Reading with your child at home
We have put together a list of questions / prompts to help support your child
with their reading and comprehension skills. We hope that these will be useful
when reading with your child at home. It is essential for children to practise
reading at home and school on a daily basis. Please continue to comment on your
child’s progress with reading in this book so we can ensure books are changed
regularly.
Book Introduction
Before starting to read the book ask / do the following:
 Look at the front cover and encourage your child to predict what the
book is about asking questions such as Who…? Where…? What….?
 What is the title of the book?
 Who is the author of the book?
 Who is the illustrator / has drawn the pictures?
 Relate the story to your child’s own experience e.g. Their trip to the
park (fiction books)
 Discuss your child’s prior knowledge of the subject (non-fiction books)
 Look at back cover and read the blurb (description of what the book is about)
Independent reading
While your child is reading the book ask/do the following.
 Can you show me where to start reading?
 Can you point to each word with your finger as you read?
 Can you read it again without using your finger?
 Can you show me where you go when I finish reading this line?
 What is happening in the story?
 Look at the pictures – what is happening? How do your characters feel?
 What do you notice is at the beginning of each sentence? (Capital letter)
 What is at the end of each sentence? (full stop, question or exclamation mark)
 How many sentences are on this page? In the whole book?
Word solving / attack and sentence prompts
While or after your child has read the book ask/do the following.

Can you point to a letter?

Can you point to a word?

Were there enough words in the book?

Which words did you like? Why?

Can you spot any of your key words? (from your key word sheet)

Are there any tricky words? Can you read them? What does the word mean?

Can you point to a word that starts with….?

Can you point to a sentence?

Do sentences always finish with a full stop? What else do they finish with?

Would a different word fit in the sentence instead?

Would the sentence still make sense with that word?

Can you spot any of your spellings or blends from your Phonic lessons?
Returning to the text
After your child has read the book ask/do the following.

Can you put your finger on a full stop on page…?

Can you put your finger on a capital letter on page…?

Can you put one finger on the start of the sentence and another finger on the
end of a sentence?

Can you re-read the bold print on page…?

Can you use a different voice to do this?

Can you find any speech bubbles or speech marks?

Can you find a long word on the page?

Can you break it down into syllables? Can you read it?

Could you spell it with your eyes closed?

Can you find a word that rhymes with…?

Can you find a word that starts with the blend….?
Recall questions
After your child has finished reading the book ask the following:

Where does the story take place?

When did the story take place?

What did he / she look like?

Who was he / she?

Where did he / she live?

Who are the characters in the book?

Where in the book would you find?
Reading with
your child at
home
High Spen
Primary School