Storytelling Archives - Oxford Owl for 51ºÚÁÏÍø Help your child to learn: reading and maths tips for parents Thu, 13 Oct 2022 11:13:00 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 /wp-content/uploads/2022/06/cropped-Group-200-32x32.png Storytelling Archives - Oxford Owl for 51ºÚÁÏÍø 32 32 Developing reading skills as your child gets older /developing-reading-skills-as-your-child-gets-older/ Tue, 02 Jun 2020 06:30:07 +0000 /developing-reading-skills-as-your-child-gets-older/ Once your child has mastered phonics and word-reading, where do they go next? Here are our ideas to keep your 7–11-year-old's reading skills developing.

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When your child has successfully mastered phonics and word-reading, it can be a time of pride – and even relief! It’s a big and important milestone in a child’s learning journey but, in terms of their reading career, it’s just the beginning.

Children still need to develop their comprehension, fluency, and vocabulary to take them through their junior years and become ready for secondary school. When they reach secondary school, lots of the information they need to access will be presented in a written form. If they can read quickly and efficiently with good understanding, it will help them in all their secondary school subjects.

How you can help your junior reader

Luckily, there’s lots you can do to support your child’s reading in the junior years. Here are some ideas.

1. Read regularly

Encourage your child to read as much as possible, and try to keep reading regular and consistent if you can. Twenty to thirty minutes a day is a good target to aim for.

2. Talk about books

Talking to your child about what they are reading helps to build reading motivation. Your interest will spark their interest, and conversation with you will help them articulate their thoughts, extend their vocabulary, and strengthen their understanding of what they’ve read.

3. Choose interesting books

In general, letting your child choose their own books is a great way to keep them engaged with reading, but don’t be afraid to point them in the right direction every now and then. Be sure to suggest options to them based on their interests, including texts beyond their favourite authors. You can find lots more advice on how to do this on our How to choose a book for ages 7–11 blog post.

The  is a great place to find free eBooks for junior readers (Books at Oxford Level 10 and above are likely to be most suitable). We’ve recently added lots more free eBooks to support junior readers during Covid-19 school closures.

4. Choose interesting non-books

Remember that reading doesn’t just have to involve books: magazines, instruction manuals, recipes, and so on all help to build up stamina, understanding, and fluency.

5. Read to your child

As well as asking your child to read to you, it can be really useful to take some time out to read to them too. Research shows that parents often stop reading to their children in the junior years, but there are great benefits to keeping your reading time going. Learn more in our blog post, .

6. Ask your child questions

When your child is reading to you or with you, you could help them to develop their comprehension skills by asking questions. Below are examples of good questions to ask. Remember to prompt them to justify their answers by referring to the text as well:

    • What do you think the book will be about?
    • Can you tell me what’s happened so far?
    • What do you think will happen next?
    • Why do you think the character did…?
    • What do you think the author wants us to think?
    • How did you feel when…?
    • Can you think of a similar experience that you’ve had?
    • Who do you know who is like…?
    • How did the character change in this story?
    • What do you think are the most important things in this chapter/section?

7. Consider levelled books

Many children will benefit from adding more structure into their reading experience. Find out more about book levelling for older children in our blog post: How reading programmes can help junior readers.

If you are looking for more guidance on what kinds of questions to ask your child, the books in the have parent notes on the inside covers to help you further.

Video support

What is comprehension?

Get a definition of reading comprehension, exploring how children build their understanding of a text.

Supporting your child’s reading comprehension

Understand how to develop your child’s comprehension as they learn to read with tips from Emily Guille-Marrett.

More from Oxford Owl

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]]> Cerrie Burnell’s top tips for reading bedtime stories /cerrie-burnells-top-tips-for-reading-bedtime-stories/ Tue, 05 Feb 2019 00:00:00 +0000 /cerrie-burnells-top-tips-for-reading-bedtime-stories/ Sharing a book at bedtime helps develop your child's vocabulary, gets them used to the idea of regular reading, and gives you both a great opportunity to bond. Children's author Cerrie Burnell gives us her top tips for getting the most out of bedtime reading.

