My child is having difficulty with reading, what can I do?
Children often experience difficulty in the early stages of reading by using letter names in words rather than focusing on the sounds of letters (phonetics). Because they do not have the phonetic base they often find reading difficult and frustrating. If the child is unable to sound out the word or words they cannot successfully decode the sounds and this decoding capability is fundamental to reading success and enjoyment.
Time should be spent with your child to provide a strong phonetic foundation, familiarity with sounds and sound combinations and word identification skills.
Is this something I can do myself?
Yes, every parent can do this. The first step is to realize that as an adult your reading processes are on “auto-pilot” and you likely expend little conscious effort in sounding out and decoding the words you see. If you are going to help your child you will need to be cognizant of the role of phonetics and the decoding and encoding processes used in early reading. Time, patience, tenacity and humour are the essentials that are required to successfully help your child to acquire skills and ultimately success in reading.
Take your child to the library on a regular basis
Work with your child not only on the alphabet but on the sounds the letters may make.
Encourage your child to choose their own age appropriate books.
Why should I consider Linda’s Reading Room for my child?
Quite simply many parents may not have the time and/or the level of patience that will be required in this process.
Many parents will prefer to reinforce lessons taught rather than actually teaching the lessons themselves. This is usually a more enjoyable experience and may strengthen the parent-child bond rather than be a source of anxiety and potential frustration.
How do I enrol my child?
Reading Room sessions run for 3 months (12 individual sessions) 3 times per year beginning in October and ending in June.The first step is to arrange for an evaluation of your child’s current reading level and then he or she may be placed on a list for an upcoming skills appropriate group.
Where do classes take place?
Because the Reading Room program focuses on small “group based” learning, the classes take place in a comfortable home based environment in a quiet Burnaby residential neighbourhood.Conveniently located by Boundary Road and Central Park, the Reading Room program is a short drive for a large number of potential Vancouver and Burnaby based students.