A work colleague told me that his Year 4 son, Matthew, could not read; that throughout Matthew’s time at school he had been pretending and not actually reading at all. Somehow Matthew had slipped through the system and completely fooled everyone, including his parents, who soon set about teaching Matthew how to read.
Matthew could easily be your child.
What happened and why did Matthew pretend to read? It so transpires that initially Matthew had difficulty learning how to read and felt embarrassed by it. He didn’t want his classmates to know because they all seemed to be managing, and he didn’t want his teacher to think he wasn’t smart. So Matthew pretended to read by memorising.
There are many things you can do to ensure your what happened to Matthew doesn’t happen to your child.
Helping your child get ready to read
As a parent, you are your child’s first and most important teacher. When you help your child learn to read, you are opening the door to a world of books and learning.
Children learn about the value and importance of reading by watching their parents read books, magazines, newspapers, brochures, signs and other forms of print both inside their homes and outside their homes.
Before your child starts school, there are a number of things you can do at home to help your child get ready for reading:
- Introduce books to your child as early as possible, even when they are babies. Familiarise them with how a book looks and feels.
- Get into the habit of reading a book to your child each day. Children love routine and reading is something you and your child can look forward to every day. By taking the time to read to your child, you show him or her that reading is important and fun to do. Use different voices and read at different speeds to give the story excitement.
- Read aloud wherever you go – read the signs on the road when you are driving, read the signs in shopping centres, read the labels on the supermarket shelves when you’re shopping.
- When you are using your computer, point to the words so the word you speak is the one your child is seeing.
Supporting your child as they learn to read at school
As children learn to read at school, parents can help by reinforcing the skills they are learning in the classroom.
It’s natural to want to compare your child’s reading abilities with those of other children of the same age, but not all children develop reading skills at the same pace. What is important is that you are aware of your child’s reading level so that you can choose books that will help him or her improve. Discuss with your child’s teacher the best way you can help your child at home.