Research shows that it’s important for children who are in education to read during the school summer holidays and half term breaks, so that they don’t fall behind with their literacy skills when they return to class.

Here are a teacher’s top tips on how to get the new school term off to the best start when it comes to reading:

Build on new interests

If you’re out and about a lot during the school holidays, you may discover fresh activities and topics that your kids really show an interest in. Why not champion these new found joys and encourage your children to spend a little time reading more about their latest hobby.

Try listening to an audiobook

If you’ve recently been on a fun family holiday and you’re struggling to get your kids excited about reading again in the comfort of your own home, it could be a good idea to suggest they listen to an audiobook as a happy compromise. Pickatale offers kids audiobook support that allows words to be displayed to the child as they are read. It helps children with their pronunciations and they get to practice saying words they may otherwise struggle with.

Writing for reading

As we learn to read and write, we see the relationship between the two skills strengthen. What could be more fun during the holidays than for your little one to practice writing a letter or a postcard to a friend or a relative, which they then send in the post? Just imagine the smile on your child’s face should they receive a reply.

Read aloud

One of the greatest bits of advice when learning to read is to say words and sentences out loud. Encourage your children to practice re-reading parts of a story they struggle with. What’s great about Pickatale is that readers can choose to hear the pronunciation of words they find difficult, simply by pressing the word and hearing it read by a narrator.