Early Reading Skills: For Parents: Practical Tips to Support
Phonics, reading together and lots of talk. Practical ways to support early readers in ten minutes a day.
You don’t need special materials to help a young reader. Short, regular practice and a lot of encouragement matter most.
Practise letter sounds
Most schools teach phonics: the sounds letters make and how to blend them into words. Ask the teacher which sounds your child is learning this week and practise those.
Read together every day
Ten minutes is enough. Let them read a page, then you read a page. Talk about the pictures and what might happen next.
Praise effort, not just getting words right. Confidence is half of reading.Margin note from Aisha
When to ask for help
If your child keeps mixing up letters, avoids reading or is falling behind classmates, talk to their teacher. Some children benefit from extra one-to-one support or an assessment.
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