Bankstown West Public School

Respect, Believe, Succeed

Telephone02 9790 6158

Emailbankstownw-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au

The Importance of Reading

Parents will often ask teachers what they can do to support their child at school and improve their child’s results. Teachers universally will tell them the most important thing they can do is to read to their child and later when they are able to, ensure their child reads for between ten and twenty minutes independently every day.

Reading is vital to increasing knowledge, improving concentration, developing critical thinking and increasing vocabulary and language skills. It is also important that children see their parents as Readers.

At school we support Reading in every class and have a dedicated Drop Everything and Read (DEAR) time after lunch for ten minutes. It is also an expectation that reading will happen at home and I would strongly endorse all parents to ensure quiet Reading time happens at home too. As a parent, it was always part of our bath, bed, book routine.

Books may be borrowed from the library and will be sent home by many grades as part of their Home Reading/homework routines.

The Do's of reading with your child

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  • Read for enjoyment.
  • Stay relaxed, interested and supportive: mistakes are ok.
  • Remember the goal of reading is to understand.
  • Give plenty of praise along the way.
  • Keep the sessions short so your child is not overwhelmed. 
  • Model correct reading strategies as you read.
  • If they make a mistake, try not to jump in right away: give them time to self correct.
  • Talk, talk, talk to build comprehension skills.
  • Don’t be afraid to read the same book again: confidence, fluency and expression.
  • Play lots of word games, e.g. rhyming games.

The Don'ts of reading with your child

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  • Don’t encourage guesswork: pictures to predict at the beginning but not to guess words.

  • Don’t make reading feel like a chore. 

  • Don’t compare your children: they all have their own learning journey.

  • Don’t be afraid to ask for help or advice: teachers are your best friends. 

 

Top tips for encouraging a love of reading

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  • Make reading a valued part part of your family time.

  • Develop a routine of reading with your child every day.

  • Make time away from the television/screens and other interruptions.

  • Always find something to praise your child for when you read.

  • Model a love of reading.

  • Make a habit of finding different words in your environment.

  • Make sure both mum and dad read at home.

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