please ensure that your child brings their books and reading record to school with them every day so they are available for the teacher to exchange and update at a convenient time.

• Please note that this will not happen every day as the children read their books with the teacher before bringing them home, and there is not time for this to happen every day.

Other ways you can help

• Talk about words in the environment e.g. shop names, road signs, posters etc, so they understand that the print carries an important message.

• Read longer stories aloud to your child and encourage them to join in with familiar words.

• Try to read in front of your child. They need to see that reading is a good activity. One of the ways they learned to walk and talk was by watching and copying you.

Phonics Activities• Phonics games - Play ‘Robot says’ e.g.

‘Robot says get your b-a-g’.– play pairs/snap with the letter cards- Magnetic Letters are fantastic!- Build words for your child to read

back e.g. c-a-t- Say a word, can your child find the

right letters to build it?- Rhyme box- only things that rhyme

can go in the box/ can you make a rhyming soup?• https://new.phonicsplay.co.uk/• https://www.teachyourmonstertorea

d.com/• Alphablocks tv programme

Red Word Activities

Please see the ‘Read Write Inc’ pages for a list of red words.

• Keyword games -Play bingo/pairs/track games

• Match to words in books, count how many times they appear

• Move onto building sentences

Reading to your child

- Reading other texts – magazines, picture books

- Share library books, magazines, websites and look out for familiar words/letters

- Read electronic books -www.oxfordowl.co.uk has free e-books and helpful tips

- Read menus in restaurants/tea rooms

Praise and Encouragement• Last of all encourage and praise your

child for the effort they are putting in and for trying especially when they read something correctly. If incorrect, praise for effort and then help them read the word correctly. Learning to read is hard but show them what fun it is!!