2. Speaking and Listening Speaking and listening are vital skills children need to develop in order to live successful lives in our world. They are key skills for children developing their ability to read and write.

3. What you can do to help.. Talk to them! Complete their ‘talk homework With them each week. Model and expect good listening. Encourage the understanding and use of new vocabulary. Sing songs, rhymes and read poems, enjoying the rhyme and rhythm of words. Read to your child regularly and develop their story language.

4. Reading at school Read, Write, Inc. scheme Sharing a ‘real’ book Individual reading with an adult

5. What can you do to help? ‘Parents are the most important reading role models for children and young people.’ (National Literacy Trust, April 2009) Parents have the greatest influence on the achievement of young people, through supporting their learning in the home. (National Literacy Trust, March 2011)

6. Reading at home – top tips Choose a quiet time Set aside a quiet time with no distractions. Ten minutes is usually long enough.

7. Make reading enjoyable Sit with your child – make it a special time. If your child loses interest then do something else.

8. Maintain the flow Give them a chance to self-correct. But expect to help out with decoding. When your child begins to read themselves…

9. Praise, praise and more praise! Say 'Let's read it together' and point to the words as you say them if mistakes are made. Boost your child's confidence with constant praise for even the smallest achievement.

10. Nothing suceeds like success! We want your child to be confident readers. Children are given reading scheme books when they are ready to read with confidence.

11. Practice, practice and more practice.. Try to read with your child every day. 'Little and often' is best.

12. Communicate! Your child will have a reading diary from school. Please sign every time you read with your child…especially important for our Infant ‘Reading Challenge! Please tell us about other reading you and your child have been doing! Communicate regularly with positive comments and any concerns.

13. Talk about the books Just as important as reading the words is being able to understand what has been read. Talk to your child about the book; about the pictures, the characters, how they think the story will end, their favourite part.

14. Variety is good! Children need to experience a variety of reading materials eg. picture books, comics, magazines, poems, and information books.

15. Any question s so far?