• Stratford Road, Lighthorne Heath, Leamington Spa,Warwickshire, CV33 9TW
Reading with Your Bilingual Child
  • Find a quiet place and time to share a book with your child.
  • Take time to look together at the words and pictures in a story.
  • Use your hands and face as well as your voice – your child will love to see you smiling.
  • Use animal sounds like woof, growl and hoot – this will really help to bring the story to life.
  • Stories and rhymes can be shared with the whole family so why not invite siblings or other family members to join in?
  • Don’t be shy, relax and enjoy – if you are having fun so will your child.
  • Ask your class teacher which books they are reading in the classroom and read the story at home in your home language.Your child will be able to learn the English vocabulary they hear in the stories more quickly if they can make links with words in their other languages.
  • Read books in your language. One free site is http://en.childrenslibrary.org/. You can get dual language books in your home language and English to help develop your child’s bilingual skills. Ask in school about dual language books.
  • Tell your child stories in your home language.
  • Listen to audio books or story CDs together.Borrow books and audio books from the library.
  • Look at ebooks together. http://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/reading-owl/find-a-book/library-page/
  • Sing nursery rhymes and songs together: Listen to nursery rhymes in all of your languages: http://www.mamalisa.com/