Tips to help them enjoy learning to read

Think of all the things your child has learned to do since birth - walking, talking, getting dressed, riding a tricycle - the list is endless. The next important step towards independence is learning to read

Reading will probably not be completely new to your child. You may well have been reading bedtime stories aloud since they were very small, when they would snuggle up to you and 'read' the pictures as you read the words.

The pictures are a child's word-free way into the story. By learning to understand the words, your child will be able to access the world of stories independently, and feel at ease in today's world. Whatever your child does later in life, they will need to know how to read and write.

There are hares and there are tortoises

Each child learns to read at a different pace, depending, among other things, on personality, maturity and past experiences.

Some will be hares and learn to read quickly and others will be tortoises who will take their time. If you think your child is finding reading very difficult, consult the teacher. Teachers have the experience to put your child's progress in perspective and may be able to give you some ideas to use at home.

Read at home

There are things to read all around the house. At breakfast, for example, there is the cereal packet on the table. There are leaflets that come through the door, headlines on the newspaper, the television guide, the writing on a T-shirt, and so on.

Read anywhere, anytime

Explore 'real' reading - out in the street, on road signs, on shop signs and advertisements, on the bus and in the supermarket. Words are all around us. Reading is a part of life.

Read as a game

Play games of finding words in the newspaper that you know your child understands; revisit things they can read independently; ask her to spot in which aisle the bread is stacked at the supermarket for example.

Useful reading

Ask your child for help: 'Could you read out the recipe to see if we have all the ingredients? Just check the list to see if I've put down apples.' Or, 'Okay, let's play. But it's your turn to read out the rules of the game.'

Reading together

If you are reading a story aloud, let your child read a sentence from time to time. Or, alternatively, take it in turns to read a page. You could ask him how much he has learned from the story, does he know what's coming next, how else might the story have ended. This helps to bring the story to life.

By becoming a reader, your child will also become more independent.

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