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Tips for parents 4: How to support reading if your child has difficulty reading or if Finnish is not the first language

As part of the study Comics as a Gateway to Reading, researchers from the EDUCA Flagship have prepared information materials for parents of primary school-aged children on how to support their children’s reading interest and the development of their reading skills at home. If reading is difficult for a child or Finnish is not the native language, support from home is especially important.

Working with the child’s school can help identify the right ways to practice, and even short but regular reading sessions, along with rewards for progress, will help improve skills. Adults’ encouraging attitude, reading together in a relaxed atmosphere, and choosing suitable material for the child all promote both reading fluency and comprehension. For children whose first language is not Finnish, proficiency in their first language supports the learning of a new language. Nurturing that proficiency is an important part of developing their Finnish language skills. Read more!