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Sharing a book at bedtime helps develop your child’s vocabulary, gets them used to the idea of regular reading, and gives you both a great opportunity to bond. Children’s author Cerrie Burnell gives us her top tips for getting the most out of bedtime reading.

Video: Cerrie Burnell’s top tips for reading bedtime stories

Get top tips for reading bedtime stories, including how to choose new books and how to fit reading into your bedtime schedule from actor, author and former CBeebies presenter Cerrie Burnell.

We all know what it’s like to get home after a really long day – you’re trying to do the dinner, get the bath on, feed the cat (or even just find the cat). Sometimes the last thing you want to do is curl up and read, especially if it’s a book you’ve read a thousand times before. But as we all know, the benefits of growing up in a house full of stories are immeasurable. So here are some of my top tips to make reading with your little beloveds a special time for everyone.

1. There is no wrong way to read a book

Your voice is the magic, the special ingredient that turns a book into a cherished story. You don’t have to do any funny voices or quirky accents – you can leave that to Tom Hardy on the bedtime hour. Of course, if you want to do lots of different clever or silly voices, you absolutely can. It can be so much fun, but be warned – you might have to do that same voice every time you read that book for the next three years!

2. Make it fun for everyone by reading stories that you love too

I’m so happy to read rhyming stories or illustrated poetry on the train, or in a café, or on the beach in the middle of the day, but not last thing at night. Something about the rhyminess would send me slightly over the edge. Remember, there are thousands of wonderful books just waiting to be discovered. You don’t have to suffer reading a book that’s driving you crazy – unless it’s your child’s favourite! Then I can’t help you… just try and switch it up whenever you can.

3. Choosing new stories together can be part of the adventure

If you’re desperate for a change of bedtime book or tight for space on your bookshelf, a great way of including regular new books is to join a library and let your little one chose their own books. This also encourages a life-lasting love of literature through supporting libraries, an absolute godsend to any parent.

4. Make it a lovely way to end the day

I found it really helpful to use our bedtime story as a punctuation mark for the end of the day. So, I would do the bath, the tea, and all the rest of the bedtime routine before we climbed into bed to read a story. That way it’s easier to relax as an adult, because you’re not focused on getting to the next thing; it is part of your day and your child knows this cosy time is especially for them. This is particularly useful if you travel a lot, or if you go to visit friends. Wherever you are, the day can still end with a gorgeous story.

5. Every story helps

It doesn’t matter how many books you’re reading a night, or how long they are. What matters is that you’re reading. By keeping story time regular it happens naturally. Sharing a book every night is where the enchantment happens.

6. Books can be a beautiful way to learn

Whatever interests your child, there is a book out there just for them. Some books are loud, some books are soft and floaty, some books are educational or emotional and might be a gentle talking point. Some books are laugh-out-loud funny and some books are repetitive and safe. I found it useful to have some firm favourites we could rely on so that when we did read a book that lead to discussion there was something familiar and well-loved we could return to and end the day on.

Cerrie Burnell

Minnow is different from the other girls in her town. There’s plenty to set her apart: the blossom of pale scars which lie beneath her delicate ears, her affinity with the water which leaves people speechless, and the time when, in deep, deep water, her body began to glow like a sunken star.

She has grown up on a boat, raised on stories and songs about a strange, enchanted ocean called The Wild Deep. Now with her mother missing, and questions to be answered, Minnow must make the dangerous journey to a hidden world, where fairytales become reality. Can a girl who is lost on land find answers in the Wild Deep?

Video: Cerrie Burnell reads from The Girl with the Shark’s Teeth

Children’s author and former CBeebies presenter Cerrie Burnell reads from her debut middle grade story .

More from Oxford Owl

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