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These suggestions are aimed at encouraging children to enjoy books and supporting the learning process at school. Some children will adore books, pick up the reading process easily and have their head constantly in a book; others will be able to read easily but need to find the right content to find it rewarding; others will have great difficulty deciphering the code, needing to learn and apply rules, requiring continuous encouragement. If your child has difficulties then be guided by their schoolteacher, ask how you can help at home. It is best to follow the school's method of teaching to read rather than confuse the child whatever your best intentions.
- Read to your children from an early age - very young babies enjoy looking at books. Not only do the children enjoy the comfort of sitting cosily on your knee and begin to appreciate what books can offer them but also it encourages speech and communication through discussing the story and illustrations. Remember small children enjoy reading the same book over and over again, becoming good friends.
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Reading a bedtime story to your children each night will not only quieten them down ready for sleep but will encourage a habit of a lifetime. After you have read, leave them to 'read' books for themselves. This can be done as soon as the child is capable of sitting up in the cot without help. This encourages reading on their own and the ability to settle down to sleep independently.
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Show your children that you are interested in reading yourself, to see how relevant it is to your life. Take the time to sit down and read the newspapers or a novel in front of them. Tell them how exciting you are finding the story and you can't wait to find out what happens. You could be surprised how quickly they might pick up a book and settle down to read by your side.
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As you shop and travel outside the house, constantly point out signs and read them out loud. This will show the children how important reading is in everyday life and it will give early learners a thrill to recognise words for themselves.
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Team reading is an excellent way of encouraging your child's reading. Settle down together and take it in turns to read the story. Depending on the child's ability you might decide to read alternate paragraphs or alternate pages or you might even decide to read together at the same time. To make sure it is a pleasurable experience for both of you, remember that you are not teaching your child to read but helping her gain confidence and enjoy the story. If they stumble over a word don't insist they sound it out, just give them the word and carry on. The rule of thumb is that if a child cannot read more than 1 word in 25 then the book is too hard for them.
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Don't get upset if a child seems to regress and read books that are too young for her. Easy reading will boost their confidence and maybe they are just revisiting their 'good friends' proud that they can now read it for themselves.
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If your child is a fairly fluent reader but is reluctant to read on his or her own, then trying to choose the right book is vital. The size of the writing can be an influential factor, the number of pages, the lack of illustrations and of course the content. Keep your ear to the ground and ask other parents, which authors and books their children enjoy reading. Be ready to introduce the book to the child. Read the first few chapters to your child so they really get into the story before suggesting that they might like to carry on. Finishing on a cliff hanger can be an extremely effective way of ensuring that they carry on reading. Their natural curiosity will get the better of them.
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Although there are some wonderful classics waiting to be read, don't forget that compared to present day authors, they are written in an old fashioned style which can be difficult for children to understand. If you would like them to delve into these great stories, try to be at hand for a little team reading every now and then.
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Finally there is nothing wrong with an 'encouragement system' to help kick start the process of reading on their own - be it in the shape of gold stars, TV time or a special treat out.
Remember that apart from enjoying a good story, reading helps develop vocabulary, improve written and verbal communication and gives the child access to facts, new ideas and opinions, which they may otherwise never hear about. That is why it is so important to encourage children to read!
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