Supporting Reading and Literacy at Home

Literacy is the foundation of virtually every other area of learning. A child who cannot read with fluency and comprehension by the time they leave primary school faces severe disadvantage in secondary education and beyond. Yet literacy is not simply a skill that can be switched on in Year 1 – it is built over years, beginning in infancy, through exposure to language, stories, books and print. The habits, attitudes and abilities that make a child a strong reader are established long before formal schooling begins.

Research consistently shows that children who are read to regularly from birth have significantly larger vocabularies, stronger phonological awareness and better comprehension than those who have had limited experience of books and stories. The gap (which exists before children start school) is one of the most significant drivers of educational inequality in England and is one reason why early years literacy has become a government priority.

Phonological Awareness: The Building Block

Before children can learn to read, they must develop phonological awareness – the ability to hear and manipulate the sounds in spoken language. This includes recognising rhyme, identifying syllables, isolating individual sounds (phonemes) and understanding that words can be broken down and rebuilt. Phonological awareness develops through songs, nursery rhymes, word games and listening carefully to language – all activities that parents and early years practitioners can support from birth.

Children who arrive at school with weak phonological awareness struggle with the mechanics of decoding text, even when they are otherwise bright and articulate. This is one reason why singing nursery rhymes and sharing rhyming books with young children is not just pleasant – it is developmentally important preparation for reading.

Systematic Synthetic Phonics

Since the Rose Review of 2006, systematic synthetic phonics (SSP) has been the required method of teaching reading in English schools. SSP teaches children to decode written words by converting individual letters and letter combinations (graphemes) into their corresponding sounds (phonemes) and blending those sounds together to read a word. The approach is systematic because it teaches phonemes in a specific order, and synthetic because it involves synthesising (blending) sounds together.

The approach has strong evidence of effectiveness and has contributed to a measurable improvement in reading outcomes in England since its adoption. All Year 1 pupils must sit the Phonics Screening Check, introduced in 2012, which tests whether they can accurately decode words using phonic knowledge. Children who do not meet the expected standard in Year 1 resit in Year 2. Parents should be aware of the phonic scheme used in their child’s school and, where possible, use the same vocabulary and approach when supporting reading at home.

Stages of Reading Development

Learning to read moves through broadly predictable stages. In the emergent literacy stage (birth to around age 5), children develop a love of books, build vocabulary, begin to understand that print carries meaning and start to recognise some familiar words and letters. In the early reading stage (typically ages 5–7), children learn phonics, begin to decode simple words and start to read short texts with support. In the developing reading stage (ages 7–9), decoding becomes more automatic and children begin to read for meaning rather than simply sounding out words.

By ages 9–11, most children who are progressing typically are “reading to learn” rather than “learning to read.” This transition is critical: children who have not achieved fluent decoding by the end of Key Stage 2 face compounding difficulties as the curriculum demands increasingly complex texts. Intervention is much more effective when it happens early – ideally before Year 3.

Vocabulary Development

Vocabulary size at age five is one of the strongest predictors of educational attainment at age 16, according to research by the Education Endowment Foundation and others. Children from disadvantaged backgrounds often arrive at school with significantly smaller vocabularies than their more advantaged peers – a gap of several thousand words in some studies. This gap does not close on its own; without deliberate intervention, it tends to widen through school.

The most powerful way to build vocabulary in young children is through talk – sustained, responsive, back-and-forth conversation with adults who use a rich range of language. Shared book reading is particularly effective because it exposes children to vocabulary they would rarely encounter in everyday speech: complex words, unusual sentence structures and topics beyond their immediate experience. Reading aloud to children, discussing what is happening in the story, asking questions and connecting the book to their experience all build vocabulary significantly more effectively than structured vocabulary lessons alone.

Reading for Pleasure

Reading for pleasure (reading for the intrinsic enjoyment of stories rather than for assessment or instruction) is one of the most powerful predictors of educational achievement and has benefits that extend far beyond reading itself. Research by the National Literacy Trust has found that children who read for pleasure demonstrate higher levels of empathy, better mental health and greater creativity, in addition to stronger literacy skills.

Creating a reading culture at home means:

• having books readily available and visiting the library regularly
• letting children choose what they read, within reason
• reading together even when children can manage independently
• showing that reading is something adults value and enjoy

Derby City Libraries offer an excellent free service with storytime sessions, reading challenges and a wide range of books for all ages. The Summer Reading Challenge, run annually, is a particularly effective way to maintain reading over the summer holiday.

Partnership Between Home and Setting

The EYFS emphasises that parents and carers are children’s first and most enduring educators. The evidence base for this is strong: what happens at home (the conversations, the books shared, the stories told) has a greater influence on children’s literacy outcomes than anything a school or nursery can provide in isolation. The most effective early years settings actively support parents to extend literacy learning at home rather than treating it as the exclusive domain of the professional.

If you are concerned about your child’s reading progress, speak to their teacher or key person. Early identification of difficulties (whether specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, or more general delays) makes a very significant difference to outcomes. Schools are required to identify and support children with reading difficulties and parents have a right to be kept informed of their child’s progress and the support being provided.

For related guidance, see also our articles on the seven areas of learning, physical activity and development, sleep and learning and safeguarding.