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Not Parents Regularly: Another is to insist too rigidly on adherence to the school's guidelines. Usually parents are better teachers than they are given credit for and can tell what is right for their child at a given time. So advice should be simple at first (we do not mean over-simplified), and it should be given as what it is - advice, and not a set of diktats.
The fundamental guidelines that have been proven in practice as being helpful to parents are these:
(a) Hear your child read fairly regularly, if possible at least three times a week.
Hewison and Tizard found that the home background factor most strongly associated with reading attainment was whether or not parents regularly heard their children read. Not, notice, whether parents read to their children, but whether they assumed what has traditionally been regarded as a teaching role, by actually listening to their children reading.
The emergence of this particular factor as significantly more important than any other they had looked at was unexpected, even for the reseachers themselves.
Parents who want to help their children are often motivated to improve their own reading. Point out that there is a good chance of this happening if they hear their children read regularly, especially when they have young children with easy books to read. You could add that the experience of having their parents trying to learn at the same time can be a helpful one for children too. It is very useful, in case you are asked, to be ready with accurate information about local provisions for adult literacy (who to ring, what evening, time, etc.). Vague recommendations, as we all know from experience, rarely get followed up.
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