Working with your children

Infants to 1^st Class

• Read to your child as often as you can
• Talk about books/characters/plots
• Enrol your child in the local library
• Provide a good role model by reading yourself/other family members
• Keep audio tapes of familiar stories to play in the car
• Vary the type of books read – stories/poems/information
• Accept your child’s efforts with praise
• Concentrate on what he/she got right
• Make reading together enjoyable
• Take part in school based activities like ‘Shared Reading’

2^nd Class to 4^th Class

• Continue to read to your child every day
• Read some of the books your child enjoys so you can discuss it with him/her
• Encourage your child to read to younger brothers/sisters
• Ensure that your child knows that you value and enjoy reading yourself
• Make sure that there is a wide variety of reading material in your home – newspapers, magazines, information, cookery, books etc
• Enrol and encourage your child to visit the local library once a week
• Discuss favourite authors
• Encourage your child to read articles/headlines in newspapers
• Encourage your child to guess unknown words
• Praise your child’s efforts

5^th Class to 6^th Class

• Encourage your child to visit the local library as often as possible
• Recognise and praise your child’s efforts in reading
• Ensure your child has access to a wide range of reading material – newspapers, magazines, guides etc
• Take an interest in different children’s authors
• Discuss ideas and points of view proposed by newspaper articles etc
• Provide a well-lit study/reading area
• Ensure that you value and enjoy reading yourself
• Allow your child to choose his/her own reading material
• Encourage your child to read for information – timetables/weather forecasts/menus
• Encourage your child to try and guess unknown words

Writing with your children

Junior Infants to 1^st Class

• Model writing yourself – shopping lists/letters/cards etc
• Provide a special place for your child to write/scribble, provide a variety of materials – crayons/markers/pencils
• Display your child’s name as often as possible i.e. Séan’s Room
• Teach your child the letters of his/her own name
• Provide alphabet books friezes
• Write messages/reminders to your child
• Encourage child to write his/her own messages using the computer
• Praise your child’s efforts
• Ask child to read their own messages
• Respond to the messages and not to grammar and spelling

2^nd Class to 4^th Class

• Praise your child’s efforts – respond to the message and not spelling/handwriting grammar
• Look for opportunities for purposeful writing activities at home – writing greeting cards/notes/telephone messages
• Encourage your child to use a word processor/computer
• Provide a quiet writing/study area for your child well equipped with pencils/paper
• Encourage your child to keep a diary
• Support your child’s spelling attempts
• Encourage him/her to have a go at spelling difficult words
• Use scrapbooks to support the child’s hobby/special interests.  Presents that support writing
• Make sure your child has a dictionary to help with writing
• Help child fill in personal details on forms etc

5^th Class to 6^th Class

• Encourage your child to keep a diary.  Respect privacy
• Encourage your child to write for real purposes everyday – shopping lists/phone messages etc
• Praise the effort and respond to the message and not the handwriting/grammar
• Make sure that your child has access to a dictionary/thesaurus to help with writing
• Allow your child to work on a word processor
• Try crossword puzzles and “Find the Word” puzzles
• Provide a range of attractive writing materials – coloured pens/fancy paper
• Encourage your child to write greeting cards/thank you notes etc
• Encourage your child to take part in writing competitions/community projects
• Show your child that you value writing by writing yourself

Developing Oral Language with your child

Junior Infants to 1^st Class

• Listen to what your child is saying/trying to say and respond to contributions
• Make and maintain eye contact while talking with your child
• Explain the meaning of words
• Talk through activities
• Talk through everyday experiences
• Involve your child in discussions/plans
• Ask/answer questions
• Teach your child nursery rhymes/songs/poems/raps
• Develop your child’s receptive language by asking him/her to follow simple instructions
• Assist your child to express ideas in an orderly fluent way
• Read to your child each night

2^nd Class to 4^th Class

• Set aside 10-15 minutes to discuss the day’s happenings
• Encourage your child to express and justify opinions
• Involve your child in adult conversation when appropriate
• Talk about your child’s favourite TV programme
• Play language games which focus on words i.e. Scrabble/Crosswords
• Encourage your child to talk about experiences with a wide range of people; peers/relations/other adults
• Listen carefully and clarify meaning ‘Do you mean/Is this what you mean?’
• Encourage your child to give reasons for decisions
• Encourage your child to listen courteously to the opinions of others
• Talk about school topics and assignments

5^th Class to 6^th Class

• Encourage your child to develop a positive attitude to speaking/listening
• Discuss your child’s school work – successes/concerns/interests
• Respect your child’s opinions and feelings
• Involve your child in adult conversations, when appropriate
• Help your child to extend his/her range of words in specialised subjects
• Encourage your child to listen and respond courteously to others
• Watch and discuss TV news/current affairs programmes together
• Assist your child to locate information in local library/internet
• Talk about school topics and assignments
• Play commercial games that focus on word building