For those of you who came to our parent meeting last Wednesday, you will have found our discussion with Erik du Toit most interesting. Erik is a PhD student who is researching how parents' home literacy beliefs and practices affect the English reading development of their children. Some of our Oaklands parents whose children are English language learners, have joined his study. If you would like to be part of the study or want to find out more information, you can contact Erik at: erik.dutoit@pg.canterbury.ac.nz
As you know, school and home are always in partnership to develop your child's reading skills. With the school holidays fast approaching, I would like to share with you some strategies and suggestions that you can use to help your child with reading at home.
As you know, school and home are always in partnership to develop your child's reading skills. With the school holidays fast approaching, I would like to share with you some strategies and suggestions that you can use to help your child with reading at home.
- let your children see you reading at home - they need to see positive role models
- make sure your children have access to a wide variety of literature, including jokes, poems, rhymes, non fiction (cook books, atlases, dictionaries etc), comics, magazines
- try and make sure your child has a quiet place in which to read where there is no TV (if that is possible)
- let your child choose the story to read to you - it doesn't matter if you have heard it many times before
- use book language from the outset eg title, author, cover, spine etc
- make sure reading is to/by/with your children
- make regular trips to the library and let your child choose books and magazines
- but most of all, make sure that reading is fun!!
