6-7 years: independence
Although your child should be able to read independently by this stage, this continues to be the perfect chance for you to bond with your child.
- Keep reading together - every day if possible.
- By this age, your child has developed a personal taste in books so give your child the chance to choose what he/she wants to read.
- Show you are really interested in finding out what happens in the story. Talk about beginnings and endings; the characters and how they behave; the bits you find sad, funny or exciting; the words and pictures you find interesting.
- Read aloud together so your child can gain enough confidence to be able to read in the classroom.
- Vary the subject matter of what you read as well as the type. In addition to fiction, you might also read poetry, magazine articles and non-fiction.
- By this age, your child should spot his/her own mistake and correct himself/herself.
- Ideally children at this age need complete silence while reading in order to have full concentration.
- Continue reading aloud to your child until he/she is at least 10 years old. Children continue to benefit from listening to others reading long after they themselves have learnt to read.
- Tell each other about your favourite books and recognise that you may have quite different ideas about what you like to read. Respect each other's preferences and choices.