Learning Leapers

There are so many reasons why reading to your child is important. Reading to your child before bed, or even just in general throughout the day can have such a positive impact on their overall learning and education. Not only are you teaching them that reading is important, but you are also teaching them new words, phrases, new knowledge and a new sense of creativity.

Why Is It Important to Read To Your Child?

Reading to your child can help improve their cognitive development, this is the ability to be able to understand their own thought process, remember things they learnt or have seen and heard before, problem solve and make decisions.

It can also help improve their language skills by stimulating the part of the brain that helps them to understand the meaning of language and adapt to using it themselves the more they hear it being used around them.

Reading helps children learn the basic level learning and their early reading skills such as; being able to hear, identify and use particular sounds in the words they are hearing around them. It can also teach them how to connect letters in words that are in front of them to the ones as they are hearing you read them out loud. They are learning new vocabulary and learning how to use it to communicate. Also, reading teaches them comprehension which is learning how to take in the information you’ve just been told or read.

Lastly, by reading to your child consistency you are building a bond and relationship with them which is so important and they will love that special one-to-one time they are getting with you, they will start looking forward to it which leads to them having a positive view on reading at school.

How To Help Your Child Read Better

If you are at the stage where you’ve read to your child for a long time and you want them to start having a go themselves, there’s just a few ways you can get started with this. Firstly you want to make sure you start very basic, you might want to have a look at some level 1 reading books, these will be very basic and the best short stories for your child to get started with. You can also find a range of best books for young children to read, depending on their age and reading level. These books have very little words, lots of bright colorful pictures, big letters and short sentences. With the 3 letter words for example, you can start by showing them what the word looks like, and then showing them a picture of that item, for example show them the word ‘HAT’ and then show them a picture of a hat. When they are reading, break down the three letters as h a t and then get them to put them together to say the word HAT. The more they see these letters written together, the more they’re going to recognize those 3 letters together makes the word hat.

Different Levels For Reading

So like I said, level 1 is very basic and are most suited for children who are beginners in reading themselves. If your child is learning the alphabet at nursery, then a level 1 book is best for them. This is usually for ages 3-4.

Moving on from level.1, they then go onto level 1+ which there’s going to be more basic 3 letter words being used. This is for ages 4-5, as they move into reception. Level 2 is for children who can begin to use their knowledge of letters and sounds to work out new words. This is for ages 4-5 as well. Level 3 they will begin to put together slightly more complicated words including sounds like ‘ee’ ‘oa’ ‘ch’ and so on. Again this is for ages 4-5.

By level 4, your child should now be able to put words together quickly using the sounds they are hearing. At this stage they are likely to be confidence about sharing their opinion on the story they are reading. This is for ages 4-6.

Level 5 is sounds like ‘ou’ and ‘oo’. These books may also contain words with apostrophes. This is for ages 5-6.

I won’t go on but as you can see, as your child progresses through the different levels, they progress as a reader. If you are wondering what level your child might be, feel free to contact me or leave me a comment below and I can help you pinpoint what books you should be reading with them at home. Please bear in mind every child learns at a different pace and so if they are not reading the level for their age group that’s completely okay. There is no rush with education, every child will get there eventually.

When Is The Right Time To Start Encouraging Your Child To Read With You

Naturally as you are reading to your child they are most likely to start having an interest in the words on the page as most of the time children want to copy their parents. In day to day life you can encourage your children to play around with letters and by putting letters together to make words, they are learning new words and reading without even realizing. Buying magnets for the bath or fridge is a good way to get your child interested in reading small words. Sometimes when you are reading your child a book at bedtime you can ask them to say the words with you, to encourage them. It’s really up to you how old you want your child to start to reading with you, however at nursery they do start introducing reading so you can wait till they are at that stage or get them to begin with you before they start. Whatever you feel is best.