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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

How are you going to make sure your soon to be YR1 child keeps up with their reading over the holidays?

42 replies

JumpingJacks · 09/07/2013 11:06

DD1 brings a new book home almost every day so I haven't bothered to buy books designed for teaching reading. The school pretty much has this covered.

I find it quite difficult to look at reading books in bookshops and know what level she is at. The last book I bought was too far beyond her but by the time I thought she was ready for it, she had moved on and found it too easy.

She is at the expected level according to her report yesterday, moving towards emerging. So what can I do to make sure she doesn't forget how to read over the holidays?

How do I work out what books I should be buying for her?

What will you be doing?

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simpson · 09/07/2013 11:11

DD (also just finishing reception) will be doing the reading challenge at our local library.

The local library has loads of phonics based books you could look at. If a book is too hard then I would simply read it together instead.

You can also check out the Oxford owl website for loads of free ebooks.

shelley72 · 09/07/2013 11:14

Watching with interest as I've been wondering about this too. We only have two books a week which ds reads over and over. I don't want him to lose his enthusiasm over the holidays but I don't want to buy / borrow books that will be too difficult and knock his confidence. Any reception teachers with any advice? We do have stories every day, visit library etc but not sure what else I can do?

Bakingtins · 09/07/2013 13:33

Libraries often have some sort of summer reading challenge to encourage primary age kids to read over the summer. We've done one for the past 2 summers. They have to read six books over the holidays and get stickers etc to motivate them. The "prize" for completing the challenge last year was a free swim at the local pool. The librarians will help to select books appropriate to their reading level.
I second the suggestion that choosing books a bit too hard isn't a bad thing - you can read them together, one page each, or get the child to read the easy bits so the adult moves the story along.

sparkle12mar08 · 09/07/2013 14:12

Ds1 in Y2 free reads for pleasure every day anyway, so we won't be doing anything different. We will also be joining our local library's summer reading challenge (stickers, certificate and medal, chance to meet and greet a children's author) as well though. Ds2 in YR on the other hand is not an enthusiastic reader, so I'm hoping the library challenge will inspire him a little bit too.

itsnothingoriginal · 09/07/2013 14:19

My kids have just had a visit from the library rep at school and were both really excited about this year's summer reading challenge so I second giving that a go.

My dd loves reading but also hope to keep her enthused over the hols as she likes being able to choose her book every day at school. I'll have a look at that Oxford owl website and will be keeping an eye on this thread for further suggestions!!

Elibean · 09/07/2013 14:22

School has a book sale today - always at the end of the summer term - so the kids buy books they plan to read over the holidays. Not a bad idea!

Kooza · 09/07/2013 14:24

I enrolled my two with Reading Chest. You pay a monthly subscription and they send you books at the level you request. You can decide how many you want to get through per month and there are different levels of subscription.

Once they've read them you put them in the return envelope and post them back and they send some more!

They do all the ORT ones along with loads of other banded books and some really good non-fiction.

They also send a reading chart with stars to mark off every book you read. I thought it was brilliant last summer!

noramum · 09/07/2013 14:26

The library and the charity shops are my best friend. I found that I waste money on reading scheme books as they move on so quickly and they are quite expensive.

So I get them second hand for a lot less or DD gets books she wants from her library.

I am not a strict "reading level/scheme" only follower. DD can take what she wants to read and if it is too difficult we read it together and take a different one next time. I think most schemes can be a bit boring.

The libraries do a Summer challenge, read 6 books in 6 weeks and it is fun.

LemonBreeland · 09/07/2013 14:26

DS2 has just finished P1 (Scotland) and is doing the library challenge over the summmer. I get him books that are a level below the one is on at school so that it is not too much like work for him.

He seems to be enjoying it so far.

No such luck with DS1 who is 9.

MotheringShites · 09/07/2013 14:28

Just off to speak to YR teacher about exactly this so will post anything of interest.

Pozzled · 09/07/2013 14:36

Library. Charity shops. Online books such as Oxford Owl. The hundreds of books on DD'S shelves. Reading board books to her little sister. Signs, posters, words onthe sides of buses.

How do you stop them from reading?

I don't worry too much about levels, I have no idea what book band DD would be on as the school don't use them. We pick up a book she's interested in, she reads the words that she can and I do the rest.

Periwinkle007 · 09/07/2013 14:43

definitely try the Oxford Owl website - free and levelled so easy enough to find suitable books.

The library reading challenge is great for inspiration.

Like Pozzled says - just get her to read the words she can do in a book and you do the rest or read it at the same time as her.

What book band is she on? I do have some 'real' books I found on a list with their approximate levels if that helps. PM me if you want to - I have them on my book blog.

I think so long as you still do stories over the holidays and you still get her to read words that you think she should be able to based on what she has been bringing home from school then she won't forget but you are right, they do need to keep practicing. I assume it is like driving a car, if you have a series of lessons then stop for a few weeks it is hard to get back into it again.

