Building a Love for Reading in the Early Years

At Alice Smith School, we believe that every child’s journey into reading should be joyful, purposeful and built upon strong foundations. In the Early Years, reading is so much more than recognising words on a page - it’s about developing curiosity, imagination and a lifelong love of stories.

Our educators use a range of assessments and personalised approaches to understand each child’s progress, ensuring that reading experiences are both engaging and appropriately challenging. Below are some frequently asked questions to help you better understand how your child’s reading journey is being supported, and how you can continue to nurture this important skill at home.

How do we assess reading in Early Years, and how will I know that my child has made progress? 

To ensure we assess all of the areas needed for proficient readers, teachers will conduct two separate reading assessments with your child. Decoding is assessed in the form of a phonics assessment, which is conducted either on a half termly basis or when appropriate. Comprehension and fluency are also assessed in a PM Benchmark assessment. This is conducted on an individual basis and at multiple points throughout the year, whenever Educators feel your child is ready for the next colour band. These assessments allow Educators to select the correct colour banded books for your child, and allow for the tracking of reading progression. Please remember that the coloured bands are broad, and a child can progress in their reading without moving into the next band. If you are concerned about your child’s progress in reading, please contact your child’s Class teacher who will be able to offer advice and support.

How can I support my child with decoding, particularly if they come across an unfamiliar word?

Encourage your child to use their ‘sound fingers’ to break the word into its individual sounds. Can they spot any digraphs or trigraphs in the word? If so, allow them to say these out loud first. Having a memorable prompt, such as ‘say the sounds, read the word’, will allow your child to quickly remember the techniques they have learned for successful decoding. Ask your child to point to the individual sounds, or squeeze their sound fingers.  For instance, the word ‘monster’ can be broken down into the sounds ‘m’ ‘o’ ‘n’ ‘s’ ‘t’ and ‘er’.  Remind your child that as an adult, we often come across words that we don’t know, and need to use our phonics knowledge to decode them. If you need any further support, do not hesitate to speak to your child’s Class Teacher. 

My child can decode the words but doesn't seem to understand what the story is about. What should I do?

For our Emergent and Novice readers, decoding requires a significant amount of mental load; so much of a child’s brain is being used to decode that they are unable to recall the words they have read. To support our young readers, read the sentence they have decoded back to them before asking comprehension questions. This takes away some of the mental load in recalling what they have read. Please remember that comprehension and word reading are two very separate skills in the early stages of reading. If your child still struggles to comprehend after having the text read back to them, please continue to read to them often, and expose them to new language and experiences. If you need further support, contact your child’s Class Teacher. 

My first language is not English. How can I support my child with their reading? 

Read to children as often as you can in your home language. Reading in your home language will develop reading comprehension and vocabulary, as well as a love of reading. Feel free to drop in some English words whilst you are reading, allowing your child to make vocabulary connections. If your child is reading their decodable colour banded book, use a translating app such as Google Translate to assist with understanding the text. To support the correct pronunciation of sounds and decoding words, please refer to the pure sounds video attached to the workshop slides, or you can use the link here.

My child is a reluctant reader. What can I do to develop their love of reading? 

Putting pressure on your child to read when they are reluctant to may increase their reluctance. Instead, take a step back from listening to your child read. They could read to a different family member, a pet or a toy. Increase the opportunities to share picture books with your child. You can make this even more fun with puppets or props. Follow their interests and find books that your child will engage with. Our Klass Library is a great place to access all sorts of books that you can share with your child, and our Librarians can recommend texts based on the interests of your child. Show your child that you love to read by reading books yourself and discussing your favourites. Create a fun reading space just for your child. A teepee tent or a designated reading area with soft toys, comfy furnishings and lights will entice any reluctant reader to cosy up with a book!