What nobody tells you about learning to read

With Miss E (nine) being an avid reader, and Miss M (five) sounding out words like a pro, fingers crossed it looks like both my daughters are going to be book lovers. But there are some parts of this process us parents should be warned about. 

Luckily I have a few tips to help you deal with the unexpected moments your new reader will spring upon you. Moments like these…

1. You can’t control what they will read 
   We’re in public toilets when an eager Miss M begins studying the graffiti. I congratulate her on recognising certain sounds and letters then swiftly draw her attention to the pattern on the floor. 

2. Scary reading moments can happen anywhere
   For example, doctors’ surgeries. On the walls in the children’s areas they generally have useful visuals on childhood diseases, immunisation and healthy eating. But (even though I have never seen anyone over the age of 12 sit there voluntarily) the kiddie corner seems to have also been deemed an appropriate place to stick the Teenage Sexual Health Display, irresistible to any seven-year-old.

I can guarantee that at some point, like me and journalist Kelly Rose Bradford, you will be confronted with something you wish your child couldn’t read.

My advice for when this happens? Just follow these easy steps and you should be home and dry. 

• Divert their attention – Is that a squirrel?

• Explain – That was brilliant reading but it’s not a nice word.

• Don’t panic. If you’re stuck somewhere and there’s something you would rather your child didn’t read, grab a leaflet, play I spy, or keep a book in your bag to keep them amused.

For information on supporting new and reluctant readers, head over to Ellen’s brilliant Ready For Ten post, encouraging reading.

What interesting words have your new readers seen fit to share with you? I’d love to know.