features
Willow Hewitt advises
how to get the most out
of reading with your little
ones this summer
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ummer is here and kids are excited about
several long weeks without school. For
parents, too, it’s great to get a break from
the daily chore of helping with homework.
Summer is a fantastic chance to relax, reconnect, and
really have fun as a family.
But to kids these days, fun means spending hours
playing Hungry Shark World or zoning out with Peppa
Pig. As exciting as games and cartoons can be, too
much of anything isn’t great for us. And a whole summer
of relaxation will mean September brings a real shock to
the system.
A great activity that’s fun and relaxing but also
engages the brain is reading. It opens up new worlds
and expands your little ones’ minds as they grow. Here
are some tips on getting the most out of reading with
your children this summer, as well as advice on how to
encourage those who don’t love reading to get involved.
For Kindergarteners
Summer is a great time to make real improvement in
your child’s reading. Parents can often feel frustrated
that after hours spent reading books together, their child
still can’t read. Try some of these ideas to help your
reading time foster better results.
Modelled Blending – for children who are just getting
started with phonics, help them understand how the
letter sounds blend together by sounding out simple
words in the books you read: “Look at the cuh-ah-tuh,
cat, on the muh-ah-tuh, mat.” Point to the letters as you
blend the sounds to make it even clearer.
Sight Word Games– recognising which words don’t
follow phonics rules makes reading go faster and
smoother. Find some lists of age-appropriate sight words
and turn learning these into a game. Flashcards are a
great tool for all sorts of fun activities – run and touch
them, flip them over to match pairs, hide them around
the house, or copy them out with a finger traced through
sand. Have fun with these small, simple words and see
reading speed increase.
Interactive Reading – reading is about much more
than just sounds on a page! Engage your child with
context clues and story structure basics to help them
Summer 2018
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