BackforGood · 09/07/2013 14:45

You don't need books "designed to teach reading", you just need books they enjoy. Get to the library and choose 4 / 6 she thinks she can read and 4 / 6 you can read to her (different areas have different amounts they can borrow).... if you think they are all too easy or too difficult, then it gives you a benchmark for the next week when you get the next lot out.
If there's a story she likes that is too hard, you can still snuggle up to read it together and follow the words with your finger - when she spots a word she knows, she can read it for you, or, if she is just about managing but struggling a bit / finding it hard work, then take turns to read a page each.
Don't worry at all if she keeps returning to a couple of 'favourites' - that's fine, and a stage to go through.
Don't worry if you think a book she chooses is a bit easy - again, a stage they go through.
Encourage her to notice writing elsewhere - when you are out, on signs, on shop windows, or when you are eating on food packaging or the menu on the TV or things on buses or information notices if you go anywhere on a 'trip'.
Let her listen to you reading lots - that's how she will learn all things like intonation, phrasing, tone, and also take about the stories (can also do with films or TV) - about how someone felt or why they did this or how they knew that. etc.

Tiggles · 09/07/2013 14:59

this document may be of use - written by a library they give examples of books that children may find appropriate to their reading level.

Original poster

JumpingJacks · 09/07/2013 18:38

I have no ideas about levels or ORT tbh.

She is currently reading a storyworlds book which has 'Book Band Turquoise' written on the back.

OP posts:

Original poster

JumpingJacks · 09/07/2013 18:53

I've found this website which helps show me which level she is at

But I can't find anything which would tell me which level that would be on ORT.

Reading Chest looks great, really tempted but think I will look at my library first.

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mmmmmchocolate · 09/07/2013 19:13

www.oup.com/oxed/primary/oxfordreadingtree/chart/

Ort reading levels.

Original poster

JumpingJacks · 09/07/2013 19:23

Thanks for the link mmmmmchocolate, but I don't know which level she is on in ORT, I only know in the storyworld books

OP posts:

Scruffey · 09/07/2013 19:31

Ort level 7 is turquoise.

Periwinkle007 · 09/07/2013 19:32

if she is book band turquoise then she will be able to read lots of books, just normal ones off the book case or at least read the majority of them.

try things like Mr Pod and Mr Picallili (and I have no idea how many ls are in picallili), Winnie the Witch, The Large Family, The Fish Who Could Wish, The Elephant and the Bad Baby, Mog (the cat), Meg and Mog, A Squash and a Squeeze, Sleep Tight Little Bear, My Cat Likes to Hide in Boxes, The Elmer Books, Owl Babies, Magic Lemonade, Mr Tubs is Lost, Who loves Mr Tubs, Rumble in the Jungle, The Usborne Beginners non fiction books.

All of these books are book band 6/7/8/9 and give you a variety of different stories and styles to try out plus should all/most be in the library. See what she likes and go from there.

Try looking for poetry books as well in the library as she might enjoy trying something different, you will have to help with some words probably but they are bound to have a couple of children's poetry books and my 4 and 5 year olds love poems now since we started reading them with them.

Original poster

JumpingJacks · 09/07/2013 19:34

I don't know if she is ORT Turquoise, she is reading storyworld books which are Turquoise.

Is that the same as ORT?

OP posts:

HorryIsUpduffed · 09/07/2013 19:36

I've got some books out of the library that he will be interested in (dinosaurs, gardening) and we will be going to the library probably weekly as much for a free outing as anything else. He also has a couple of wee penpals set up.

Haven't had his report yet (this Friday) but unless it says something very surprising I won't be changing my plans vastly. I strongly believe that children's reading comes on best when they choose to read, and the reading material itself doesn't matter enormously.

Original poster

JumpingJacks · 09/07/2013 19:37

Nice tip about the poetry, I wouldn't have thought of that

We have most of the books you listed which is lucky. She sometimes reads some of the Julia Donaldson to me. But mainly we stick to the school books. I don't know why. There are words she can't read yet, because they don't fit in with the phonics she has learnt so far. Do I just read them words to her then?

OP posts:

Periwinkle007 · 09/07/2013 19:47

if it says book band turquoise (and it looks like it on the link you posted) then that is book band turquoise (ORT have them as a different colour). Book bands are across all schemes so they may use their own colours or numbers within that but they are all leveled to national book bands.

yes if she doesn't know the phonics for something then help her sound it out, well that is what I would do anyway. We did split digraphs/magic e just because it kept cropping up when we were reading so I showed her how it worked and helped her sound it out. Just give it a go and see how she gets on. Once she realises she can read her normal story books, even if you have to help with a few words on each page, she will get a huge boost in her confidence as reading takes on a different meaning.

Original poster

JumpingJacks · 09/07/2013 19:50

I don't know what a split digraph is so will have to google that!

OP posts:

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