Helping Your Child with Reading: Tips from Laureen, Elementary School Teacher

When our child starts school, discovering reading is an inevitable step! While this learning process can be stressful for many parents, watching our budding readers decode their first words is especially fascinating. To celebrate the release of its new collection, Momday, Tajinebanane is here to support your little ones as they take their first steps into the world of reading. To mark the occasion, we spoke with Laureen, a schoolteacher and mother of three, who shared her valuable advice with us:

It's no secret that children are spending more and more time on screens. Creating an interest in reading starts with fostering an interest in the world of books. "You need to take the time to mention the names of authors and publishers, name the front and back covers, etc. In short, teach them the vocabulary of books to make them familiar with the book as an object", explains Laureen.

While screens now take up a lot of space, we can still ensure that children don't lose sight of books. To help your little ones discover the process of bookmaking, Laureen recommends "The Great Adventure of the Book" by Dada magazine.

Since it's taught at school, many children see reading as purely a school activity. That's why it's crucial to encourage a love for reading outside of school. "Children need to understand that reading is also a part of everyday life: sharing a story with siblings, reading a recipe with parents, deciphering road signs while driving, and much more," Laureen explains. "The goal is for the child to realize that reading is useful in their daily life."

To motivate our budding readers, it's ideal to engage their interests: "Don't be afraid to approach reading through a topic that excites the child and customize the experience," advises Laureen. "If your child is passionate about cars, then a car magazine can be an unexpectedly effective tool!"

To facilitate the connection between a child and reading and to build a lasting relationship, it is recommended to read daily. "Children should read every day, so the bedtime story is very important," advises Laureen. And even when a child starts to read independently, dedicated reading times should continue.

We often forget, but reading and writing go hand in hand. To help a child who is learning to read, it's important to explain how to write; encountering letters is very important: "You need to give them the sound of the letters and not the name of the letter, otherwise the learning process becomes more complicated," says Laureen. For example, we always start with the sound and not the name of the letter. That means "B" makes the sound "buh" and not "bee."

To encourage this learning, the best approach is to invite children to write as much as possible. "Ask them to write the names of family members, create invitations for their friends, or write little notes," adds Laureen.

Laureen: "Learning to read is like learning to walk. Your child is gaining a skill that will change their life. Seeing their joy as they enter this new world is truly wonderful."

Laureen: "Reading is growing up. Reading is wonderful; it will open the door to a whole new world for you!"

If you’re looking for recommendations on educational materials to facilitate your child's learning, Laureen suggests the following books: “We have ‘Les Lectures Naturelles’ from Les Arènes, adaptations of real stories with a color code to identify sounds. There's also the ‘Sami et Julie’ collection from Hachette, which tells everyday stories of children to make reading enjoyable. I also recommend the GraphoGame app to explain the alphabetic principle and the correspondence between letters and sounds.”

And like any other resource, the latest Tajinebanane collection, Momday, draws inspiration from the world of words to dress little ones and grown-ups in the spirit of literacy! To explore our collection, click here. 🚀