How much and how often should your child be reading in preparation for their 7+ Assessments?

I get these questions a lot.

How much should my child be reading?

Which books should they be reading?

How can I boost their vocabulary?

So let’s answer them.

How much should my child be reading?

Your child should aim to be reading at least 10 pages a day. I choose this amount simply because this is the amount I challenge myself to read each day! And also because I’ve seen the best results from this amount. If you give too many pages as a goal for your child to achieve daily, it will seem overwhelming to them and most likely they won’t read any. 10 pages is very achievable. Even if they read 5 pages in the morning and 5 pages in the evening. Of course, if they can read more that is great. See this as a minimum baseline.

Which books should they be reading?

Your child must read books that interest them. This is far more effective than giving them books that they are just not that into or that they don’t really like. If your child is between 5 and 6, you will want them to choose picture books that challenge them in terms of vocabulary. If your child knows all of the words in the book that they have read, then if wasn’t challenging enough. You want your child to struggle with at least 5 words in a book that they are reading. In this way, they will boost their vocabulary by being exposed to new and unfamiliar words to them. If your child is between 6 and 7, they will need to be reading chapter books. We provide tailored book recommendations to all of our students.

How can I boost their vocabulary?

You can boost their vocabulary by making a glossary. The children that I teach love this!

Just get an exercise book (a nice one that your child has chosen preferably) and some lovely pens. On the top of each page write the letters A-Z or leave a couple of pages between letters (if the book allows). Each time your child is reading, they will take their glossary with them and write down new words. I ask my students to write the meaning of each word and to place each word into a sentence. Every evening, choose a word from the glossary and ask them what it means. If they remember, great. If they don’t, show them what they had written and then come back to it another time.

This is by far, the most effective way that I have seen to boost vocabulary.

Preparing for the 7+ Assessments? Book your Sample lesson today.