Reading is a key life skill.
Being able to get lost in an enjoyable book provides a huge source of pleasure; it can enable your child to escape from reality into all kinds of new worlds where anything is possible. It is also incredibly important because as your child continues their education, they will need to be able to read so they can become independent learners.
Reading helps your child learn about the world that they live in and helps them to discover their own likes and dislikes. It supports them with their writing because it develops their imagination and provides them with a bank of ideas which they can use for their own writing. They are able to learn how language works and develop a greater vocabulary. They learn how different types of writing are laid out, how punctuation is used and it provides further opportunities to see how words are spelt.
Reading in school has a high priority but at this young age it is a skill that needs a lot of regular practice. We ask you to please listen to your child read their reading book every day for ten minutes. This is a book which has been assessed at being at your child's level and will help your child develop both their confidence and their fluency. In addition to that, please read anything you can: magazines, comics, road signs, menus etc. Please also read to your child so that they can enjoy stories that they can not yet read for themselves.
Please always check your child understands what they are reading (or being read to) by asking lots of different questions so that reading can be a pleasurable and fun experience for them.
We very much appreciate your support in reading, thank you!
**Please also see our information about phonics.