Home activities to help your child in the classroom
Improve Literacy Newsletter
15 February 2008 - Issue 2
In this issue:
1. Back to School - Home activities to help your child in the classroom
2. More recommended reading and child literacy websites
3. Readers' tips
Hi everyone!
Now that the school term is well and truly back in session, in this issue we look
at activities you can do with your child outside school that can help his or her
progress in the classroom - particularly in reading and English language-related
disciplines.
Let's get straight into it.
1. Back to School - Activities to Help Your Child in the Classroom
a. Record your child's favorite book
Recording a favourite storybook on to cassette enables younger children to enjoy
it again and again. It's great if you can invite other family members to choose
a story and record it on tape, or even get them to join in with the reading and
play different characters. This keeps things fun and exciting, while the repetitive
element allows your child to become familiar with the sounds of words and the musicality
of the narrative, and gives an early introduction to vocabulary.
b. Read aloud to your children
Even if your child is able to read on his own and is attending school, it's always
a great idea to read aloud to him. Try a book that is just above his current reading
level, as more often than not kids are able to understand what is read to them better
than what they read to themselves. Even older children enjoy having old favorites
read to them.
Encourage younger readers to discuss illustrations or to take turns reading out
loud. You can never underestimate the importance of spending time out of school
reading their favourite books with them.
c. Talk about words
Talk about the written words you see around you every day. Ask your child to find
a new word each time you go out. Whether it's at home, on a trip to the shops, at
the local library or the zoo, make sure you give everything a name, ask your child
questions, and discuss new and interesting words and objects. Point things out to
your child, and you are more likely to develop a fast learner.
d. Keep reading fun
Let your child learn to associate reading with fun, not just with 'school'. Preventing
reading from becoming a chore and just an activity that children are forced to do
against their will is a big challenge for parents. A great way to achieve this is
to create a special place where you and your child can read. This could be a favourite
corner of the couch, a 'furniture tent', or even somewhere like a treehouse or a
den in the garden.
e. Lunchbox Notes
Secretly tucking small notes inside children's lunchboxes or schoolbags can give
them a lovely surprise when they discover them. Lunchbox notes will encourage reading
and remind children how special and loved they are. You can download some from Reading
Rockets website: http://www.readingrockets.org/books/fun/notes
f. Discuss your child's reading progress with teachers
Don't be afraid to approach your child's teachers and ask them how she is doing
in class. If you have real concerns, try to organise an after school hours meeting
with the teacher, and prepare a list of questions you might want to ask about how
you can help your child to improve in reading, or in class in general.
g. Check your child's homework each night
This will show your child that you are supportive and interested, as well as allowing
you to monitor his progress and keep problems in check.
h. Limit TV viewing on school nights
Rather than banning television viewing altogether, some parents find success in
using TV as an incentive to encourage their child to do his homework. The best outcome
would be to replace the TV viewing with a cosy reading session, which can be just
as enjoyable for all parties involved. If the book you are reading together is a
school book, so much the better.
i. Just ask!
Simply ask your children how their day at school was, and what they did. Then ask
them to tell you all about it, as well as what books they read, and what happened
in them. You may be surprised to find that they want to read them again with you
at home.
2. More recommended reading and child literacy websites
Continuing on from our last issue, here are four more reading and child literacy
websites that we recommend. We've written a brief critique of each one:
Reading is Fundamental - http://www.rif.org -
America's largest non-profit children's and family literacy organization, with advice,
tips, articles and activities for educators and parents. Has a good online read-aloud-stories
section and a handy 'RIF Favorites' list on the homepage.
Kid Source - http://www.kidsource.com - Not
the most engaging looking website, but holds a vast amount of useful information
about child education, healthcare and literacy. Includes forums, articles and an
online store. A great reference site.
Kids' Reads - http://www.kidsreads.com -
Offers an exhaustive list of the latest (and older) children's books, as well as
contests, book reviews, author interviews, biographical information and even tips
about starting a book club! It has some good and quirky categories to keep it interesting
for young readers.
Reading A-Z - http://www.readinga-z.com
- offers thousands of printable teacher materials to teach guided reading, phonemic
awareness, reading comprehension, reading fluency, alphabet, and vocabulary. Slightly
drier than the other sites, but an impressive resource if you want to get to grips
with the more technical aspects of literacy and reading.
3. Readers' Tips
Sally from Bristol, UK says: "While I'm working in the kitchen, my son sticks letter
fridge magnets to the fridge door and tries to imitate the sound of the letters.
He is now just starting to create simple words. It's great because I can keep an
eye on him, and even ask him easy questions about the words and sounds".
Niamh from Launceston, Australia says: "I helped my four-year-old make a bookworm
out of some card, which he then coloured in. Now whenever we finish a chapter of
a storybook we add a bit more decoration to the bookworm. He loves to see the bookworm
develop, and pleads with me to read with him so he can add more to it!"
Wendy from Framingham, US says: "My daughter and I choose a recipe from a cookbook
once a week. I ask her to read out the ingredients from the book and write them
down on a shopping list. Then when we are at the grocery store I encourage her to
read the product labels and ask her if there are any new ingredients that she hasn't
heard of. She loves the fact that she has been involved in making the meal and is
learning too".
Keep sending in any tips that work for you, and we will try to show them in future
editions.