Supporting Reading at Home

Supporting Reading in EYFS & KS1

When you child starts in Reception they will begin Twinkl Phonics Level 2. As soon as your child is able to blend the first group of sounds taught in Level 2 they will be assigned a Rhino Reader. Rhino Readers, start with books containing just a few letter sounds and gradually become more complex. To make maximum progress, children should be reading fully decodable books. This means that the books children are given should match up exactly to the phonics that they have learned. Books shouldn’t contain any letter sounds not yet taught. With fully decodable books, children can use their phonics skills to tackle every word and there’s no need to rely on guesswork or clues from the pictures. This helps them quickly gain confidence and feel successful when they read.

Working through the Rhino Reader Scheme

• The scheme follows the same levels as Twinkl Phonics with each level split into three sublevels’ – a, b and c.
• Your child’s teacher will teach a set (or sets) of letter sounds and tricky words in phonics lessons.
• A book (or recommended level) will be suggested or given to your child to read that includes the recently taught phonics.
• Your child will read several books at this level to practise and consolidate this recently taught phonics.
• They will also develop fluency and comprehension skills by reading several books at the same level.
• Meanwhile, your child’s teacher will begin to teach the next set (or sets) of letter sounds and tricky words.
• When your child has secured their learning, they will progress onto the next sublevel (as recommended by the teacher).

How can I help my child with their reading?

Rhino Readers books have some great features to help you make reading with your child as smooth and easy as possible. Here’s how to get the most out of sharing a book with your child . . . 

Make a prediction 

• Use the front and back cover to talk about what the book might be about. The text on the back cover – called the ‘blurb’ – helps introduce the book to the reader.
• If your child isn’t familiar with the subject or setting, this might also be a good point to explain a bit more about it to them.
• Don’t give away too much, though – it’s fun for children to learn about something for themselves!

Warm up with the 'Before Reading' pages

Talk about the Book as You Go
It’s important that children get the chance to think and talk about what they read, as they read it. Try to pause for a quick discussion every couple of pages or so. You could ask them to:

• answer a question;
• give an opinion;
• explain what they have found out;
• try rereading a section so it’s smoother and more fluent;
• explain what a word means.

This kind of ‘talking around the book’ helps children make sense of what they’ve read so they don’t
fall into the trap of reading fluently but without good comprehension.

Consolidate learning with the 'After Reading' pages

Is There Anything Else I Can Do to Help?

Yes! You could try . . . 

• drawing their attention to print and text around them in the environment, like notices and signs, to show them that reading is a part of everyday life;
• letting them see you read to show them that it’s a valuable and fun activity;
• reading books to them that they can’t yet read themselves – many children will be able to follow and understand stories that are too hard for them to read yet;
• visiting a library;
• leaving books around and visible, rather than tidy and tucked away;
• playing first sound games (like I Spy, using the sound rather than the letter name) and other word games;
• listening to audiobooks – many of the Rhino Readers and Twinkl Originals can be accessed this way;
• reading on devices – this can be a nice change from reading printed books.

Remember – keep activities short and fun and keep modelling that you love reading, too!