Daily reading is vital for children to make progress and help them consolidate the skills they have learnt in class. This is true for all readers, from Reception Year Six.

General reading strategies:

• Use the pictures for clues
• Sound words out to blend the sounds together
• Look for smaller words in bigger words
• Break words up into sections
• Look for contextual clues: read the rest of the sentence to work out what the word might be.

For emerging readers, please refer to our presentation for ways in which to support using similar strategies as we carry out at school. This will help you to establish a routine if you wish to teach in the style that the pupils are used to.

Strategies for reluctant readers:

It is not uncommon for a child to sometimes not be keen on reading. The following strategies may help in these situations:

• Ensure that you have set aside a quiet, regular time that is dedicated for reading.
• Be calm in your approach and do not let your child worry.
• Read alternate sentences or pages – children learn through modelling.
• Turn reading into a game

Oxford Press tips for reading at home