Why it's important to help

English is probably the most important subject that your child studies at school. Without English, your child couldn't communicate with other English speakers. He would be shut off from education and other people in this country.

It has been established that a person with a large vocabulary has a greater ability to think. This is because words are like bricks - having a large 'pile' in your head makes it easier for you to 'build' ideas. Reading is absolutely central to building up a wide vocabulary.

So, how can you help to improve your child's English, whether it is a first or additional language? There's plenty you can do, even if you don't see yourself as an expert.

Ideas and tips

None of these suggestions is expensive or complicated. Each one needs just a little thought and time from you. One or two of these activities a week will really help a child get better at English, in a very undemanding way. The BBC Schools website also has lots of entertaining and educational ideas: try the Games Machine for ideas.

Reading

Provide plenty of reading material for your child. Newspapers, fiction (stories), non-fiction (factual books) and graphic novels are easy to get hold of, either from bookshops or libraries. Many children also enjoy reading information they have found online. Of course, it's important to check that what your child chooses is appropriate for his age.

Your child's school will almost certainly provide reading lists for children of different ages. Make sure you get hold of a copy and use it to help your child choose new books.

If your child struggles to read longer texts, do look for short books suitable for his age group, or help find books of short stories. Children are quickly turned off if reading feels like a chore and unfinished stories are very unsatisfying.

As they grow older, boys especially often lose interest in reading. Help your child to find books which relate to his interests. There are now plenty of stories about sport, music and computers as well as more traditional subjects.

Make sure that you read often with your child in the early years of secondary school. As he grows in confidence, your child will want to read to you, too. This remains important throughout KS3, although as your child becomes more fluent and independent he is more likely to want to read alone.

Make sure your child is a member of the local library and make a regular commitment to visit together. Take out a book for yourself as well, to show that it's cool for grown-ups to read too. Research shows that boys especially are more likely to read if they see male role models around them reading.

Writing

When your child is given a piece of written work to do, help him to plan out ideas first. Teachers will often do this with a class beforehand, so he will be familiar with the idea. As your child writes, remind him of the need to break ideas down into manageable paragraphs.

Encourage your child to use linking words to join ideas fluently and build up sentences. Simple words like 'and', 'but', 'if' and 'when' should be familiar from primary school. Help your child to use more sophisticated words in his writing, too, such as 'however', 'furthermore', 'in conclusion' and 'therefore'.

When your child is writing about a text, he will be asked to include quotations to back up the points. If your child asks you for help, encourage him to skim-read the page to find a suitable phrase and to choose a short quotation rather than copying out several lines. Remind him to put the quotation in quotation marks ("...", too.

Help your child to check his own spelling and punctuation - avoid going through the work and changing it yourself, though, as this can be demotivating and won't help the teacher to identify any problems.

Children still need to practise and learn new spelling well into the secondary years and may well be set words to learn for homework. As at primary level, you can turn this into a game during car journeys or after meals. Ask your child to spell words from the list and consider awarding a small prize for getting them all correct. Celebrate success in tests at school, too.

Speaking and Listening

Limit TV. At the start of each week, read the TV guide with your child and get him to note down all the things he wants to watch that week in a diary or on a pin-board. Now and then he could write a mini review of a favourite programme, complete with stick-on stars, afterwards. Do discourage 'channel-hopping' and turning to TV during moments of boredom. Instead, suggest games and activities or books to read.

Talk with your child as much as possible. Mealtimes are a great time for catching up on news, sharing ideas, stories and jokes. By taking part in conversations with adults, children learn to listen, to respond sensitively and sensibly and to put forward their own views: all vital skills for life and for school success.

Encourage your child to read, watch or listen to the news or interesting articles and documentaries. Help your child to develop his own opinions by discussing the issues involved and asking questions about what he thinks and feels.

Do try to talk yourself about feelings and thoughts and ask about your child's. Children are often asked in English lessons to imagine, talk and write about things from a different point of view.

Encourage your child to be adventurous with language, learning and trying out new words. Be interested in the language he uses - ask about the meanings of the slang, technical vocabulary and descriptive language he uses. When you use more complicated language, encourage your child to tell you its meaning. Enjoy language together!

Word games can still work well with secondary school children. On car journeys, take note of car registration plates. See if everyone can make up a phrase using the letters in the order they are shown. So, T401 SPF could be, 'Trains Speeding Past Fields.' Word Associations is another one to try. One person starts by saying a word at random. The next person says a word he associates with the first one, and so on. So, you could have: 'Snow - cold - warm - holiday - beach - swim - fish - chips', etc. Try to get some pace into the game!

Note: This article does not aim to solve any problem your child may have with a particular area of English. Ask your child's teacher for specific ideas on what might help in certain areas. Try not to be too demanding of your child, though - you don't want to turn him off English for good!

Based on an article by Lorna Smith

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