Tips for Reading Together by Read at Home

I am fond of reading books! This is absolutely one of the hobbies that I'd like to pass on to Chesska who is about to finish her pre-school (thankfully) this coming 3rd week of March. As much as I want to teach her how to read in advance, I had no idea how to begin doing it until I stumbled upon an article over a couple of weeks ago which says, the most basic way of teaching children how to read is just simply read with them over and over again.

We used to read books together during my free time and her fondness towards books was evident as she loved flipping the pages, naming pictures, and even pretending reading.  But ever since I gave birth to Psalm, then resumed to my work, we weren't able to do this routine again. I felt guilty for not spending quality time with her as you know I am wearing hats simultaneously. But just last weekend, I had a lightbulb moment that if I would not continue the things that we were used to be doing, she might be losing her interest.

So starting last Monday up to now whenever I am free, I began to read with her again especially before she took a nap in the afternoon or before going to bed at night. It feels so great to see my child smiling and having the feeling that she was given the attention that she needed.

By the way, here are the books that we kept on reading by Read at Home which we bought at Booksale, SM Ecoland for 150 pesos only. Excellent finds!

Well, one of the books that captured my attention was Kipper's Weather Week by Roderick Hunt. The book tells obviously about the weather and days of the week, just in time with Chesska's lesson last week.  Another one is The Spaceship.  Inside the cover page, I saw some helpful reminders how to teach children about reading and I am so pleased to share them with you.

Children learn best when reading is fun.

1. Talk about the title and the pictures on the cover.
2. Discuss what you think the story might be about.
3. Read the story together, inviting your child to read with you.
4. Give lots of praise as your child reads with you.
5. Try different ways of helping if they get stuck on a word. For example: read the first sound or syllable of the word, read the whole sentence, or refer to the picture. Focus on the meaning.
6. Re-read the story later, encouraging your child to read as much of it as they can.


Reading with my child is a great opportunity for me not only to make up the time I missed with her but also making her feel that reading is fun and she will learn and discover a lot from it.