It is fair to say that with so much technology and online distractions it can be hard for children to find the time to read. This does not mean however, as parents you shouldn’t make reading with your child a priority.
Reading should not just be the preserve of the classroom or tuition sessions. Regular read-aloud or solo reading time is extremely important. If you think about it, the time you set aside for reading with your child may be the only time your child will read, or be exposed to reading, outside the classroom.
Here are some fun suggestions to help make reading fun. Most of the activities are pretty simple. Some take just a few minutes; some could take a little longer. Some could involve another person and others could involve the entire family. By taking a playful, pressure-free approach, you’ll soon ensure your child enjoys reading time.
First Sound Game
Early readers are still coming to terms with the notion that letters are symbols that stand for sounds. To familiarize him with sounds, read poems, nursery rhymes, and rhyming books together A good way to reinforce the idea of sounds is to start with the most familiar word of all: your child’s name and the first sound in their name. Ask them to find things around the house that start with the same first letter sound as their name. To incorporate into the story get them to do the same exercise with the main characters name. This is an activity we do in the I Can Read classroom and our students love it.
Pre-Game the Story
If your child doesn’t comprehend what a story is about, they are likely to not be enthusiastic about reading time. Before starting the book ask your child to look at the pictures and ask questions to get them excited and interested about what’s coming: “What do you think the story is going to be about?” “What do you think will happen?” Questions like these help them predict the story while the pictures offer them clues to what’s about to happen.
Pick Out Words
Building a broad vocabulary is essential for reading comprehension. Stop occasionally if you come across a particularly difficult or unusual word, ask your child what they think it means, have fun with potential meanings but make sure by the end of the story they have a take-away of at least two or three new words. If this is done weekly just think how quickly your little learner will acquire new vocabulary. Keep a notebook with the words for yourself so you can incorporate the new vocab in your daily conversation from time to time.
Happy Reading!