Aye Aye Captain!
For some reason…
… I haven't been able to get the image of me as a pilot out of my head. I was listening to a podcast about parenting recently and an analogy stuck with me. It was about parents as pilots (stick with me!).
I want you to imagine that your child is a passenger on an aeroplane. They have just buckled themselves in and are ready for take off, feeling excited about the journey ahead. But, they glance across to the cockpit and see the pilot fumbling around with the controls. The pilot is cursing and tutting... this doesn't look reassuring... it has become quite clear that the pilot doesn't know what they are doing!
All of a sudden, this journey has become extremely stressful. The passenger wants to get off that plane immediately! They would rather be anywhere else.
So, this is what the journey of learning to read can be like for children. When your little one comes home from school with their first reading book, they need you to be calm and reassuring. They need you to know what you are doing because , in order for them to want to learn to read, they need to feel safe and secure.
If the child starts to sound out their first word "c.....a.....p"... and the parent says "Wow- I didn't know you said it like that," or, "This isn't the way we learnt to read- this is very confusing," the child will probably not want to do it anymore.
Knowing how to guide your little one through their reading journey doesn’t just help them become better readers—it also makes them feel safe and supported, which is essential for their overall learning and confidence.
So, I encourage you to take the time to learn about how children develop early reading skills. Whether it’s through reading resources, attending school workshops, or simply talking to their teachers, every bit of knowledge you gain helps you become the steady, confident pilot your child needs.
