21 October 2024

Nurturing Your Child’s Reading Journey

By Natasha Joao, HOD Foundation Phase at Bellavista School

Unlock the secrets to supporting your child's reading journey in the coming year

Around the globe, classrooms are embracing a Structured Literacy approach to foster effective reading skills. Parents play a pivotal role in this process, needing to be well-informed about the strategies that enhance learning at home. Understanding the science behind reading, emphasizing explicit, systematic, and cumulative teaching of phonics and reading skills is crucial. This research-backed approach consistently proves to be the most effective method in the realm of reading education.

How parents can support their child’s reading journey at home

• READ READ READ. Immerse your child in a natural reading environment at home and lead by example – make reading a daily habit. When your child sees you engrossed in a book, they are more likely to develop a love for reading themselves.
• Create an enriching reading environment. Go beyond school-assigned readers. Fill your home with a variety of interesting reading materials that cater to your child's interests. Aim to cultivate a lifelong love for reading.
• Choose appropriate books. Allow your child the freedom to select books based on their interests. Provide them with a range of reading materials, including digital options such as apps and e-books, to engage them in the world of reading.
• Establish a bedtime reading routine. Make nightly bedtime routines special by incorporating story time. Reading aloud together not only fosters a connection but also provides an opportunity for shared enjoyment. Encourage your child to participate, even if it's just reading a page or completing a rhyming word.
• Make reading fun. Enhance the joy of reading by taking trips to bookstores or libraries, creating a cozy reading nook at home, using expressive voices, and embracing the repetition of favourite books.

Strategies for reading school assigned books

1. Avoid guessing words. When encountering unfamiliar words, encourage your child to point to each word and articulate individual sounds. Emphasize phonics over guessing from pictures. If a word is misread, guide them to decode it by sounding out and blending, followed by a re-read for fluency.
2. Build vocabulary. Sound out words and discuss their meanings with your child, fostering the growth of their vocabulary.
3. Check for understanding. Ensure comprehension by prompting your child to make predictions, discuss the story, and ask questions before, during, and after reading.
4. Practice, but balance enjoyment. While practice is crucial, strike a balance between reading for school and reading for pleasure.

Reading offers a myriad of benefits, stimulating imagination, providing adventures, and unlocking a world of information. Cultivating a love for reading in your child is an invaluable gift that resonates with J.K. Rowling's sentiment: “Wherever I am, if I’ve got a good book with me, I have a place I can go and be happy.” For more information, visit www.bellavista.org.za