Reading in Welsh: How you can help!
Perhaps you are not able to speak Welsh yourself or maybe you are learning. However, there are still many ways that you can help your child with reading in Welsh.
- The most important thing you can do is to show a supportive attitude from the very beginning. This will build your child's confidence. There are treasure troves of stories, songs and rhymes in English and Welsh. Your child will have the best of both worlds.
- Encourage your child to read aloud in both languages as often as possible - when you're out shopping, in the car, or on the bus. You could read the signs in English and your child could read them in Welsh.
- Look at the pictures in a Welsh storybook and talk about them in English. Much of the meaning will become clear through the pictures.
- Ask your child to tell you the Welsh word for certain items in the story or picture book. This will give your child a lot of confidence. Young children learn to switch easily from one language to the other - much more easily than grown-ups.
- Ask your child to tell you in English about a story they've read in Welsh. Traditional stories are a good starting point or an excellent picture book. As in all shared reading situations the most important thing you can do is to encourage and show interest. Shared enjoyment is the most important factor.