Literacy - Reading

How can you help with your child's reading?

Here is some information from the 

Ministry of Education Website about reading.

After 1 year at school

You play an important part in supporting your child's learning.

To help you do this there is information about the National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics and how they work in a school context, and tips on how you can support your child’s learning during their first year at school through interactive, fun, easy, everyday activities that you can do at home, and while out and about.

The New Zealand Curriculum: Reading at school

If your child is meeting the Reading Standard after one year at school they will be reading books at green level on the colour wheel.

They will understand the stories they read, use many words that they already know, and will be able to check that their reading sounds like talking.

The colour wheel

The colour wheel levels begin at magenta where the books are simple, and move through red, yellow and blue to green, getting slightly harder and more complex at each colour. Your child will cover the orange to gold levels in their second and third years at school.

To meet the standard your child will be learning to:

• understand and talk about the stories they read
• share favourite parts with others
• use groups of letters they know to check or work out some new words
• recognise and use many commonly-used words
• read smoothly
• enjoy reading and solving problems as they read.

Reading at home

Make reading fun

• Reading at home should be fun and easy – something you both look forward to; a time for laughter and talk.
• Share the reading, take turns or see whether your child wants to read or be read to today.
• All children like to be read to, so keep reading to them. You can read in your first language.
• Visit the library together to help them choose books to share.
• Read emails from family or whānau aloud.
• Play card and board games together.

TIP: Talk a lot to your child while you are doing things together. Use the language that works best for you and your child.

Talk about reading

• Talk about pictures in books.
• Talk about the learning they are doing and what they are most interested in.
• Sing waiata and songs, make up rhymes together – the funnier the better.
• Be a role model. Let your child see you enjoying reading and talk about what you are enjoying.
• Share favourite books, point out words on signs, shops and labels, read poems and play word games like "I Spy" and "Simon Says…"

TIP: If your child is stuck on a word wait a few seconds, give them a chance to think. If they are still stuck, help them to try to work the word out by saying "read the sentence again and think what would make sense". Ask "could it be…?" (and give a word that might fit). The pictures also help them check they have got the right word. If they still can’t work out the word, tell them and praise their efforts. Remember, reading should be fun.

Make it a special time together

Reading is a great chance for you and your child to spend special time together. Make reading:

• quiet and relaxing
• a time to sit close to your child
• 10–15 minutes without interruption, away from the TV
• an enjoyable, interesting and special time
• a time to praise your child for making an effort.

TIP: Help your child to link stories to their own life. Remind them about what they have done when a similar thing happens in the story.