19th December 2012 9:00
By Blue Tutors
Much of the business tutors get is for GCSE and A’ level tuition, and we have a window of time to prepare students for exams. However, parents are increasingly hiring tutors for younger children, looking to improve their general skills in reading at a young age. Whilst having a tutor at a young age can, if not handled correctly, put undue pressure on children, having a tutor to encourage reading for fun can be very rewarding.
A new phenomenon appearing in schools and after school clubs are children’s book groups, where children meet and discuss the books they have been reading. The groups are led by teachers or teaching assistants, who assign children books to read. The children then meet and discuss what they like and dislike about the book at the characters.
Tutors can certainly learn from this, and in addition to reading aloud with children, they can consider leaving time to discuss the book with their students. Tutors can stop to discuss the characters in the book, and ask children to relate the story to their own experiences. Discussing the book in addition to reading aloud allows children to relate to the stories and encourages them to read for pleasure.