The parents at the Jacqui Robinson Education Centre are helped and supported all the way, as they help and support their child. So parents are always asking me:
What can I do to help my child's English?
The best thing any parent can do to help their child with English tuition is to read with them.
I know, being a mum myself, that as your children get older and can read competently, you have achieved your goal. You can let them carry on reading on their own.
However if you were to continue to read with them as they get older, you are consistently boosting their comprehension skills. You are able to discuss what is being read and you can talk about the new words that are coming up. Maybe words they can not pronounce yet.
If a child is left to continue reading on their own, sometimes they don't understand what they are reading.
We often find this when we are doing comprehension in class. The children will read a few sentences aloud in one of our small groups at the centre, it's quite fun and jolly, but we do come across words they cannot pronounce which most parents think their child would know.
Similarly, we may come across a concept and I will ask, for example, "Who was wearing the red hat?". The children will then have to highlight the answer in the text quickly.
This English tuition teaches them scanning and analysing, however, many children don't know the answer because they are too busy decoding the text and not actually thinking about the story.
We can fix this!
So, definitely one of the best things to do at home is read together. Have a family book, slightly more difficult than the one your child would usually read.
This should not be a chore, it is supposed to be a fun activity and a bonding time, it will also have untold wealth for your child because their comprehension will go up, their vocabulary will go up and their punctuation will improve.
So please, read with your children when you can.
For more of what we do at the Jacqui Robinson Education Centre, watch the video below.