Is your child entering years 1 or 2 this September?  

 When I went to school, my teacher, Miss Kinsey, was just the image of Miss Honey from Roald Dahl's book Matilda. A warm and kind teacher who did all the character voices at story time and made us children scream with laughter. At five years of age, I don't ever remember having homework - school was about having fun, and I especially loved story time, of course! My friend Tracey Colgate (like the tooth paste!)  and I loved to dress-up and took turns on the pretend sewing machine making pretend clothes for the baby dolls. I don't ever remember a school bag stuffed with anything apart from books I wanted to take home and read.

Today more than ever, we want to nurture a love for books and stories; it is as natural as playing in the sandpit or with toy sewing machines. The dialogues children enjoy when playing with their peers; the social interaction is so critical. At school children learn to  understand themselves, how they fit in and understand others; this, is  purpose of school in the early years.

Of course, the journey isn’t always smooth, and learning is a bit more formal now than it was in my day. Schools now demand children know their phonics by the age of six and begin the process of put putting sounds to letters, decoding and start on the early stages of reading. However, all children need to get onto the reading ladder when they are ready, and it’s only natural for you to worry how well your child will react to a formal reading environment.

For example, children who have picked up talking later than their peers will be behind in acquiring phonics, and the knock-on effect is delayed reading. However, with the right intervention, they can catch up with their classmates, and catch up fast!

Finding a quiet place to read

The school may well nurture a knowledge of phonics, but it is at home that children read the most and put this into practice. A noisy, busy school environment does not suit a lot of children when it comes to concentrating on reading fluency and how to put phonics together. They struggle to hear the sounds properly.  

Also, reading really requires proper one-to-one instruction to sink in. Make sure you create time and space at home so that you can help give this instruction over and over in an environment where you can hear your child and your child can listen to themselves. 

Saying the alphabet by rote 

Some children can say the alphabet sounds (phonemes) by rote but cannot apply them quickly when looking at letters (graphemes) in the words they are reading. There could be several reasons for this. For example, maybe they read from right to left and not left to right. They should all be checked if your child is still struggling to read by age 8.

In my last blog, I mentioned Forbrain headphones - they are a real must for all parents who have children behind in reading. In a matter of weeks, parents will see their child transfer their knowledge of sounds to decoding with greater ease.  

Alpha to Omega Reading Writing and Spelling

 Another absolute must is a book called Alpha to Omega. 

 We use it extensively for our one-to-one students, and you can purchase it on Amazon.

The format is universal - any person young or old can be taught how to read using this book. Also, there are dictations any child can do as they start to read with more fluidity. Then you combine the words (read using the Forbrain headphones) and the process of repeating and writing out very simple sentences. The program crystalises every aspect of how reading should be taught.

If you’re concerned about how your child will, or is, performing when it comes to reading, these are a great place to start, but you are also very welcome to get in touch and have a chat about ways in which we could help.

Dyslexia? Dyspraxia? ADHD? ASD? Speech & Language? Developmental Delay? Anxiety?

Is every school day a struggle? As a parent, you may feel exhausted and on this journey alone. Each year you see the gap getting wider. You need to do something - change the approach, help your child learn for themselves, find a way to turn this around before it is too late and they won’t listen - do this NOW. the first step is free.