Hints and Tips
Together we can help children succeed.
Help your child enjoy reading.
1. Why parents are important.
- You are your child's first and most important teacher.
- You taught your child a lot before they came to school.
- Children learn by watching what you do.
- Celebrate what your child can do.
- The time you spend with your child - listening, talking, reading, playing, watching, learning - helps them succeed.
2. Why reading is important.
Reading is one of the most important things your child can learn to do.
- It gives your child the opportunity to learn many things.
- It is an important way of getting knowledge and information.
- It helps children think.
- Children can enjoy reading.
- Words are all around us. Use them all to help your child learn. Read everything: signs, cereal boxes, birthday cards, forms, computers, math problems, comic books, newspapers, TV guide.
- Children need to read to be successful in school and life.
3. Ways to help your child learn to read.
Your first language is important. Use it. If a child knows one language it is easier to learn another.
- Read in English and your first language.
- Provide a place to do homework.
- Limit TV and video games.
- Make sure your child gets enough sleep.
- Ask for translation help from your school.
- Talk to your child's teacher. Phone if you can't visit.
- Read with your child for fifteen minutes every day.
4. Talking is part of learning to read.
The most important part of learning to read is learning to talk.You can help your child by:
- Listening to them when they want to tell you something; when they have questions
- Talking to them about what you do, about your family, about your culture, about the TV programs you watch, about their friends.
- Being with them
5. Working with your school.
Parents and schools need to work together to help children learn.
- Visit your school often.
- Talk to your child's teacher, phone if you can't visit.
- Try to get to school events.
- Help with homework.
- Use your library.
- Volunteer in class or for field trips.
- Show interest in the work your child brings home.
- Tell the teacher if there are any problems.
Good Reading Habits.
In order to be good readers, children need to develop good reading habits. Try the following ways of helping your child read easily.
1. Use 'cover up.'
For some children the words and lines on the page may run together, making it very difficult to see the individual words and letters. To help train a child's eye movements, use a piece of paper or a card and let the child hold it under the words they are reading. When they have finished reading one line they move it down under the next line.
2. Point to the words.
Let children point to the words as they read. They can do this as well as covering up the words as before. This allows the child's eyes to follow his or her fingers and helps reading become smoother.
3. Read out loud.
Sometimes reading out loud helps children. They may not need to make a noise; they can just mouth the words.
4. Let them move.
Some children need to move about as they read. Let them walk, curl up in a chair, hold something in their hands. This helps them use all the parts of their brain. For some children, sitting still with a book can be a form of torture!
5. Use highlighters.
These can be used to highlight important words in questions, main ideas, and words they do not understand. Use different colours for each task. This integrates visual thinking into the reading.
6. Use coloured stickers.
These can be used to mark important pages or passages in books to help children find and use the information they need for projects.
7. Use chapter summaries.
These are a great way of preparing for book reviews. At the end of each chapter write a few sentences about character, setting and plot. Your child can refer to these when the book is finished and a book report has to be produced!