Reading with Younger Children
Reading is an essential life skill which children will begin to master at infant level but what can caregivers do at home to ensure children are progressing?
Well, the easiest way is to get children reading is to begin by building their interest. Try to have a variety of reading material in your home which children can access as they please. Discuss the print, imagine what will happen next, get the child to tell the story in their own way or even pretend you're in the story and become a key character. Building the enjoyment that's created by a book will encourage the child to want to take part in the reading experience.
Below is a variety of resources that will encourage this growth at home.
- Twinkl - https://www.twinkl.ie/offer
Worksheets, activities, online games, printable games, eBooks and PowerPoints on every subject and topic (and most books!) can be found on Twinkl. It is a website full of educational resources. They are offering a free access to parents for a month. This website is used regularly throughout the school year and I would really recommend using some of the resources with your child.
It is really easy to set yourself up on this website – just click the link above to visit the website, enter your email address, password and the offer code: IRLTWINKLHELPS.
Here, you can search through suitable resources linking to our curriculum by clicking on the various tabs. Junior and senior infants class resources are most suitable for younger children (aged 4-7) however you should choose a level that meets the ability of your child, potentially going up to the first or second class tabs as necessary.
2. Teach Your Monster To Read - https://www.teachyourmonstertoread.com/
This website, (which is also available to download as an app) is for phonics (letters and letter sounds) and also reading short sentences while practising tricky words. As you progress through the levels the requirement to move onto the next level also gets more advanced. For example, it will begin with linking sounds to the correct letter like “collect all the ‘s’ ducks and place them in the correct pond” and then it will progress to choosing words from sentences and so on.
The app is easier to navigate through in my opinion and it’s very easy to set up. To begin, go to the website using the link above to download the app on the app store for free and create a login for your child. Let them choose the monster they will be playing with. Additional outfit choices will become available as you progress through the levels. Their progress will be automatically saved too!
3. Get Epic - https://www.getepic.com/
Here you will find a library of books which your child can read along, listen to or read by themselves. Parents can pre-approve books that they love by clicking on the heart icon on each book to add them to their favourites, this makes it easy for the child to be able to find books suitable for them. Children in junior or senior infants should be able to read some of the books by themselves, other books are trickier. In this case you should look at the book image, if it has a green rectangle on the bottom of the cover it means there is the option of having the book read to the children which they can follow along with. You can also click on the words on the pages of the book which will explain the word to you.
In my opinion this website is excellent! However, it currently can only be used for free if you are added by a librarian or primary school teacher. We recommend that all teachers should create accounts for their class, it's really quick and easy to do. I have set up accounts for the children in my class.
If your child’s teacher does not use it yet there is an option available where parents can download it for free for 30 days by clicking on this link and creating an account https://www.getepic.com/promo?signUpV=create_account .
Happy reading!
